This morning’s front pages are quite unusual for the PM in that his announcement on Christmas mostly gets generally positive coverage. Given the way his personal ratings have plummeted in recent weeks the Tories must be hoping that this might turn the tide.

This is an announcement that affects tens of millions of people in England and I know that personally for me this is great news because I’ll be able to be with the UK part of my family for the seasonal celebrations.

A political question is whether Johnson will get any political benefit from it. We know that last year’s very late introduction of the Christmas lockdown impacted negatively on the PM.

The big shadow hanging over the latest announcement, of course, is that it is a gamble. It might just further the spread of the latest variant, lead to more infections and put greater pressure on the NHS. More people might die.

At the top in politics the decisions are never easy.

Mike Smithson