London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Stay at home message may have been ‘too successful’ as Brits fear leaving lockdown

The Government’s ‘stay at home’ message could be a victim of its own success, a leading statistician has suggested.
With polling data revealing that many Britons are fearful about easing the coronavirus lockdown, Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter suggested the campaign may have been ‘slightly too successful’.

A recent survey for Ipsos Mori suggested that more than 60% of Britons would feel uncomfortable carrying out their normal daily activities – like going to bars or restaurants, or using public transport – if the lockdown is eased.

Sir David, of Cambridge University, suggested on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that low risk people are becoming overly anxious and added: ‘Maybe our whole campaign has been, if anything, slightly too successful.’

His intervention comes as the prime minister Boris Johnson said yesterday that he would lay out the next stage of lockdown planning next week – with the current restriction set to be reviewed on Thursday, May 7.

The government has previously said five tests must be met before lifting the lockdown and warned that it will not ease and restrictions if there is a risk of a second peak or overwhelming the NHS.

Globally, other countries have begun cautiously lifting their restrictions, with Britain slightly behind many other nations in imposing restrictions.

But Sir David also warned against taking a ‘Eurovision approach’ and making ‘naive comparisons’ in contrasting the UK with other countries’ Covid-19 deaths.

He added: ‘I think it’s too early to tell our exact place in the league table.

‘My article was arguing against this almost Eurovision approach of trying to say who’s top, who’s second and so on. I

‘It’s just not appropriate to do at all.’

He continued: ‘There are so many variabilities about how people record Covid deaths – even what the correct metric is for measuring the impact of the epidemic – that to start saying we’re going to be worse or whatever is completely inappropriate.’

Based on government data which now includes deaths in care homes, Britain looks to be on track to record the second highest rate death in the world, with 26,771 people dying as of yesterday. The USA is significantly ahead of all other nations on the count, while France, Spain and Italy are all on a similar course to the UK.

However, according to modelling by the Financial Times, Britain’s death toll could in fact have been as high as 47,000 on Tuesday.

Yesterday, the chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, cautioned that ‘every country measures its cases differently.’

There are various issues with such comparisons, including when the deaths are reported, whether they only include hospital deaths and coronavirus is accurately recorded as a cause of death.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
After 200,000 Orders in 2 Minutes: Xiaomi Accelerates Marketing in Europe
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×