NOW the Covid grinches want to cancel Christmas – and they'll do everything to terrify Boris Johnson into doing so over the next nine days.

Already the fear mongers in the media and doom merchants of SAGE are doing their worst, warning that allowing a five day relaxation of the rules between December 23 and 27 will be catastrophic.

Angela Merkel has axed the festive season in Germany for 2020, they will argue, so our government should do so too.

Flip flopping London Mayor Sadiq Khan is leading the charge, with confused Labour leader Keir Starmer making concerned noises without proposing a policy alternative as usual.

Of course, the dreadful Nicola Sturgeon and truly hopeless Mark Drakeford are playing politics, wanting to look tougher than Boris without actually causing a mass revolt by cancelling Christmas.

Have they forgotten that most of us have had a horror 2020, separated from our families and friends for months at a time?

Have they forgotten that workers at supermarkets have exposed themselves to hundreds of contacts every day since the start of this crisis in March to keep the nation fed?

Have they forgotten that we have been promised this loosening for weeks, with expensive transport and accommodation already booked?

As one anonymous Tory MP told the Politico Playbook this week: “The cancel Christmas brigade are another example of sneering media elitists thinking normal people are stupid and can’t look after themselves. Every family across the country will be doing everything they can to protect their relatives.”

The anguish of changing the rules – either by cutting the number of households who can come together to two like in Wales or reducing the number of days we can celebrate like in Scotland – is another hammer blow to the authority of our distrusting leaders.

I agree with the theatre impresario Cameron Mackintosh who believes the Government's latest measures, including plunging London into Tier 3 just two weeks after a month-long national lockdown, smack of panic.

It's no shock that case numbers were going to increase this month. It's December, the coldest days are here. This is what happens with respiratory illnesses every year.

The current cycle we're in is a form of psychological torture for the entire country:

1: Government announces restrictions. The public make sensible plans around them.

2: Cases rise (largely because of the time of year).

3: Government comes under intense pressure from much of media and opposition that rules are irresponsible.

4: The rules change last minute, causing interminable damage to lives and businesses.

Do not even thinking about playing this game with our Christmas plans.

Boris Johnson must hold firm and trust us all to exercise great British common sense.

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