Pressure on Johnson to tighten curbs
LONDON: Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced growing pressure to order a national “circuit breaker” lockdown, after the opposition Labour Party and government scientists said the move was needed to get Covid-19 under control.
Labour leader Keir Starmer warned on Tuesday that local restrictions are not working and demanded a lockdown across England lasting two to three weeks, after documents revealed that the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies called for the same action three weeks ago.
London’s Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan backed the move, tweeting that a short national lockdown would have “the biggest impact on slowing the spread”.
Mr Johnson stood firm on Tuesday evening, telling Conservative members of Parliament via Zoom that he is against a repeat of the national lockdown that shuttered businesses earlier in the year. But with UK Covid-19 deaths soaring to their highest daily level since June, concern is mounting that his new threetier system of restrictions will not be enough to curb the virus.
Mr Starmer said schools should stay open but the lockdown should coincide with the October half-term holiday. Pubs, bars and restaurants would close and would need substantial financial support. “If we act now, if we follow the science and break the circuit, we can get this virus under control,” he said.
Meanwhile the premier was warned by his own colleagues that coronavirus restrictions were damaging people’s livelihoods and mental health, with 42 Conservative MPs voting against stricter measures on Tuesday.
Chris Green, MP for Bolton West, resigned as a ministerial aide, saying in a letter to Mr Johnson that “the attempted cure is worse than the disease”.