Boris Johnson and his ministers have disappointed ‘economy first’ Tories over the lockdown – but with good reason

Reality has not yet caught up to the hopes of some Conservatives – lives still need to be put before livelihoods

It has been a bad day for the Conservative MPs clamouring for an early end to the coronavirus lockdown because of its chilling effect on the economy. They were disappointed that Boris Johnson’s bouncy optimism on his return to Downing Street was not accompanied by optimistic noises about easing the restrictions.

Then the impatient Tories transferred their hopes to Rushi Sunak, the chancellor, who made a Commons statement in the afternoon on his measures to provide a bridge between the shutdown and a quick recovery once the curbs are lifted.

No joy there, either. In public at least, the chancellor was on the same line of the same page as Johnson: now is not the time to ease up because a second peak of the coronavirus would be bad for health and in turn the economy. “We are not there yet,” Sunak told a string of Tory MPs who expressed concern about the lockdown’s impact.

In private, Sunak probably has rather more sympathy with the Tories aching to see the UK get back to work as soon as possible. It would be surprising if the Treasury were not worried about the severe economic hit. A longer lockdown will deal an even bigger blow to the public finances. But the only crumb of comfort he offered was to say the government is thinking about the second phase of the crisis, even if it has not yet begun.

The chancellor showed he is a pragmatist who listens to his critics by announcing a new loan scheme for small businesses, who were falling between the cracks of his existing measures. Crucially, new “bounce back loans” of up to £50,000 will be backed by a 100 per cent government guarantee, rather than 80 per cent as under the previous schemes.

The take-up for that previous scheme, more than 20,000 loans worth £3.4bn, has been disappointing, leaving many small firms on the brink. Businesses have complained the existing system is complex and slow; the new one would be “simple, quick, easy”, Sunak promised. He smoothly performed a near U-turn without making it look like one; his other loan programmes will still offer only an 80 per cent guarantee.

Sunak’s job retention scheme has been more successful – indeed, perhaps almost too successful for the Treasury’s liking, as it might have encouraged some companies to furlough workers when they might otherwise have kept them on. More than half a million firms have claimed a total of £4.5bn to cover four million jobs and the eventual cost could be around £50bn, way beyond initial Treasury estimates.

The “economy first” brigade on the Tory benches received another cold shower of reality when Matt Hancock, the heath secretary, held the evening Downing Street press conference. He announced plans to restore some NHS treatment delayed by coronavirus, such as for cancer and mental health. But he warned that they would be in jeopardy in the event of a second peak of Covid-19 cases.

The sting in the tail for watching Tory MPs came from Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England. He dampened hopes of a wide-ranging relaxation because of the need to keep below one the average number of people infected by someone with the virus. “There is no perfect solution where we are going to end up doing all of the things people want,” he said. He hinted that if schools were reopened, that would not allow other curbs to be lifted. “There will have to be some difficult choices. Schools will clearly be one of those.”

Whitty also had a painful message for Johnson and his ministers, who repeatedly say their decisions are “based on the science”. He said the advisers would provide “data” on the possible measures but the combination chosen would be for ministers. No hiding place there.

Perhaps the politicians are being downbeat to play down expectations of a big relaxation when the current measures come up for renewal on 7 May. Then small changes might look bigger and be welcomed with relief by the “economy first” camp.

But with even Sunak offering little hope of a change of course and Johnson warning he will not sacrifice the gains made during the lockdown, it is clear the government will rightly put lives before livelihoods for a while longer.