England braces for pubs to reopen on Super Saturday as fears of 6am mayhem are calmed

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Crowds of merry Britons are continuing to toast the reopening of pubs by descending on bars across the country – but have displayed the first signs that social distancing is beginning to fray.

Thousands of drinkers have seized upon today’s wave of lockdown easing to enjoy their first pint since bars shuttered three months ago.  

But as the revelry grows livelier into the night, there are fears pub-goers will fail to stick to rules to keep ‘one-metre-plus’ apart.

London’s Borough Market was heaving this evening and drinkers were pictured sipping foamy pints while bunched together on the street.

Pub-goers are set to sink a staggering 15million pints at 23,000 establishments across the country, experts predicted.

They will be hit with hiked prices for beer, wine, cider and spirits as pubs including Wetherspoons desperately try to make up for lost business.

Revellers could still have their plans dashed as rain, cloud and wind is set to engulf parts of England throughout the day.

Roads are expected to be gridlocked in many areas as more than 10million motorists take to their cars and flock to beauty spots.

Meanwhile A&E departments are preparing for a surge in booze-fuelled patients by setting up tents outside hospitals to keep people socially distanced as they wait.

Bars were not able to throw open their doors to customers first thing because the regulations enforced their four-month closure until 6am.

With the new coronavirus rules not published until Friday afternoon, some landlords had planned to open as soon as the clock ticked past midnight. But Downing Street scotched the swift openings by ensuring the ban remained in place until after sunrise.

Among the first on the booze today was Andrew Slawinski, 54, who return to the Toll Gate Wetherspoons in Turnpike Lane, north London. He said his Guinness was ‘gorgeous’, adding: ‘It’s like winning the [Premier] League.’

Ben Clark and his friends Curtis and Connor, were waiting for The Briar Rose in the heart of Birmingham to reopen from 7am.

The Geordie trio, covered in dust following a night shift working on a building site in the city, were ‘watching’ the pubs since 4am, eager to get their hands on the first pint since lockdown.

The mates wanted to grab a ‘well-deserved’ San Miguel and English breakfast from the Bennett’s Hill boozer.

Mr Clark said: ‘We’ve just finished night shifts, I’ve been watching the pubs since 4am this morning, when we came and reserved our tables ready for the pub opening ready for a pint of San Miguel and a breakfast.

‘I’m a big fan of Wetherspoons have been waiting for it since the first day of lockdown.’

Martin Sherrell, 63, pitched up at a Wetherspoons in Bristol at 8am and wolfed down a breakfast – before ordering alcohol as allowed at 9am.

He said he usually visits The Commercial Rooms but, as it was shut, was forced to relocate to The Berkeley with his two friends.

Mr Sherrell added the trio were the only people in the pub when it opened – although staff said they were expecting many more later.

He ordered a bottle of Magners cider – and said that he would be enjoying a few more as the day wore on.

He said: ‘I had an early night last night in preparation. I set the alarm for 6am – but I was up at 5:15am. I’ve barely slept since I heard the Prime Minister’s announcement that pubs could open.

‘I was joking that I would have camped outside if it wasn’t raining! Me and my mates usually meet a couple of times a week, but we haven’t been to a Wetherspoons since March. We’ve been drinking there for years.

‘There was just the three of us and three workers when it opened. I think they’re expecting more later. I’m being sensible about it though. We all are. I’m a full-time carer for my mum. I’ve got a mask with me. I’ve had a nice bottle of Magners cider – I do like them. I’ll have a couple more.’

One thirsty reveller even downed a Jagerbomb live on BBC News when he was approached about the pubs reopening.

He told the amused presenter ‘cheers’ as he raised his glass and then sank it in one at 11am.

Pubs along Portobello Road in Notting Hill, one of London’s busiest and most fashionable areas started filling up from midday onwards as drinkers made the most of the easing of the lockdown.

All the tables in the beer garden in The Earl of Lonsdale were occupied. Staff stood outside instructing customers of Covid secure regulations and welcoming them back.

Staff took orders and brought drinks to tables while customers were allowed to pay for their drinks without having to go to the bar.

Emma Jenkins, 28 who arrived shortly after 11am with five friends said: ‘It’s been more than 100 days since I’ve been to a pub and it feels great. It’s as if we’ve been let out of prison and are getting our lives back to normal.’

Terry Braithwaite, 32 said: ‘It’s lovely to be back in a pub. It makes a difference to just be able to sit in a pub, have a chat with your mates and pass the afternoon away. It’ s another sign that the country is slowly getting back on its feet.’

Other pubs were only admitting customers who had made prior bookings. A bar worker at The Castle said:’ We opened at 11am and thought we’d be fully booked. But it’s not as busy as we expected. We were expecting people would come in their droves to party but I think the bad weather has put them off.’

Thirsty pub-goers were queuing outside The Black Horse in Blaby, just 50m outside Leicester’s lockdown zone.

The pub was due to open at 12pm, but by 11.45pm a well-spaced line of eager customers snaked around the corner of the popular watering hole, keen to get their hands on a pint.

‘But I’m ordering a pint of Jack Daniels,’ joked Dave Barber, 27, a gas engineer from Blaby, who was queuing with his mate, window cleaner, Paul Adams, 52. ‘We’ve missed the pub. This is our local and it’s the social side you miss.’

Blaby resident Chelsea Hughes, 21, had her heart set on a pint of Carling. ‘Maybe a little bit of lime in it,’ said the Birmingham Airport employee, who admits she is concerned about the spread of Coronavirus. ‘It’s worrying,’ she said. ‘It’s only up the road where it has spiked.’

Leicester’s strict lockdown, which began last week after a surge in Coronavirus infections, means all pubs within the exclusion zone are closed and residents cannot travel outside the boundary for a drink. 

Down the road in Leicester the new lockdown appeared to be holding fast. There was no sign of locked-down residents seeking to breakout of the exclusion zone by train.

Leicester Station was devoid of customers and if anyone was considering catching a train to the ‘free world’ for a long-awaited pint then they had to navigate a band of inquisitive police officers in order to do so.

Hair salons and barbers were busier than pubs in many parts of the country, with customers patiently queuing outside waiting to get their locks in order. Chairs had been placed outside Frankie’s barber shop in East Acton.

Tony Forse, 42 said:’ I’ve been desperate for a proper hair cut. I know people have been paying black market prices for haircuts during the lockdown but I was getting my wife to do mine.

‘But she hasn’t done a very good job so I’m glad the barber can now sort it out.’

In Leicester pub-goers were queuing outside The Black Horse in Blaby, which is just 50 meters outside Leicester’s lockdown zone.

The pub was due to open at 12, but by 11.45 a well-spaced line of eager customers snaked around the corner of the popular watering hole, keen to get their hands on a pint. 

Local Chelsea Hughes, 21, had her heart set on a pint of Carling adding ‘Maybe a little bit of lime in it.

‘Coronavirus is worrying. It’s only up the road where it has spiked.’

There was no sign of locked-down residents seeking to breakout of the exclusion zone by train.

Leicester Station was devoid of customers, and if anyone was considering catching a train to the ‘free world’ for a long-awaited pint then they had to navigate a band of inquisitive police officers in order to do so.

‘We have turned a handful of people away, who have wanted to travel but it has been non-essential,’ said one police officer stationed at the entrance. ‘It’s been things like visiting a girlfriend. No one has admitted to travelling for a pint.’     

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has welcomed the reopening of businesses.

On a visit to The Bell & Crown in Chiswick, west London, he said: ‘The hospitality sector is a vital part of our economy and crucial to people’s livelihoods – Britain’s pubs and bars alone employ almost half a million people – which is why it’s such good news that so many people are able to return to work this weekend, helping us all to enjoy summer safely.’

But in a blow for punters, Wetherspoons – renown for its cheap alcohol – has increased prices for beers, wines and spirits by 10p as it reopens 900 pubs. Most will also see meals also hiked by up to 20p, but prices vary depending on location.

An insider told the Sun: ‘New menus have been sent out across the country and it seems that the Wetherspoon pubs are keen to recoup money lost during the lockdown as soon as possible.

‘I think they hoped people would have forgotten what the prices were in March and this would all just slip under the radar.’

Meanwhile Samuel Smith pubs will see pint prices rocket by up to £1 as they reopen their doors. The popular Taddy Lager will shoot up from £2.30 to £3.40 per pint while Sovereign Bitter goes from £2.04 to £3.04.

The company, based in Yorkshire, has about 200 pubs that will reopen today and previously banned punters from using their phones to get people talking.

One landlord, who asked not to be named, said: ‘It’s a heck of a price hike – I don’t know how I’m going to explain it to the customers. It’s not going to make reopening after the lockdown any easier.’

Some pubs have refused to reopen today due to fears they cannot operate safely. Greene King, one of the biggest chains in the country, has decided to phase in its reopen, with 1,700 staying shut today.

The first of its pubs will open on Monday under ‘safe social distancing layouts’. A spokesman for the firm, which runs brands including Hungry Horses, Chef and Brewers and Wacky Warehouses, told the Mirror: ‘We welcome the news that pubs, alongside other hospitality venues, can reopen.

‘Pubs play an important role at the very heart of their communities and have been sorely missed by customers as well as those who work in them.

‘We look forward to welcoming back customers to our pubs and providing that great hospitable pub experience we all love.’

It is not the only member of the hospitality industry delaying its reopening, with figures from the Night-Time Industries Association predicting 31 per cent of establishments will follow suit.

NTIA boss Michael Kill said: ‘Our members feel stuck in a bizarre tug of war between Government, licensing and planning regulators and the police.

‘But no-one knows which rope to pull and in which direction, leaving businesses stranded in the middle with no way to move forward and out of this mess.’

The national chairman of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) said feedback from branches suggested up to half of pubs have not reopened today.

Speaking after raising a pint of Marston’s Pedigree to mark the end of England’s 105-day pub shutdown, Camra’s Nik Antona said many licensees had done a fantastic job to manage to reopen in the face of insufficient notice from the Government.

After being greeted by Steve and Katy Boulter, who run the Royal Oak in Barton-under-Needwood in Staffordshire, Mr Antona said one-way systems, protective screens and other measures had made pubs safe.

But he said: ‘I think it’s going to be difficult for pubs. They are opening up under uncertain circumstances. They don’t know if they’re going to get their customers back.’

Some police forces, such as Cornwall and Devon said drinkers have a two-hour limit in the pub.

But Surrey Police said if establishments are full of people it is up to trading standards & local authorities to deal with.

It added: ‘If there are issues, police can be called to assist, but we are confident businesses will make reopenings as safe as possible.’

Meanwhile, pubs in Wales and Scotland must remain closed until later this month as the devolved nations are lifting their own lockdown rules more slowly, but hotels, bars, restaurants and cafes in Northern Ireland reopened on Friday.

People gagging for a pint in Wales are being told they must continue to follow the five-mile advice and stay local this weekend as pubs open over the border in England.

First Minister Mark Drakeford warned while those living very close to England may be able to visit pubs that are open, it would not be possible for the majority of people in Wales.

Police forces have also urged Welsh residents to heed the ‘stay local’ advice while Transport for Wales said public transport should only be used for ‘essential travel’.

Pubs in Wales will only be able to operate outdoors from July 13. The ‘stay local’ requirement in Wales will end on Monday when two households will be able to form one extended household – enabling families to be reunited.

Business could be slower than expected in England, with some punters expected to be turned off by the dreadful weather predicted. Many parts of the country will be cloudy with outbreaks of rain and drizzle, particularly in the west.

But there will also be some drier and brighter spells in the north and further south, which will be breezy but humid. Tonight is turning wet and very windy across northern areas, whilst mostly cloudy further south with some rain and drizzle at times. London will see highs of 62F (19C) – with the highest chance of rain at 3pm.

Met Office Meteorologist Alex Deakin said: ‘There is a whole daisy chain of weather fronts looking to spiral their way in across the UK this weekend, with the low pressure systems.

‘South westerly winds are bringing in moisture and humidity. There will be lots of rain over higher areas in the west and across Wales. It will stay damp, misty, murky and drizzly for many areas.

‘Temperatures will struggle into the mid or high teens. The wind will be steadily increasing through Saturday, with further rain for Scotland and northern Ireland over night.

‘There is a yellow weather warning in place for Scotland on Sunday morning because of the wind. Gusts of 50-60mph are possible. Speeds like that are unusual for this time of year and could cause some disruption.’ 

Boris Johnson urged the public not to ‘blow it’ by not behaving safely and abiding by social-distancing rules when the restrictions are eased for the hospitality industry.

The regulations signed off by Health Secretary Matt Hancock wrote into law a 30-person limit on gatherings at home and outdoors in settings not deemed ‘Covid-secure’.

The PM’s official spokesman said: ‘The regulations also keep in place a list of premises that must remain closed and that includes nightclubs, nail bars and salons, indoor play areas, gyms, conference centres and exhibition halls.

‘Those regulations mostly come into force at 12.01am on Saturday July 4. The reopening of pubs and bars specifically comes into force at 6am. That would just be in the event anybody would attempt to try to open at midnight.’

Typical licensing conditions still apply, so pubs could only open at the time they normally have permission for, which is rarely 6am.

Laws limiting indoor gatherings to two households and outdoor gatherings to six people have now been revoked – although Government guidance still advises these are wise precautions. The 30-person limit would prevent mass gatherings, Number 10 said.

The PM’s spokesman added: ‘The reason for setting the figure for 30 is we do have to put a number into law and that is to provide police with the powers that they need to break up a rave or some other large gathering which is clearly irresponsible and in breach of the social distancing rules.’

Pubs, restaurants, cinemas, hotels and some other venues or organised events are exempt from the 30-person limit as long as sufficient measures have been put in place to prevent the spread of the virus.

Roads across the country became gridlocked as many took to their cars to descend on beauty spots as restrictions were eased on overnight stays.

A huge backlog of caravans were stuck in a jam on the M5 this morning.

The Exeter road was swamped with camper vans heading to the coast as tourists made their weekend getaway on what has been dubbed ‘Super Saturday’.

Traffic was also underway on the M25 in Kent as hotels, restaurants and pubs re-open with people being able to stay overnight or longer in England. 

There were multiple reports of accidents on the M5 involving holiday traffic, with the Exeter-based HART ambulance team seen heading southbound towards Junction 31.

Approximately 6.5million Britons are planning overnight stays with friends or family, with around two million driving to campsites, another 680,000 heading to caravan sites and a further million to stay in hotels and B&Bs, according to research from the RAC.

The onslaught of boozers is also expected to see a huge surge in A&E patients over Saturday, with hospital chiefs ordering tents be set up outside some to keep social distancing.

Clinicians could triage patients outside the building to see if they needed to be in A&E or if they could be treated at home.

One doctor begged punters to take it easy as they descended on the pubs. He posted a picture in full PPE and called for people to drink responsibly.

Dr Keir Philip said on Twitter: ‘I just got dressed for the pubs reopening today. Please drink responsibly, which means not in a pub.’

Paramedic Laura Heath added: ‘Off to the pub today? If anything, be sensible and please don’t drink and drive. Working 6-6 today, choose your ride back wisely.’

Dr Tom Leckie, consultant in emergency medicine, at the Royal Oldham Hospital, told the MeN: ‘We are asking the public to think carefully before attending A&E this weekend and in the coming weeks.

‘COVID-19 is still circulating in our communities and our hospital are continuing to care for sick patients both with COVID-19 and other emergency problems.

‘We have already seen an increase in attendances prior to the easing of lockdown measures this weekend. We are expecting our service to remain busier than usual which may result in delays for you if your condition is not considered an emergency.’

NHS chief Sir Simon Stevens also called for restraint and not ‘pub-ageddon’ when bars and restaurants open for the first time in more than three months. Writing in the Daily Mail, he said doctors and nurses did not want ‘the drunk and disorderly’ to flood hospitals.

The double intervention came ahead of the biggest easing of restrictions since a sweeping national lockdown was imposed at the end of March. Mr Johnson issued his own warning last night, urging the public not to ‘blow it’ by throwing caution to the wind.

He said today was ‘our biggest step yet on the road to recovery’ but insisted he would reimpose localised lockdowns if reckless behaviour led to a resurgence of the coronavirus. ‘In Leicester, we took decisive action to stop infections shooting up,’ said the Prime Minister.

Health Secretary Mr Hancock added: ‘When it comes to local action, I won’t shirk from a shutdown if that is what’s needed to keep people safe – and that includes closing bars and pubs, if necessary.

‘I’m no killjoy, but the virus can still kill. I don’t want to see bars and pubs have to close again. I love going to the pub and enjoy a pint or two.’

The police and the emergency services are bracing for mayhem today. In some parts of the country, more officers have been deployed than on new year’s eve. Mr Hancock pledged 100 per cent support for police chiefs tasked with stopping ‘Super Saturday’ disorder.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak also urged people to make the most of the easing to boost the economy, claiming the public needs to ‘eat out to help out’.

He told the Times: ‘This is a consumption-driven economy; people used to, three months ago, go out with their friends or family to go and have a meal. 

‘Or buy a car, or upgrade their house, or move house. Go camping, come up to the Yorkshire Dales and go coast to coast.’

Officials have urged people to continue following social-distancing measures if they are to take part in team sports, with football and cricket being allowed in outside spaces.

The latest laws also allow Mr Hancock to order the closure of any public outdoor space, such as parks, if there is a ‘serious and imminent threat to public health’.

Fines could still be imposed for those deemed to be flouting the rules and police officers still have the power to disperse large groups.

The rules must be reviewed again before the end of the month. Separate regulations to enforce the continued lockdown in Leicester were published on Friday.

NHS chief warns of Super Saturday ‘pub-ageddon’ as Matt Hancock declares drunken thugs will be thrown into jail if they break the law as bars and restaurants reopen from 6am

• The Health Secretary told the Mail that Britons could ‘by all means’ go to the bar provided they are sensible
• NHS chief Sir Simon Stevens also called for restraint when bars and pubs reopen tomorrow morning
• Pubs and bars have been preparing for ‘Super Saturday’ by ensuring social distancing measures can be met 

Drunken thugs will be locked up if they run riot on ‘Super Saturday’, Matt Hancock warned last night.

The Health Secretary told the Mail that Britons could ‘by all means go to the bar’ today but they had to be sensible.

He added: ‘You could end up behind bars if you break the law.’ 

NHS chief Sir Simon Stevens also called for restraint and not ‘pub-ageddon’ when bars and restaurants open for the first time in more than three months.

Writing in the Mail, he said doctors and nurses did not want ‘the drunk and disorderly’ to flood hospitals.

The double intervention came ahead of the biggest easing of restrictions since a sweeping national lockdown was imposed at the end of March.

Boris Johnson issued his own warning last night, urging the public not to ‘blow it’ by throwing caution to the wind.

He said today was ‘our biggest step yet on the road to recovery’ but insisted he would reimpose localised lockdowns if reckless behaviour led to a resurgence of the coronavirus.

‘In Leicester, we took decisive action to stop infections shooting up,’ said the Prime Minister.

The Health Secretary added: ‘When it comes to local action, I won’t shirk from a shutdown if that is what’s needed to keep people safe – and that includes closing bars and pubs, if necessary.

‘I’m no killjoy, but the virus can still kill. I don’t want to see bars and pubs have to close again. I love going to the pub and enjoy a pint or two.’

The police and the emergency services are bracing for mayhem today, with pubs allowed to reopen from 6am. In some parts of the country, more officers have been deployed than on new year’s eve.

In other developments last night:

• Greece, Spain, France and Belgium were put on a list of 59 countries which Britons can visit without having to undergo 14 days of quarantine. The US, Portugal and China were excluded;
• Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon claimed the Government’s policy on air bridges and quarantines had been ‘shambolic’;
• Scientists warned that the ‘R’ rate in London may have crept above 1;
• Mr Hancock pledged ‘the biggest flu jab programme in history’ to prepare for the risk of a second wave of coronavirus;
• It is believed only half of the nation’s 28,000 pubs will reopen today;
• Official figures showed that almost 30,000 more care home deaths occurred during the pandemic than in 2019;
• The total death toll rose to 44,131 with a further 137 confirmed yesterday; 
• It was claimed the UK was in talks to join an EU plan to secure supplies of potential coronavirus vaccines;
• The PM said cricket could resume next weekend and suggested the use of face masks in queues and confined spaces.

Mr Hancock pledged 100 per cent support for police chiefs tasked with stopping ‘Super Saturday’ disorder. 

Asked if courts should take a tough line with booze-fuelled idiots who start fights in pubs, he said: ‘Of course, the law is there for a reason. The Government would not shrink from shutting pubs again where there was irresponsible behaviour.’

The British Medical Association urged revellers to act responsibly amid fears that emergency departments could see a sharp rise in alcohol-related casualties.

Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, also warned at a news conference of the danger of the ‘superspreading’ of coronavirus in pubs.

And Professor Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, said: ‘This virus is a long way from gone, it is not going to be gone for a long time. Nobody watching this believes this is a risk-free next step.’

In his article for the Mail, Sir Simon urged the public to ‘exercise restraint’ today.

He said: ‘Our A&E doctors, nurses and paramedics are desperate not to see so-called ‘pubageddon’ – with hospitals flooded with the drunk and disorderly.’

Boris’s local lockdown threat: As pubs open doors for first time in 14 weeks, PM warns public: Don’t blow it 

BY JOHN STEVENS, GEORGE ODLING AND SEAN POULTER FOR THE DAILY MAIL 

Boris Johnson told the nation ‘don’t blow it’ as pubs reopened for the first time in three months today – and threatened more local lockdowns if the virus surges.

Police are bracing for mayhem on what has been dubbed ‘Super Saturday’ with more officers deployed in some parts of the country than on New Year’s Eve.

Pubs and restaurants in England will be allowed to resume trading from 6am with the Prime Minister describing it as the ‘biggest step yet’ back towards normality.

A timetable for the re-opening of other venues that remain shut, including gyms and swimming pools, will be published next week along with guidance on mass gatherings such as concerts.

People will also be allowed to start playing cricket again from next weekend. However, Mr Johnson struck a note of caution yesterday, urging the public to ‘enjoy the summer sensibly’. 

He warned that lockdown restrictions could be re-imposed on local hotspots if there is a sudden spike in coronavirus infections. Mr Johnson said: ‘We’re making progress, we think we’re in good shape but my message is let’s not blow it.’

At a Downing Street press conference, he added: ‘As we take this next step – our biggest step yet on the road to recovery – I urge the British people to do so safely.’

He cautioned that the country was ‘not out of the woods yet’.

And he insisted he would ‘not hesitate’ to reimpose restrictions if rates of infection spiralled again, with local lockdowns, such as the one in Leicester, a ‘feature of our lives for some time to come’.

‘The success of these businesses, the livelihoods of those who rely on them and ultimately the economic health of the whole country is dependent on every single one of us acting responsibly,’ he said. ‘We must not let them down.’

Professor Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, also sounded a highly cautious tone.

He said the probability of a second wave of infections would go up ‘very, very sharply’ if people failed to follow the rules.

He added: ‘This virus is a long way from gone, it is not going to be gone for a long time. Nobody watching this believes this is a risk-free next step. We have to be absolutely serious about it.’ 

Under new laws published yesterday, pubs can reopen at 6am today. However, they can only serve alcohol during their normal licensing hours and the re-opening time was determined to avoid people drinking just after midnight.

New laws will also give the police the power to break up any gatherings of more than 30 people.

Yesterday, police chiefs warned that anyone breaking the rules this weekend would be prosecuted and that pubs could be shut down.

Emergency services are expected to be so stretched that ambulance bosses have urged people to phone 999 only if it is life threatening.

West Midlands Labour Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said he was hoping for bad weather as he warned the decision to re-open pubs on a Saturday was a recipe for ‘serious disorder’.

He added: ‘It is the case that when the weather is inclement, the problems we have are somewhat reduced. So we’re praying for rain.’

Scotland Yard commander Bas Javid called for drinkers in the capital to be responsible and said it was important ‘we don’t lose track of how far we have all come’.

Police in Leicester – the first city put in local lockdown – fear people will travel to nearby Nottingham for a drink and will be patrolling train stations in both cities to question passengers.

The National Police Chiefs’ lead for alcohol harm, Rachel Kearton, said she expected ‘New Year’s Eve-style’ celebrations but people should be prepared to alter plans or go home if venues are too busy.

Yesterday the Prime Minister vowed to move away from ‘blanket measures’ and instead use local lockdowns to combat Covid.

He outlined a five-step plan for how regional outbreaks would be dealt with. 

Firstly Government scientists will be tasked with looking out for local hotspots, second NHS Test and Trace will seek to develop a deeper understanding of these and, third, extra testing will be used to get a grip on the problem.

The fourth step would use restrictions could such as closing individual premises and, fifth, local lockdowns will be brought in if the problem persists.

Mr Johnson also suggested people should consider using face coverings when queuing. 

‘This isn’t just another disease for me. Friends have died. I got off lightly’: Matt Hancock reveals his own struggles with coronavirus as critics lash the Health Secretary for ‘over-promising and under-delivering’ 

BY SIMON WALTERS FOR THE DAILY MAIL 

The first sign Matt Hancock had that he was feeling the strain of dealing with the Government’s attempt to fight coronavirus was when he noticed wife Martha scrutinising his thinning hair.

She singled out a single grey strand and promptly pulled it out.

It was the last week in May, a big moment politically and personally for 41-year-old Health Secretary. 

He was mightily relieved to reach his much-vaunted target of 100,000 Covid tests a day with hours to spare. But it came at a cost: ‘We hit the target but in the process I got my first grey hair!’ he laughs.

Tiggerish Hancock loves setting himself political targets. But when the results of the inevitable inquiry into the Government’s handling of the pandemic are published, many expect him to be in the cross hairs.

He has been the subject of vicious sniping from unnamed Downing St sources for allegedly ‘over-promising and under-delivering’ on combatting the virus, the fiasco of the anti-Covid app and clashes with the Prime Minister.

Yet sitting in his office in the Health Department in Westminster, Hancock did not look like a man expecting the coronavirus chop. 

In his first major interview since the crisis began in March, he warned drunken thugs they faced jail if they abuse today’s reopening of pubs and announced the biggest ever flu jab programme to help the NHS prepare for the risk of a new Covid wave in winter.

In a rare public show of emotion, he talked candidly of how the crisis has made him rethink his approach to politics and life. 

Hancock, a father of three, was struck down by Covid at the same time as Boris Johnson, and says that although he was back at his desk in a week it was a ‘horrible’ experience. 

‘For two days I couldn’t swallow, eat or drink. It was like having shards of glass in your throat.’

Hancock believes that being trim – he is six feet tall and twelve stone seven pounds – helped him get over it quickly. ‘Thin people get through it better than fat people,’ he said.

Could he match his chunkier fellow survivor Boris Johnson’s theatrical performance of one or two press ups in front of the cameras in his Downing Street study? 

‘I’m not in competition with the Prime Minister,’ Hancock replied coyly, before adding: ‘I can do maybe 25.’

Three of Hancock’s friends have been lost to Covid: economics professor Deepak Lal; Sir Peter Sinclair who taught him when he joined the Bank of England after university; and British envoy Steven Dick, who worked for Hancock when he was Culture, Media and Sports Secretary.

‘This really matters for me,’ he said. ‘This isn’t just another disease and it isn’t just a policy problem. I feel the effects of it really personally. People I admire and respect have died. Friends. I got off lightly.’

Hancock is planning a quiet Super Saturday: a pint of beer with his brother Chris – and a haircut. And in suitably responsible style (unlike Boris Johnson’s reckless dad Stanley) has booked a family ‘staycation’ in Cornwall in August.

He has often been accused of paying more attention to political games than principles. Not any more, he claimed: ‘I have learned about the need to rise above some of the politics…the comings and goings.’

He defended his record in curbing the virus, but there is no escaping the fact that Britain has one of the highest numbers of fatalities in the world. 

And most experts admit there were mistakes in delaying the initial lockdown and failing to protect the elderly in care homes, and bungles over testing and apps.Hancock will be the fall guy, not Johnson or the scientists; it’s on his watch, I suggested.

‘Everybody was doing the best job they possibly could. The decisions we took we took together… we were trying to use all the information at your disposal and come to the best judgements that collectively you can.’

Note his use of the words ‘together,’ ‘collectively’, ‘all the information at your disposal’.

A cynic’s translation might be: ‘I might be the Health Secretary but everything I did was signed off by the Prime Minister so don’t blame me. And if I made any blunders it was because the scientists gave me the wrong information.’ 

Was he big enough to admit he personally had got some things wrong? He replied cautiously: ‘We are constantly learning…’ I interjected: ‘You dumped the elderly into care homes, thousands died.’ He replied: ‘That wasn’t the case.’

Finally he conceded there were things he wished he had done differently. He regrets banning loved ones from attending relatives’ funerals, for instance.

But he insisted he had got many things right. ‘I was told there’s nothing we can do about it…the NHS will be overwhelmed. But we protected the NHS.’

He refuses to apologise for losing his cool when interrupted by BBC Radio’s Nick Robinson, pleading tetchily: ‘Let me speak!’

‘The thing that gets to me is the injustice,’ he said of Robinson’s constant interruptions. ‘If people are being unfair I do find that frustrating.’

He conspicuously failed to deny reports he had protested to Johnson, saying ‘give me a break!’, in a row concerning the Government’s virus handling. 

Some of Johnson’s allies have always been suspicious of Hancock, a Remainer and member of the David Cameron/George Osborne inner circle despised by Johnson. 

In last year’s leadership contest, Hancock attacked Johnson’s call to prorogue Parliament to force through Brexit and sided with journalist Charlotte Edwardes who said Johnson groped her at a dinner party.

When Hancock’s own leadership challenge flopped, he shamelessly backed the hot favourite Johnson.

Spectator editor Fraser Nelson has said Tory critics see him as a ‘sycophant who crawls up to anyone who is in power.’ 

Hancock responded without blushing: ‘Guilty as charged. I’m a team player.’ Piers Morgan has called him a ‘pathetic, pious, hapless, hypocrite, bossy school prefect.’ ‘I can’t deny the last,’ roared Hancock.

Not everyone is out to get him. 

He proudly pointed out that the smart John Lewis blue tie he wore for the interview was sent to him by a constituent who assumed from his regular appearances at Downing Street press conferences in a pink tie that he didn’t have any other.

Hancock said his first lesson in politics and economics came when his mother Shirley and step-father Bob’s high-tech family firm in his native Cheshire faced bankruptcy after a client failed to pay a bill on time.

A self-confessed geek, he wrote computer codes for the firm from the age of 15.

‘Every day we hoped the cheque would come and when the postman came I’d run from the breakfast table. I can still hear the noise of that letter box.

‘When the cheque came, mum took it straight to the bank and the business survived. It made me ask how can a perfectly successful business go under because of something completely out of their control. 

‘It is why my heart goes out to businesses so badly hit by this crisis.’

Having barely had a day off for five months, he is keen to have time with his own children.

He was amused when his daughter asked for help with her home school studies only to discover it was an essay on politics.

More improbably he also worked as a schoolboy ‘horse catcher’ at the Grand National in nearby Liverpool.

‘My job was to stand next to a big jump and if a jockey fell off, catch the horse. One year I gave a jockey a leg up and he finished the race. They changed the rules after that!’

The naughtiest thing he will admit to is fibbing as a student sports radio reporter in his Oxford days.

Due to report on an England rugby match at Twickenham, he overslept and filed his reports watching it on TV in a pub in Reading, while pretending to be at the game.

‘I went into a phone box opposite the pub and said ‘here I am, live at Twickenham, as the teams take the field, the crowd enthusiastic on their feet in applause!’ he laughs, imitating a commentator’s patter.

It’s not the most recent ‘naughty’ thing he has done, however. As we discussed his attempts to curb drunken scenes in pubs today, he confessed to having got drunk himself just six months ago at Christmas, declining to give further details.

But Hancock pledged 100 per cent support for police chiefs who are tasked with stopping ‘Super Saturday’ leading to riotous behaviour.

Asked if judges and magistrates should take a tough line with booze-fuelled idiots who start pub fights, he said: ‘Of course, the law is there for a reason.’

When Hancock in 2012 took part in a charity horse race at Newmarket, the home of British flat racing in his West Suffolk constituency, he got tips on tactics from top jockey Frankie Dettori. ‘I was told to tuck in behind who I thought would win, pull out at two furlongs and kick on.’

It sounds like a metaphor for his political rise, I suggested. ‘I won the race,’ he grinned.

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