Grim news

This afternoon, the Government announced that in the previous 24 hours there had been 35,928 new cases. This is up 20k from last Sunday.

And 326 people died using the Government's narrow definition bringing a running total to 67,075. With excess deaths being at least 20k on top of this.

Meanwhile, a number of EU countries have banned flights from the UK, incuding Germany, Holland, France and Belgium, while France has also suspended accompanied freight for 48 hours. In the week before Christmas. On the cliff-edge of Brexit.

It is likely that all EU27 will follow by morning.

Dover and Kent will be jammed up to Cristmas Eve. And possibly beyond.

And we are going to impose the harshest of Brexits upon ourselves in less than two weeks. As a member, or extending the transission, we could have accessed EU funds to get us through this, but we had to leave didn't we?

Meanwhile the restrictions of tier 4 came into force at 07:00 this morning, the text of the SI was released last night, but in some places is incomplete or contradicts itself. Legislation at speed, in a panic rare creates good law.

It would appear that in each country annoucing these travels bans, that each one came to a sovereign decision.

Odd that.