British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is committed to restoring “a smaller state” and “taking a step back from people’s lives” following two years of COVID-19 restrictions and massive public spending, his new chief of staff has said. Steve Barclay, who was handed the role as part of the shake-up of Number 10 Downing Street in response to the “partygate” scandal, said the prime minister is “taking a close look at where he can cut the size of the state.” Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Barclay said the government made the “right decisions” in spending £400 billion ($543 billion) fighting the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic. But he said the priority now is to “restore a smaller state—both financially and in taking a step back from people’s lives.” “It’s time to return to a more enabling approach,” he said. “To trust the people, return power to communities, and free up …