Have we yet seen the end of Covid restrictions? It is tempting to think so. For many people, Covid and the lockdowns have receded into history, replaced by Ukraine and the energy crisis.

But perhaps we have parked the whole business in our memories a little too soon. Some are already pushing for restrictions to be re-enacted this winter. The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change has just published a paper, Three Months to Save the NHS, demanding that the government consider re-imposing mask mandates on public transport and other enclosed settings. It also demands that the government extend a proposed autumn vaccine booster dose to everyone over 18, not just to the over-50s as currently floated. This is part of a 12-point programme to save the NHS from being overwhelmed.

It would be easy to dismiss Tony Blair’s proposals as the ramblings of a bored ex-PM who feels desperate to regain some of his former importance. Yet it would be foolish to do so. Either Blair still retains a remarkable influence on policymakers or he has some form of access to what the government is already thinking. It was his institute which first floated the proposal for extending the period between vaccine doses in January 2021 so that more people could be given a first dose sooner. In spite of this being against the advice of vaccine-manufacturer Pfizer, the proposal was later adopted by the government.

Masks have not been compulsory in any setting since the government lifted the last of the Covid mandates in February this year, a month ahead of when emergency covid legislation was due to expire. Any revived mask mandate would require fresh legislation, which might not be popular with many MPs – although we have seen in the past couple of years how quickly they can be persuaded when told that the NHS is under great pressure. Nevertheless, if we do find ourselves forced to wear masks on trains and shops this winter Tony Blair will no doubt be claiming credit – wherever he got the idea.