It certainly made things easier over lockdown!
As a bald man I sometimes wonder if I'm missing out on a part of British culture by not going to the barber, but if this is what it's like then I'm glad I don't have to go through it.
RE: point 1, I'm a fan of Vivaldi, a privacy-focused highly modified chromium build developed by former Opera developers who were disillusioned by the direction that company went in.
Law GL(GP)A is the Greater London (General Powers) Act, it has no bearing on what happens outside of London. "Should" instructions in the Highway Code are guidance for best practice and are not enforceable in and of themselves.
The law is NOT there for "should" statements in the Highway Code. "Shoulds" are considered best practice, and can work against you in a careless/dangerous driving case if you didn't follow them, but they are not themselves tied to any specific legislation. "Must" statements ARE backed up by legislation, and so can be enforced.
The highway code is not law.