Mayor vows to defy Government over ‘damaging’ local lockdown
Middlesbrough leader accuses government of a ‘monstrous and frightening lack of communication’
THE mayor of Middlesbrough yesterday said he would defy the Government on local lockdown measures as he warned that the restrictions would “damage mental health and destroy jobs”.
Andy Preston rejected the stricter measures set out yesterday in a speech by Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, as he said the Government had created a “flawed” plan.
However, Mr Preston was accused by the Government of risking lives with his “totally irresponsible” comments.
He spoke out after Mr Hancock announced that Middlesbrough, along with Liverpool, Warrington and Hartlepool, would be subject to fines from midnight tonight if different households mixed in a private home, private garden or indoor venue. Mr Preston told The Daily Telegraph he still hoped to convince the Government to drop the plan before it came into force.
He said: “As things stand this is a proposal, an idea that’s been floated in a speech – we’ve had no documentation, no email, no phone call. The words as orated suggest it’s going to be a Tyne & Wear-style lockdown and we are basically saying, ‘no, this is wrong, you’ve made a mistake, listen to us, talk to us, adapt your plan and we’ll help you implement it’.”
Earlier in the day he said that “as things stand we defy the Government and do not accept these measures”.
A senior government source said of Mr Preston: “It is totally irresponsible for him to have said what he did.”
“He called for extra measures on Tuesday, he wrote to the Government saying there was unanimous support for them, so it’s extraordinary for him to come out now and say that he doesn’t support the new measures. He is totally lacking in credibility. Lives depend on this. It really matters.”
Mr Preston also claimed the Government had “not engaged with us on any level at any point”. He said that local authorities were willing to work with the Government to “deliver a better, more intelligent, more compassionate, more pragmatic plan”, or risk the people of the North East suffering from “isolation, desperation and depression”.
He added it would “literally get rid of thousands of jobs” and “push people with poor mental health over the edge”.
MIDDLESBROUGH is rightly proud of its maritime heritage. The name of Teesside’s famous son, the explorer Captain James Cook, adorns everything from the local hospital to the town square. But now a mutiny is brewing.
Yesterday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock stood up in Westminster to announce new lockdowns banning households from mixing in indoor settings (including pubs and restaurants) across Merseyside, Warrington and Teesside. He also recommended that people only visit care homes in exceptional circumstances, and advised against all but essential travel.
The restrictions are intended to address a worrying spike in cases. However he was quickly drowned out by growing voices of dissent.
The Mayor of Middlesbrough, Andy Preston (formerly of Labour but who was elected in 2019 as an independent) led the charge, claiming the restrictions are “based on factual inaccuracies and a monstrous and frightening lack of communication, and ignorance”.
And many in the town seem inclined to follow suit. Among those enjoying a drink together yesterday before the restrictions come into force tomorrow were friends Nicola Brogan and Paula Hoare, both 27, sitting in a bar off Captain Cook Square.
“People will do as they want,” said Hoare. “The message is so confused that it’s impossible to enforce.”
Plenty of others seemed in agreement. “Good for the mayor saying defy the ban,” said 24-year-old Liam Watson. “He’s sticking up for people and trying to stop businesses going bust and if it comes down to it, I’d rather listen to our local leader than some muppet at Westminster.”
Business owners in the town, particularly those working in hospitality, who have already been struggling to keep afloat as a result of the pandemic, were similarly backing mayor over Government. Among those in favour of ignoring the new restrictions was Sarah Best, owner of Sherlock’s and Dr Watson’s bars, which stand opposite each other on the fittingly named Baker Street. The 27-year-old warned she may have to close the doors in as little as three weeks due to the projected loss in income. “I really think customers will rebel, especially if the mayor is backing us,” she said.
She also questioned how she was expected to enforce the new rules. “I’m not going to be asking for utility bills,” she said.
Craig Kevin, 47, who works on a fast food stall in the town centre, said footfall had already fallen in recent months due to Covid uncertainty and the latest dispute would do little to restore confidence. “I think people will just decide to carry on as normal because they don’t
‘When it comes down to it, I’d rather listen to our local leader than some muppet in Westminster’
actually believe any of them,” he said.
The Middlesbrough mayor has been backed in his rebellion by Shane Moore, the independent leader of Hartlepool council.
Yesterday Mr Moore said that while the council wanted a ban on different households mixing, any new restrictions should not be extended to cover pubs. What was being proposed, he said, was “draconian”.
At least in Merseyside, Mr Hancock can expect local politicians to toe the line. Yesterday’s restrictions were welcomed by the area’s 14 Labour MPS, six council leaders and Steve Rotheram, the mayor of the Liverpool city region.
But with infection rates, in the words of Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson, now “basically out of control”, they still questioned whether it was enough to contain the virus.
Damned if you do and damned if you don’t, the Health Secretary might say.
But without everyone pulling in the same direction, HMS Hancock is going nowhere.