It’s now or never, Boris Johnson suggested, as he announced the ending of lockdown restrictions in England in a rather downbeat, sombre tone.

He didn’t mention “Freedom Day” at any point during his 36-minute news conference, one of the shortest Downing Street briefings since the coronavirus pandemic struck early last year.

And the prime minister said now was “not the time to get demob happy”. He was even forced to admit there were circumstances when he might continue to wear a mask.

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His message was that either we get rid of England’s lockdown rules in the summer months during the good weather, or it might not happen because of the bigger risks in winter.

What he was also saying was that the government isn’t going to impose the rules any longer, so don’t blame the government for them! But yes, he admitted, we may still have to wear a mask on public transport and in shops.

That was the bad news.

The good news was a bonfire of lockdown restrictions on 19 July: sweeping away social distancing, mandatory mask wearing, orders to work from home and table service only in pubs.

Not that the prime minister appeared to be a mood to celebrate, it seemed. No talk this time about going for a pint in the pub on 19 July.

So why was the usually jolly Mr Johnson sounding so downbeat? The reason for his cautious tone was either side of him: the glum faces of Professor Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance, who have been called “Glum and Glummer” during the pandemic.

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This time both looked thoroughly miserable. Are we going to see a boffins’ backlash from the scientific and medical communities in the coming days? Almost certainly.

Poor Prof Whitty, in particular, looked as if he wished he was somewhere else. Barely a week after the trauma of being jostled by yobs in St James’s Park, he looked here like he was being paraded in a hostage video.

Asked – inevitably – if they would ditch face coverings, the emphatic answer from both top boffins was a firm no. It would be fair to say they couldn’t mask their concerns.

Prof Whitty was clearly ready for the question and had a carefully thought out answer. There were three circumstances when he’d wear one, he said.

These were in crowded spaces indoors to protect other people, where it was required, and as a courtesy to people who felt uncomfortable.

That prompted the prime minister to concur, in a mumbling sort of way, before an irritated sounding Sir Patrick said the whole point of wearing a mask was preventing somebody else from catching the virus.

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Critics claim the prime minister is bowing to political pressure from Conservative backbenchers.

A punchy Sir Keir Starmer – in noticeably more combative form after Labour’s Batley and Spen by-election triumph – accused Mr Johnson of being “reckless” and claimed lifting restrictions was all about party management.

Could he be right? There are still two weeks until 19 July and it seems inevitable that there’ll now be a big political row over masks, working from home and some of the other changes.

In the past 10 days, the prime minister has lost his now-disgraced health secretary Matt Hancock and a crucial by-election. And, it seems, his confidence.

He’s taken an enormous gamble here. No wonder his tone was downbeat and sombre.

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