The London thing is a strange one; of course they all want to get home to loved ones, and it isn’t their fault the rules changed so late in the day with little notice, it’s a question of personal responsibility again; go home to see family/friends at Christmas and potentially spread the virus further, or have a lonely (and potentially sad) Christmas but reduce the chance of spreading it. There’s definitely a resentment from the rest of the country based on things I’ve read so far.
Going from Tier 2 to Tier 4, and therefore skipping 3 is crazy, and of course will (justifiably) raise questions about their original Tier allocation.
Coupled with the perception Londoners have been living it up the last few weeks (not helped by the media) in Tier 2 while the majority of other areas haven’t, and it doesn’t mitigate the London centric idea that it’s treated differently to the rest of the country.
I don’t say that with any particular hostility, I enjoyed my time in London and I have a best friend and cousins stuck there but this is another episode that will leave a bitter taste for many.