RISHI Sunak revealed yesterday that he cannot wait to ditch his mask as he announced Freedom Day was “looking good” for July 19.
The Chancellor said he planned to bin the covering “as soon as possible” before warning of future measures to recoup some of the massive spending on Covid.
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Mr Sunak said he was hopeful that the coronavirus-related restrictions could be lifted on the appointed day next month to allow the country to “get back to normal”.
Cabinet Minister George Eustice said there was a strong possibility that all the legal restrictions would be removed.
Ministers, however, have not ruled out continuing to advise the public to mask up.
There is said to be a “live battle” in No 10 over whether face coverings will be kept on buses and trains after July 19.
HOAR also understands that laws demanding that people self-isolate after a positive Covid test will stay for good.
Mr Sunak, meanwhile, broke cover for the first time yesterday since a dust-up with the PM over how to pay for social care reforms,
He said it was his job to “act responsibly” with the public’s money.
He said: “We also need to look at how we pay for those reforms.
“People say, ‘Why can’t you do it quickly? This is complicated. It has defied solution by many governments over decades.”
He said there was no point coming up with a “short-term fix”.
On tax and spend, he added: “It’s not my money, it’s people’s money and we should be careful about that.”
The Chancellor was due to attend a summit on social care reform with Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Tuesday but it was pulled in a row over how to fund reforms.
