Were the COVID lockdowns worth it? Rishi Sunak has complained that ministers weren't allowed to discuss the trade-offs, but for 62% of Britons (and 61% of Tory voters), the benefits were worth the costshttps://t.co/HayJNDPJB6 pic.twitter.com/41IcGhv4Yo

— YouGov (@YouGov) August 26, 2022

I was intrigued by Rishi Sunak’s observations on the lockdowns he and Liz Truss helped introduce. My own view that the first lockdown was necessary so the government and NHS were prepared for what was coming and the lockdown from December 2020 onwards was a good idea whilst the world beating vaccine rollout was taking place so I’m not astonished with the 62% of the public saying the lockdowns were worth it.

My expectation is that any politician criticising the lockdowns will end up looking callous in the eyes of the public who realise lockdowns did have downsides but the positives outweigh the negatives. It is heartwarming so many of the public value the lives of their fellow citizens.

TSE