The message from today was two-fold.

The prime minister has clearly accepted that a four-week delay in the scheme of things makes enough sense for him to bear the fury of his own MPs who feel it is the wrong call. In part this is because scientists just don’t yet have the data to show either way what might happen if we don’t keep restrictions in place.

There are those who would be willing to risk it, but this is a prime minister who has been burnt before and doesn’t want to watch the death toll rise again on his watch.

But then came the second part.

The PM repeatedly used the phrase “terminus date” for 19 July – a final point on which people can pin their hopes for a complete unlock.

This is new, and risky. Previously these dates in the roadmap have been billed as “not before dates” – essentially book your wedding if you want to, but don’t blame us if things go backwards.

Now Mr Johnson has set himself a final red line. He’s promised the public an end point and many won’t forget it – not least the business owners facing weeks more without desperately needed income.

Yes there was the small print – another variant could knock things off course again – but the language this time was robust and inescapable.

This is a promise to people who are fed up with not being able to do the things they want; bear with me for another month and everything will be alright.

Perhaps Boris Johnson feels he can make such a pledge because even the scientists can’t say for sure which way things will go and as a naturally cautious bunch they tend to err on the negative side.

The number of people in hospital and in intensive care is relatively low and while experts are worried rising cases could mean rapidly rising numbers of people needing NHS help, they can’t say for certain because there are too many unknowns.

However you look at it, though, it’s a new and interesting tactic.

In a few weeks we will have enough data to show for certain which way things are going and the school holidays will provide a natural break, which perhaps gives the PM and his advisers more confidence, but many people are now tired of delays and are less willing to put up with them.

At a time when buy-in from the public on vaccination forms the cornerstone of the plan to escape even tougher measures, that could be problematic.

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