With the news that the economy shrank by a record 20.4 per cent in April, it is vital that we get the economy working again. Here are three recommendations to the Government from The Freedom Association:

• Reduce the social distancing rule from two metres to one metre. Rishi Sunak told Conservative MPs that if the two-metre rule is reduced, 75 per cent of pubs could reopen. If it is not reduced, 75 per cent will remain closed. It really is that stark. The Government must change the two-metre rule. Livelihoods depend on it.
• Cut red tape. Why isn't the Government saying to businesses that you can reopen, but you must maintain social distancing? Ministers should leave it up to them how they manage it. Instead, there is form filling and risk assessments, all eating up valuable time. The Government should not be micromanaging businesses. It should trust businesses to do the right thing, and if necessary, take action against those who do not.
• Reopen schools to all pupils. Schools have had months to prepare for this. All the evidence from around the world points to children being largely unaffected by Covid-19. They also do not spread it in the same way as adults. Children need to go back to school.

ENDS

Andrew Allison, Head of Campaigns

The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis has horrified the world. Derek Chauvin, the police officer who pinned him down with his knee on his neck, despite Floyd clearly telling him that he could not breathe, cannot be justified, and it is correct that Chauvin and his three former colleagues are prosecuted. But that did not justify the scenes we witnessed in central London yesterday. 

I was genuinely shocked when I saw a picture of the protest in Hyde Park yesterday afternoon. We still have a right to protest; of course we do, but during the current restrictions we have to protest in a way that does not spread COVID-19. This begs the question: why were so many people allowed to congregate breaking social distancing guidelines?