In This Together podcast: Comedian Russell Kane says government's COVID-19 policies 'don't sound safe'

Comedian Russell Kane has criticised the government's approach to easing the coronavirus lockdown, saying it "does not sound safe".

Speaking to Sky's Sarah-Jane Mee on the In This Together podcast, he said the policies appear to be inconsistent.

The government has told people to go out to work if they can't do their roles from home, and to avoid public transport if possible, instead using cars, bikes or walking.

But for many people, their journeys to work are too far to be made on a bike and they may not have a car.

The government has also said people in England can meet one person who is not in their household each day in public keeping two metres apart but they cannot meet at a person's home amid fears they may not stick to social distancing rules.

Kane asked: "How are you supposed to get to work on a packed Central Line train? You will have physical contact with hundreds of people on the way to work.

"You will then go to a workplace (where) it won't be possible to do distancing all day, so you're going to touch 100 people.

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"You may as well have a touching party in your front room with 1,000 people where you all touch each other's faces!"

He went on: "But, if I want to visit my mum, who's been isolating for 10 weeks and hasn't touched another human being… that's it. A massive fine.

"That doesn't make sense. (It's) hokey cokey, in-out nonsense.

"That doesn't sound safe to me, what was recommended."

The 44-year old star has expressed his feelings on social media during the lockdown and doing what he calls "Kaneings".

He said: "I'm going to start doing topical rants. Get in first with all the gags and make sure I'm just getting stuff out there.

"I've accidentally been practising the timing of ranting down a camera without an audience.

"It's halfway between live stand-up and waiting for a laugh, and sat-back-in-the-chair comedy blogger which is something slightly different."

He continued: "I've just carried on doing what I'm doing. I'm just doing more of these Kaneings as I call them, because I quite can't bring myself to call it stand-up because it looks too beggy and 'please laugh at my stuff'.

"But that's basically what it is. It's a form of stand-up that's learnt where the beats are when there's no audience to punctuate it."

Kane believes that humour should be used to hold politicians to account.

He said: "Now that the dust is settling, and the R number is dropping, and thank God the death rates dropping as far as we know.

"Now's the time for the comedians to turn on the politicians."

In This Together focuses on the good news emerging from the coronavirus pandemic, community projects, uplifting moments and local heroes.