It is now clear that the three household bubble policy for Christmas was a mistake. It has increased the proportion of people planning to meet from 1 in 6 to 2 in 5 Still a minority, but even with these levels of mixing there will be a surge of infections in the New Year.

The problem is that the policy, and the way it was communicated, gave people the impression that it is safe to mix when it plainly isn't. You mix at your peril - and the peril of your family and your community. You endanger their health and you risk overwhelming the NHS...

... at the precise point when we need the NHS to roll out the vaccine. But it is probably too late to reverse the policy itself. You can't encourage people to meet then, when they have done so, easily turn round and say 'whoops, changed our minds - sorry'.

But what you can do is - urgently - improve the messaging and stress the dangers: stress that it is safest not to meet; stress how, if you do decide to meet, the measures you need to take (including minimising contacts for you and your children for 10 days beforehand)...

and perhaps, as a Christmas gift and to indicate they really are sorry (actions speak louder than words) announce an extra public holiday on midsummers day so we can all meet up when it is safe and have a delayed celebration in 2021!