Emergency State: How We lost Our Freedoms in the Pandemic and Why it Matters is a book by UK human rights lawyer Adam Wagner.

[3][4] In this book, Wagner argues that COVID-19 restrictions in the United Kingdom brought the country as close to a police state as in living memory.

[1]: 177, 219, 221 It provides an infographic showing how covid cases and deaths progressed during the pandemic and which restrictrictions were in place at these times and a timeline of restrictions.

[7] Wagner notes six properties of the emergency state, that it is "mighty" and can marshal very larger resources to a goal; that power is concentrated; that the state becomes ignorant due to the centralised decision making; that it tends to corruption; that it is self-reinforcing with people used to absolute power tending to think of excuses to keep it; the final feature is that people often want to be ruled in this manner during emergencies due to a desire for simplicity, strong leadership.

[1]: 9,16 Wagner notes that most modern states have legislation to allow emergency powers where constitutional protections for fundamental rights can be suspended.

He argues that the lockdown regulations implemented by Matt Hancock fundamentally altered the relationship of the citizen with the state in that they only allowed certain activities rather than banning them and were 'Napoleonic' in nature.

[1]: 79–81  Wagner argues that lockdowns affected some such as those who were pregnant, those who lived alone, in cramped flats, without access to a garden, had abusive partners, or had ill relatives and that they widened social and ethnic inequalities.

[1]: 105  The Committee consisted of four members Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, Rishi Sunak and Matt Hancock as well as a few other key officials.

[1]: 162  Wagner contrasts the United Kingdom legislation to Scotland, Sweden, Finland, New Zealand and Singapore as providing more scrutiny of measures.

[1]: 163 He notes a process of "follow the science", where decisions were taken but COVID-19 Cabinet Committees based on advice from the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts presided over by four ministers which were highly secretive.

[6] Sumption and Yuan Yi Zhu argue that critique of parliamentary process are not important because of the popularity of lockdown policies and the fact that the opposition supported tougher measures.

[9] Bush comments that the situations that resulted in "Covid states" is near certain to happen again and that the book is a vital contribution to a debate about how to ensure the next pandemic does not damage the democratic model.

[7] Robert Low of The Jewish Chronicle says that it is hard to disagree with the books conclusions that the UK came as close to a police state as in living memory.