Mishal Husain questions to Robert Jenrick getting to heart of what is, for me, the greatest error during the pandemic, on 19/12: allowing 3 households in most of England to mix on Xmas Day, despite being told 24 hours earlier new variant was up to 70% more contagious #r4today

Nervtag (who briefed PM on 18/12) gave evidence to select committee on 23/12 that the new variant had seeded across the country. So to restrict Christmas shutdown to London & SE only was a mistake.

Jenrick says the government was getting the virus under control by the end of the year, before the new variant hit. BUT cases were starting to rise during November lockdown (as I reported in early Dec, before NV was announced)

in London and the South East. It was obvious, even before the NV was announced, that something was happening. PHE identified NV as a variant of concern in early December. Ministers were told 2nd week of December.

So it's really important that a narrative does not develop that the government weren't aware of how serious the new variant was before Christmas, because they were.

Jenrick told Today: "I'm sure that we could or would have done some things differently with the benefit of hindsight" - except there were plenty saying at the time there needed to be fuller restrictions - eg BMJ/HSJ. Members of Sage. I asked Hancock on 23/12 why not full lockdown