"It's mad!" Shelagh Fogarty lists the government's mixed messages over pubs
3 July 2020, 14:54
"It's mad!" Shelagh Fogarty lists the government's mixed messages over pubs
Shelagh Fogarty listed the government's mixed messages after they revealed pubs could re-open at 6am tomorrow.
Boris Johnson said on his LBC phone-in this morning that the public should be sensible as the pubs re-open after lockdown, adding "let's not blow it".
But then a spokesperson confirmed that pubs would be able to open from 6am tomorrow.
And Shelagh said that kind of mixed messaging is "mad".
She said: "Do you see what I mean about the mixed messages?
"Thursday. The Treasury tweeted 'Woo hoo, party!' before taking it down. 'Our mistake, it was the wrong tone, it was the wrong message'.
"Friday. The Prime Minister goes on national radio on LBC and talks about wanting people to be responsible on the same day his father contravenes guidance on going to Greece, even though Greece does not want UK citizens to go there.
"Does the Prime Minister want to comment on that level of irresponsibility? No he does not.
"And then we hear within hours of the Prime Minister telling people to behave responsibly, you hear the pubs are opening from six in the morning.
"If you're over 40, you'll remember a time when there were proper restrictions on the consumption of alcohol in this country.
"If you'd told somebody then that the pubs would be opening at six in the morning in the middle of a pandemic, they would have thought you were mad. Because it's mad."
Johnson: The govt is "learning lessons" in how to deal with Covid-19
Earlier, the Prime Minister told LBC: "Tomorrow we come to step three of the plan that I set out on May 10, that everybody, I think, has understood, or huge numbers of people have understood and followed very carefully and very closely.
"And it's because people stuck to that plan that we're now able to carefully and cautiously open up hospitality tomorrow.
"And my message is really for people to enjoy summer sensibly and make sure that it all works."
