Cabinet will have to make "terrible trade-offs" when deciding lockdown end

14 April 2020, 08:12 | Updated: 14 April 2020, 08:14

Cabinet will have to make "terrible trade-offs" when ending lockdown

By Fiona Jones

This former Cabinet Secretary told LBC why the government will likely extend lockdown longer than most people expect.

"It's a very difficult thing because it will require a politician to make some terrible trade-offs to look at the benefits of keeping a lockdown going versus the costs," said former Cabinet Secretary Lord O'Donnell.

This is after Dominic Raab announced the government does not expect to make changes to coronavirus lockdown restrictions this week.

For the Cabinet, there will be a much larger set of data to look at than just population deaths while having to judge when lockdown easing should begin, acknowledging the unfortunate need to balance health with fiscal stability.

"There'll be a crossover point where the costs of keeping the lockdown going are just excessive relative to the benefits and at that point we should start thinking about phasing," Lord O'Donnell said.

He stressed that while a cost of coronavirus is of course death, there have been a reduction of road deaths and deaths due to pollution as there is better air quality.

The government does not expect to make changes to coronavirus lockdown restrictions this week, Dominic Raab has said
The government does not expect to make changes to coronavirus lockdown restrictions this week, Dominic Raab has said. Picture: PA

"This is a meeting that needs not just the health experts...it needs the social scientists, it needs the psychologists, because as you rightly said there, will people just accept this, will they go back to work when we tell them to?" Lord O'Donnell said.

He said it would be "embarrassing" to ease lockdown early and then have to reimpose it, leading him to guess that the UK will end lockdown later than people estimate at the moment.

Nick commented on the friction between economists, who will insist lockdown should ease as the economy could suffer for the next twenty years, and health experts who will insist it should not.

There is an "absolute bias for the present rather than the future" and a bias "towards the visible rather than the invisible", the former Cabinet Secretary said, highlighting how difficult it is to pass through policy for future climate change issues.

"We see all those direct cases and deaths that you so tragically reported but the indirect ones, those deaths that result from people not going into A&E, not having the treatment that they should have had, no one's measuring them."

Lord O'Donnell said the Cabinet's bias will be present in the decision of when to ease lockdown.

More Nick Ferrari

See more More Nick Ferrari

Exclusive
Jane Rubens, 73, from Edinburgh was hit by a large vehicle in early November and remains in a coma.

Insurance firm gave Brit 'less than 24 hours' to make a decision against doctors’ advice after mum suffered brain injury

Exclusive
LBC’s Nick Ferrari has remembered being spiked while at a party.

‘The whole world was spinning’: Nick Ferrari candidly recalls drink spiking as he shares 'appalling' side-effects

Exclusive
‘The storm of war is gathering’: Defence cuts leave UK critically unprepared for a 'bumpy decade', warns ex-minister

‘The storm of war is gathering’: Defence cuts leave UK 'woefully unprepared' for a 'bumpy decade', warns ex-minister

Education Secretary Bridget Philipson 'hasn't changed her mind' and will vote against assisted dying bill

Education Secretary Bridget Philipson 'hasn't changed her mind' and will vote against assisted dying bill

Nick Ferrari takes to the streets of the US to ask Americans: 'Can you identify these British politicians?'

Nick Ferrari takes to the streets of the US to ask Americans: 'Can you identify these British politicians?'

Why did Trump win and why did Harris lose? Nick Ferrari asks American voters

Why did Trump win and Harris lose? Nick Ferrari asks American voters in the wake of US election results

Nick Ferrari attends his first Trump rally in Pennsylvania as he meets the crowd in 'the poorest city in the United States'

Nick Ferrari attends his first Trump rally in Pennsylvania as he meets the crowd in 'the poorest city in the US'

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has said she strongly disagrees with a tweet that a backbench MP appeared to have reposted saying Kemi Badenoch represents "white supremacy in blackface".

Cooper condemns 'appalling' tweet shared by Dawn Butler labelling Kemi Badenoch 'white supremacy in blackface'

Exclusive
Cumberland County: Where the US election could be won or lost

Nick Ferrari travels to America for the US Election: Watch the best bits here

Exclusive
The Chancellor was speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast

Chancellor ‘doesn’t know’ salary of new chairman tasked with ensuring government ‘value for money'

Transparency over Southport stabbings key to avoiding 'deep public mistrust in the criminal justice system', says Jenrick

Transparency over Southport stabbings key to avoiding 'deep public mistrust' in criminal justice system, says Jenrick

Exclusive
The government has introduced its football governance bill.

'We're on the same side': Minister denies feud with Premier League over Football Governance Bill

Exclusive
Protest sign reading Danger water pollution, this water is polluted with raw sewage. The responsible party is Thames Water. River Wey, Guildford, UK

Government warns demand for water could outstrip supply as they launch review into 'broken' sector

Nick Ferrari.

'He'll look over his shoulder for the rest of his life': Concern for Martyn Blake's privacy long overdue

Exclusive
'No one gutsy enough to address this': Mylene Klass calls on government to introduce paid miscarriage leave.

Government not 'gutsy' enough to implement paid miscarriage leave claims Myleene Klass

Exclusive
David Cameron speaks to LBC

David Cameron calls for UK to sanction two Israeli ministers as change on arms embargo 'didn't satisfy anybody'