Long lockdown is way to ‘rebellion’
THE former governor of the Bank of England, Lord Mervyn King, has warned that an extended lockdown due to coronavirus could result in a “rebellion” if it is enforced for too long.
Lord King, who served as governor during the 2008 financial crisis, said it was “unrealistic” to think the lockdown could continue for “months and months on end” and called for a gradual exit strategy to protect the economy and citizens’ well-being.
The comments came during a roundtable webinar organised by Policy Exchange involving Lord King, former chancellor Lord Alistair Darling, former permanent secretary to the Treasury Lord Nick Macpherson and Dr Gerard Lyons, Boris Johnson’s former economics adviser as Mayor of London.
The Government has announced a raft of measures in recent weeks aimed at supporting workers and businesses amid a lockdown due to the spread of coronavirus.
The Bank of England also announced two interest rate cuts in recent weeks in an attempt to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.
However, Lord King suggested the lockdown could be “potentially damaging” to the well-being and mental health of citizens, particularly stressing the impact on younger people, as he urged the Government to consider its “exit strategy” for when the lockdown unwinds.
At the same time, Mr Lyons praised the Government’s approach to dealing with the financial impact of the virus but warned it was “not simple enough”.
He said: “The Chancellor said the response would be coherent, coordinated and comprehensive, but I fear it was possibly too complex.
“I think there were too many thresholds and too many delays, but do think overall he’s done a good job.”
Meanwhile, a group of care providers including Independent Health and Care Providers (IHCP), Care England, Scottish Care and Fforwm Gofal Cymru, say there is an urgent need to plug the gaps in the social care workforce.
Staff absences due to sickness and selfisolation during the Covid-19 outbreak are likely to increase as more cases emerge.
The organisations want the Government to clarify, in legislation, that furloughed employees wishing to work in the NHS or social care provision can take up paid employment while still receiving up to 80% of their salary.
The groups, who represent 1.2 million vulnerable people across all forms of social care in the UK, have written to Prime Minister Johnson.
They want him to ensure people receive no “penalty” for wishing to help.
Professor Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, which represents over 3,700 social care providers, said members were already facing critical shortages.