Boris Johnson's lockdown exit plan is slower, but not pain-free

The PM is plotting a more cautious course on Covid, but that means higher cost and more job losses

No big bang reopening. No promises that might be broken. No immediate prospect of life returning to normal for those businesses most severely affected by the restrictions deemed necessary to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic.

That, put simply, is what the government's roadmap for leaving lockdown in England means for the economy. Having been burned badly last year, Boris Johnson has decided to take things much more slowly this time.