KEIR STARMER is a bit boring as politicians go. Neat hair, nice suit. Until yesterday he hadn’t reached out and grabbed the electorate by the throat.

But, in a brilliant piece of politics, he suddenly committed Labour to a two-week “circuit-breaker” of a lockdown. He has the scientists behind him and many people, in their hearts of hearts, know that the current tiered approach, where life becomes governed by many contradictory and fiddly rules, is probably not going to be enough to kill the contagion.

Boris Johnson is now caught between two stools - freedom and lockdown - and the worry is that his middle way will leave increasing amounts of the country in a semi-locked down state for many months.

It is easy for the leader of the opposition to make grand pronouncements without having to put them into action, but it has made Mr Johnson’s position much harder. Infection rates suggest that a full lockdown is becoming more likely, but will Mr Johnson be able to call one without handing a political victory to the leader of the Labour Party?