The country is not in lockdown by name, but according to Telegraph columnist Liam Halligan, it’s not far off lockdown by nature.

“To call these restrictions as we have them now “no cost” or “non-draconian” is completely mad. It’s not non-draconian if you talk to kids wondering if they can take their exams this summer,” he tells co-host Allison Pearson on this week’s Planet Normal podcast, which you can listen to using the audio player above.

“It’s not non-draconian if people won’t meet with their parents over Christmas… Or if we’re going to lose thousands and thousands of more businesses.”

And while Prime Minister Boris Johnson insists current measures to slow the spread of the virus are “balanced and proportionate”, Halligan is worried that we’re seeing “lockdown by stealth”, driven by politics rather than science. “I would be amazed, and I’m sorry to say this, if Boris Johnson didn’t tighten his restrictions in England in response to Nicola Sturgeon doing the same in Scotland.”

Joining Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan on this week’s episode of Planet Normal is Minister for Trade, Penny Mordaunt, who explains why she doesn’t blame her 101 colleagues who rebelled and voted against the Prime Minister on the introduction of Covid passes for large events on Tuesday. And the former Cabinet minister brings listeners the inside track on trade negotiations in post-Brexit Britain.

Listen to Planet Normal, a weekly Telegraph podcast featuring news and views from beyond the bubble, using the audio player above or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your preferred podcast app.