PM urged not to ignore the north
BORIS JOHNSON faces pressure from scientific advisers for tougher coronavirus restrictions at the same time as northern Tory MPS have demanded to know how lockdowns will be eased.
The Prime Minister has been warned by a group of more than 50 Tory backbenchers representing northern constituencies that the pandemic is threatening his election pledge to “level up” the country as they called for a “road map out of lockdown”.
But Professor Wendy Barclay, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) warned that nothing short of the full lockdown seen in March had managed to control the virus.
Prof Barclay, from Imperial College London, suggested that Tier 3 restrictions, the tightest currently in use in England, may not be enough.
“The total lockdown that we had back in late March was enough to turn the tide, and get the virus back under control,” she told Times Radio.
“So far, none of the other restrictions that we’ve seen and none of the other actions, seem to have done that.”
She acknowledged it was a “very difficult
balancing act” to allow people to get on with their lives while trying to reduce the spread of the virus.
More than eight million people in England, predominantly in the north, will be under the most stringent Covid-19 restrictions by the end of the week, with Warrington the latest area to be placed in Tier 3.
The north-south divide in the tier system has sparked concern among Tory MPS, with the newly formed Northern Research Group writing to the Prime Minister to express their fears.
The group, led by former northern powerhouse minister Jake Berry, urged Mr Johnson to set out a “clear road map” out of lockdown restrictions and not ignore the needs of those in the north.
Mr Berry said: “Our constituents have been some of the hardest hit by this virus, with many losing jobs, businesses and livelihoods. Never has there been a more pertinent and urgent political and economic case to support people living in the north.
“However, instead of moving forwards on our shared ambitions, the cost of Covid and the virus itself threatens to send the north into reverse.”
The ex-minister insisted he was not leading a “revolt” against Mr Johnson, telling BBC Radio 4’s Today: “I don’t know how it can be a revolt for northern MPS to write to the Prime Minister to ask to work with him on delivering his exciting manifesto.”
The northern seats were instrumental in Mr Johnson’s election victory as the socalled “Red Wall” in former Labour heartlands crumbled.
Further changes in the tier system are expected to see Nottingham and the boroughs of Broxtowe, Gedling and Rushcliffe move into top-tier restrictions tomorrow.