Note that the government’s reaction isn’t an expression of shock that people have been fined for doing something that was always permissible. It’s to review fines lawfully levied - i.e. to change the law retrospectively to try to exculpate Dom. https://twitter.com/Peston/status/1265316305588178944

Given that, at its very height (and assuming you accept his inherently inconsistent account as truthful), his “defence” is “I did what was most convenient to me”, the scope of the Dom Defence is going to have to extend to many if not most people fined under the Regulations.

And that’s not to mention the scope of the second required retrospective defence: the “pursuing novel and dangerous forms of optometric testing” exemption.

Can’t wait to see the legislation.

Stand down, everyone. The government didn’t say that thing that everyone heard them say. They said the opposite. Silly us.

https://twitter.com/bbclaurak/status/1265328468067311616?s=21 https://twitter.com/bbclaurak/status/1265328468067311616