In May 2020, David Wilson received a £1,000 fine after hosting an outdoor party he says followed coronavirus rules at his restaurant, Calypso, in Blackburn. He’s still fighting the fine in court, and is terrified that if his case fails and he’s asked to pay, he’ll be forced to close an 11-year-old family business that delivered food to vulnerable people during the pandemic.

This, he said, was the reality for “the small man”, contrasting his experience with that of the prime minister and his associates, who have been fined for attending parties at 10 Downing Street during lockdown.

''A £1,000 fine for us, £50 for them. It’s a joke. Where’s the justice? Apart from anger, I’m disappointed, because they’re playing it off thinking it’ll go away, it’s just a £50 fine. All the way through they’ve been having parties, when how many people were suffering who couldn’t see family or grandkids? I broke down crying seeing so much need from the people we were serving.''