Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan, have made no secret of their scepticism over the use of repeated Covid lockdowns on their weekly Planet Normal podcast. But unlike the Prime Minister, you wouldn’t have caught them breaking the rules.
“We have been absolute sticklers,” Liam Halligan tells this week’s episode, which you can listen to using the audio player above.
“I thought many of these rules were absolutely bonkers,” admits Allison Pearson, “But the reason I almost entirely abided by them was because they were the law and I didn’t want to do anything to bring my employer into disrepute.”
For Halligan, the true damage of the rule breaking is its power to distract: “At a time where we face the most serious cost living crisis for thirty years, with more to come, when financial markets are extremely rickety, when the country is screaming out for leadership, we wouldn’t have a government absolutely on the back foot.”
Pearson tells listeners how, unlike the PM, she cancelled her planned 60th birthday celebrations while lockdown rules were in place.
But she does admit to having something in common with Mr Johnson: “I’ve been on the keto diet to get rid of the Christmas pounds, but I’ve been ambushed by cake.”
Joining Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan on this week’s podcast is Isle of Wight MP, Bob Seely, who condemns the ‘national scandal’ of of ‘hysterical’ Covid modelling. He lays bare the damage done by decision makers who used worst-case scenario forecasting to push for draconian measures.
Listen to Planet Normal, a weekly Telegraph podcast featuring news and views from beyond the bubble, using the audio player above or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your preferred podcast app.
