RISHI’S PLEA TO BORIS: DON’T GO TOO FAR

As PM warns ‘2nd wave is coming’

RISHI Sunak has urged Boris Johnson not to risk the recovery by going too far with any new lockdown rules.

issuing his ‘sombre’ warning, the Chancellor highlighted the huge potential damage to the economy

– including mass job losses. A Government source said: ‘everybody’s general health depends on the economic health of the UK – there is a way to bring in restrictions without going overboard.’

Mr Johnson last night warned

Britain was now ‘seeing a second wave coming in’ and ministers were looking at going beyond the ‘rule of six’ limit on gatherings.

Figures yesterday suggested daily coronavirus cases have doubled in a week, with the R-Rate now potentially as high as 1.4.

Government scientific advisers have modelled a range of new

restrictions, including the reimposition of a temporary full lockdown. However No 10 has insisted this is not being considered and is focusing on a two-week ‘circuit breaker’ – next month or sooner.

Workplaces and schools would remain open but there could be a nationwide ban on socialising, with venues such as pubs closed. The time-limited measures may be announced as soon as next week and repeated over the next six months. In other pandemic developments:

■ London mayor Sadiq Khan held an emergency meeting about the ‘accelerating speed’ of Covid in the capital and said extra measures would be required;

■ A further 4,322 confirmed cases were recorded nationally – the highest total since May 8 – with officials warning Covid-19 was ‘spreading widely’;

■ However official figures suggest the total has almost doubled in a week to around 6,000 a day in England alone;

■ Data also showed a big rise in cases in children, and in London. Officials warned of rising hospitalisations among the elderly;

■ Local lockdown restrictions were extended to cover around 13million people, with 3.5million more affected in the North West, West Yorkshire and the Midlands;

■ The NHS Nightingale hospital in Birmingham was moved back to ‘high alert’;

■ The Scottish and Welsh leaders, as well as the Labour leader, called for an emergency Cobra meeting;

■ Teachers said eight in ten schools had seen pupils absent while awaiting tests;

■ Police warned coronavirus remained a ‘deadly threat’ and called for compliance with the rule of six over a warm weekend;

■ St Andrews University urged students to observe a voluntary lockdown.

Officials, including chief medical officer Chris Whitty and chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance, are thought to be arguing for tough restrictions before the death toll rises significantly. But the Mail understands that the Prime Minister is facing intense pressure from his Chancellor to limit the impact on the economy.

At a meeting in Downing Street on Thursday, Mr Sunak urged Mr Johnson to minimise the number of businesses affected by any new curbs. A Government source said of the discussion: ‘Mr Sunak gave sombre warnings – Boris said he was confident it will all be OK in the end.’

Allies of Mr Johnson insist he will try to balance both the threat of the virus and the risks to the economy. A Downing Street source said last night: ‘Previously we had to use a mallet as a blunt tool to come down hard on the virus. We now know an awful lot more about the virus and can use a lot more sophisticated measures where we keep the economy going while targeting where we know the virus is breeding within society.

‘Most of that is social and that is the sort of area we are looking to target if we take further measures.’

Business leaders last night echoed Mr

‘A delicate moment for the economy’

Sunak’s concerns and warned that a second lockdown would cripple the economy.

Hannah Essex of the British Chambers of Commerce said: ‘Uncertainty and speculation around future national restrictions will sap business and consumer confidence at a delicate moment for the economy.

‘While protection of public health must be the priority, government should do everything in its power to avoid further national lockdowns that will cripple businesses. Any new restrictions must be accompanied by a comprehensive support package for the hardest hit firms forced to close or reduce capacity through no fault of their own.’

Tej Parikh of the Institute of Directors said: ‘Any return to widespread restrictions would be a big challenge. Some companies’ balance sheets are in a grim state, and they may need to take on further debt.’

The economy shrank by more than 25 per cent in March and April after the first coronavirus lockdown was introduced. But output rose by 18.6 per cent over the following three months as restrictions were eased and the economy began to reopen.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics yesterday showed retail sales grew for a fourth month in a row in August.

Kate Nicholls of UK Hospitality said: ‘The hospitality sector is still on a knife edge. One in five businesses is still closed and those that are open are trading at severely reduced capacity and are not out of the woods by a long way.’

Meanwhile Tory rebels are threatening to halt the renewal of ministerial powers to impose coronavirus restrictions.

The Government fears a revolt when MPs vote on extending legislation that gives them power to bring in measures without needing to give the Commons a say.