100 days of rising disparity and ruin of a generation

Iknew it was coming. The torrent of media coverage looking back on 100 days of lockdown like a grossly nostalgic show reel. Carefully crafted articles painting a picture of British resilience and togetherness. Celebrating the nation’s bravery, as well as our newfound enjoyment of the simple things.

I regret to inform you that I will not be spending my week reminiscing about the NHS clapping, Captain Tom, or the resurgence of the pub quiz – I will be spending it in mourning. For not only does this week mark 100 days since our liberties were stolen, it also marks 100 days of rising inequalities, countless avoidable deaths and the ruin of a generation.

Throughout lockdown, trite parallels have been drawn between our fight against COVID-19 and our forefathers’ struggle against Nazi Germany. Comparisons with the war are largely invalid – except for one. The country now faces a degree of economic damage genuinely comparable with the costs of a major war.

To help finance its response, the government is set to borrow up to £350bn, sending the budget deficit to in excess of 100 per cent of GDP. Additionally, substantial loans to private businesses, many of which will never be repaid, are cashing in at £100bn and rising. To summarise, a deep recession is coming, one which ONS warns could cause as many as 12,000 avoidable deaths each year.

A large percentage of this disturbing figure will be down to lockdown-imposed poverty and long-term unemployment, but tragically, it also covers deaths surrounding mental health and suicide. With livelihoods upended, families under extraordinary stress and feelings of grief accentuated by isolation, a mental health crisis is looming.

Young people will be deeply impacted, but mental health issues affect everyone. Social isolation has intensified anxiety and depression so acutely amongst the elderly that suicide attempts in this group have seen a six-fold rise. Domestic violence charities have warned of a sharp increase in cases during lockdown – killings have more than doubled and there will be an inevitable surge of victims seeking support when lockdown lifts.

The most devastating effects will be felt by the young. As our leaders wrangle over which businesses to open next, it is our children who haven’t made the national list of priorities. The social and educational development of a whole generation is being damaged, and what for? Sage documents, only reluctantly released thanks to my judicial review, state loud and clear that the virus poses little risk to children and that closing schools does next to nothing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

What’s more, responding to my legal enquiry into school closures, government defence lawyers stated it was merely a “request” for schools to shut their doors, not an order. Clearly, our leaders will stoop to the low level of word trickery to avoid any culpability. In my view, the blame for millions of children having had their education set back and the £22bn school closures have cost the economy, sits firmly on their shoulders.

So much harm could have been prevented, had our leaders not spent weeks dithering over the reduction of the two-metre rule. Scrapping this measure will allow schools, businesses and tourism to open, unlocking swathes of the economy. So why on earth has it taken

Johnson this long?

As measures begin to be relaxed, there is a collective sigh of relief, but I wouldn’t celebrate just yet. Businesses are right to be cautious of “one metre plus”. This rule will be near impossible for busy venues to monitor, leaving them fearful of being shut down by police. Reports are also saying that when pubs re-open on 4 July, visitors may need to sign a register before going in for a pint… what is this new world we live in? The British pub is the ultimate symbol of freedom. With these new rules, even a visit to your local will have echoes of life under a communist dictatorship.

Enough is enough. We now know that lockdown and its frightening repercussions are more deadly than the virus itself. Nobody will emerge from this untouched by its effects. This week, my Judicial Review of the Government’s actions will challenge their legality in High Court. The government has blood on its hands, for which it must be held accountable. Most importantly – lockdown can never be allowed to happen again.