Although for now the Government has managed to retain control over pandemic policy – thanks in part to the Opposition – our survey shows that the unease of Tory MPs over the length and rigour of lockdown and other restrictions is shared by the grassroots.
More than half of all respondents to our latest survey agreed that: ‘The Government should be lifting lockdowns and restrictions faster and more widely’, versus less than a third who agreed that: ‘The Government’s lifting of lockdowns and restrictions is proceeding in the right speed and way’. Only 11 per cent took the view that Ministers are moving too quickly to open the country back up.
We also asked our regular question about which broader strategy the Prime Minister should adopt to combat Covid-19. This month 18 per cent backed maintaining lockdowns and other current restrictions, 42 per cent favoured using test-and-trace to minimise the need for such controls, and 39 per cent supported a Sweden-style approach based on voluntary social distancing. This shows some decline in support for the Swedish option since the autumn.