Foolish to rule out a second Scottish lockdown – Swinney
●Pressure grows for pledge on furlough across the whole UK
The Scottish Government is refusing to rule out the possibility of following England back into full lockdown.
S cotland today introduces a new tier system of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic that will see different par ts of the countr y subject to a differing severity of restrictions depending on the prevalence of Covid-19. From Thursday, meanwhile, the whole of England will be under tighter constraints for the next four weeks.
Asked if Scotland could also return to a national lockdown, deputy first minister John Swinney said: “I can’t cate - gorically rule that out, no, and it would be foolish to do so because we do face a very serious situation.
"We have taken early steps to tr y to stem the increase of coronavirus. But I cannot rule out the possibility of other measures or indeed a national lockdown being required should the circumstances arise.”
Mr Swinney has also called for clarity on the future of the furlough scheme. Yesterday the SNP and S cottish Conser vatives united in calls for the UK Government to guarantee that full furlough payments will b e available to Scottish businesses if Scotland has to enter a lockdown. "We need to know the circumstances in which furlough payments will be available,” he added.
The deputy first minister has said it would be“foolish” to rule out a return to full lockdown in Scotland as the Scottish government calls for further clarity on the future of the furlough scheme.
John Swinney said he was not surprised by Boris Johnson’s decision to put England into lockdown from Thursday and said he could not categorically rule out the Scottish government abandoning its new levels system introduced at 6am today.
The new measures will see different parts of Scotland subject to a differing severity of restrictions depending on the prevalence of Covid-19.
Much of the Central Belt will be in Level Three, with other areas in Level Two and parts of the Highlands and islands in Level One.
Asked whether he could categorically rule out Scotland returning to a national lockdown, the deputy first minister said he couldn’t do so.
Mr S win ney said :“I can’ t categorically rule that out, no, and it would be foolish to do so because we do face a very serious situation.
"We took the scientific advice that was given to us in September and we applied restrictions right away, we have not been able to visit other households in Scotland in any part of the country since September 22 and indeed in some parts of Scotland, in Glasgow and the west of Scotland, people have not been able to visit in each other’s houses since the early part of September.
"We have taken early steps to try to stem the increase of coronavirus based on the scientific advice that was given to us. But I cannot rule out the possibility of other measures or indeed a national lockdown being required should the circumstances arise.”
The deputy first minister told the BBC’S Politics Scotland that the Scottish government “hoped” the restrictions in place already in Scotland and the ones imposed today “will be enough” to avoid a national lockdown but said it must “remain one of the possibilities that exist for us”.
Asked whether any future lockdown would be possible or whether it would under - mine the levels system, Mr S win ney said the Scottish government has “great confidence” in the levels system.
He said: “There is very significant difference in the prevalence of coronavirus in Scotland in general compared to England and a very significant difference between different parts of Scotland.
"The time that we’ v et aken to bear down on the virus over the course of the last two months has put us into, in general, a stronger position compared to the situation that prevails in England today.
"Also within Scotland we have significant differentials in the level of the virus which enables us to operate with varying degrees of restrictions within the country.
“The crucial thing is that everybody must comply with the restrictions in place in their own locality so we can continue to bear down on the virus.”
His comments came as the SNP and Scottish Conservatives united in calls for the UK Government to guarantee that full furlough payments will be available to Scottish businesses if Scotland has to enter a lockdown.
On Saturday, Ni cola St urge on welcomed confirm ation from the UK Government that the full furlough scheme – which was due to end and be replaced by the Job Support Scheme on October 31 – would cover all four nations of the UK for another month.
However, she said that it was important to clarify whether the same level of funding would be available from the UK Government in the future for Scotland if the country required a similar lockdown to the one facing England.
That call was echoed by Mr S win ney, who said the devolved nations were told a “very firm no” when they asked for an extension to furlough in September.
He added: “It’s a matter of concern that the issues we’ve faced in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were just disregarded by the UK Government, but it’s a welcome measure that it is now back on the table.
"What we need to know is the circumstances in which furlough payments are going to be available.
"Are they only going to be available when England has got a problem or will they be available at all times, in all parts of the UK when we all at different stages face difficulties and have to apply restrictions.”
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross echoed calls for the funding to be guaranteed, tweeting it "must be there” and that it must not be a request but “it simply has to be done”.
In a keynote speech the Moray MP will give at the Policy Exchange think tank today, Mr Ross will say that Scotland must be treated in the same way as England in future decisions about furlough.
He will say: “Now that the scheme has been extended to cover the impact of a second lock down in England, how could a Unionist government not restart the scheme if a second lockdown is required in Scotland?”
A Treasury spokesman responded: “Mr Ross is right that this crisis has underlined the importance of the Union.
“Our extension of the furlough scheme until December is just one part of our £200 billion support package, which has protected jobs and helped millions of people across the UK continue to provide for their families.
"As we have throughout this crisis, we will continue to listen and respond to people’s concerns as the situation demands.”