UKPOL.CO.UK

Category: Coronavirus

  • Keir Starmer – 2020 Statement on Christmas Covid-19 Rules

    Keir Starmer – 2020 Statement on Christmas Covid-19 Rules

    The statement made by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, on 20 December 2020.

    Yesterday’s announcement about restrictions over Christmas was heart-breaking.

    This has been such a difficult year for everyone. The British public have been asked to make so many sacrifices.

    And now – with just days to go – millions of families are having to tell children and loved ones, that their plans for Christmas cannot go ahead.

    I know just how devastating that is. I know the hurt people are feeling – and the anger – because Christmas is more than just a holiday. It is a part of who we are as a nation.

    Sadly, the measures the Government announced yesterday are necessary and we support them.

    But there is no getting away from the fact – and what angers people the most and frustrates me the most is that – yet again – the Prime Minister waited until the eleventh hour to take this decision.

    It was blatantly obvious last week that the Prime Minister’s plan for a free-for-all over Christmas was a risk too far. And yet, rather listening to concerns and taking them seriously the Prime Minister did what he always does.

    Dismissed the challenge, ruffled his hair and made a flippant comment.

    The Prime Minister’s claim that this is all down to a new form of the virus that has only just emerged just doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.

    On Monday last week, the Health Secretary told the House of Commons about a new strain of the virus.

    On Tuesday, medical professionals warned the lifting of restrictions over Christmas would be a ‘major error’ and I called for a review.

    On Wednesday, I challenged the Prime Minister to toughen up the restrictions.

    We have known about rising infections and the NHS reaching capacity in many parts of the country for weeks.

    The new strain was actually first spotted in September. The alarms bells have been ringing for weeks, but the Prime Minister chose to ignore them.

    A virus of this sort demands early action. Decisive action. A clear plan and a clear message. Yet we have had none of that.

    The Prime Minister delayed. He told the country to go ahead and have a merry little Christmas. Told people in London and the South East to carry on shopping. And to make plans to see families.

    And yet, three days later he tells millions of families to rip up those plans. And introduces further restrictions.

    What I want to know this morning, and what everyone across the country wants to know this morning is this: How on earth did this happen?

    How could the Government allow people to go on as they were, when they knew they had lost control of the virus?

    It is an act of gross negligence by a Prime Minister who once again has been caught behind the curve.

    Who once again offered confusion, not clarity.

    Who undermined public confidence.

    Who always over promises and under delivers.

    And who is now asking the British people to pay the price for his incompetence.

    No one expects the Government to get it right all of the time. But a government that fails to learn from its mistakes ends up making the same mistakes over and over again.

    Month after month, week after week.

    We have a Prime Minister who is so scared of being unpopular that he is incapable of taking tough decisions until it is too late. Whether that was going into lockdown in the first place extending the furlough scheme, bringing in a circuit break in October to protect the economy and now Christmas.

    It is this indecision and weak leadership that is costing lives and it is costing jobs.

    As a result, the United Kingdom ends 2020 with one of the highest death tolls in Europe the deepest recession of any major economy, with the virus once again out of control and with Christmas cancelled for millions.

    My message to the Prime Minister is simple: We cannot go on like this.

    We can’t start next year as we have ended this. Our country needs you to show political leadership. There can be no more dither. No more delay. No more fearing bad headlines.

    No more wishful thinking, no more empty promises.

    Prime Minister you need to get the virus back under control; so we can get our economy going; and get our children back into school in January.

    The British people have done everything asked of them. Our NHS and social care workers have done everything asked of them – and more.

    Our key workers – police officers, fire fighters, supermarket workers and posties – have kept us going.

    Our businesses have stepped up. Our communities have pulled together. Now all of them – the British people – expect their Government to deliver.

    2021 can be the year of recovery, but only if the Government gets it right.

    That’s why I renew my offer today to work with you and the Government to get this right.

    To secure our economy by supporting businesses in the toughest restrictions.

    To protect our NHS by ensuring it has the staff and resources to care for people throughout the winter months.

    And to rebuild our country by guaranteeing the swift and safe roll out of the vaccine.

    These are the priorities of the British people.

    They are Labour priorities.

    And they are my priorities.

    Finally, to everyone who has had to cancel plans.

    To all those who have the increasingly familiar feeling that they have been let down or abandoned.

    Who can’t see an end to the gloom and the bad news.

    Or who are having to spend Christmas alone.

    I am truly sorry.

    But please don’t lose faith.

    This winter will pass.

    This pandemic will end.

    And when it does we will be reunited with our loved ones, and with the places and the things we miss.

    And we will build a better country, together.

    Thank you.

  • Kate Green – 2020 Comments on Mass Testing in Schools

    Kate Green – 2020 Comments on Mass Testing in Schools

    The comments made by Kate Green, the Shadow Secretary of State for Education, on 17 December 2020.

    The government had months to listen to Labour and to schools and get testing in place, but has dithered and delayed and is now announcing this essential policy right at the end of term.

    Schools and parents have been left with no time to prepare or put plans in place. After teachers and school leaders have been working so hard this term it is a kick in the teeth to expect this to be done over Christmas.

    The government must urgently engage with school leaders to put in place proper support for schools to deliver mass testing. It has had no plan to support schools and colleges through the pandemic, and that cannot continue.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2020 Comments on the Need for the PM to Make Statement

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2020 Comments on the Need for the PM to Make Statement

    The comments made by Jonathan Ashworth, the Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 19 December 2020.

    It has been apparent for some days that the virus is again out of control in parts of the country. The Government’s tiered system has failed to stem its spread.

    This is an incredibly serious moment and people are worried. The Prime Minister has refused to take action to limit the virus’ spread over Christmas. All he has offered so far is confusion and indecision.

    He must now address the nation to explain what action he will be taking.

  • Alok Sharma – 2020 Comments on Vaccine

    Alok Sharma – 2020 Comments on Vaccine

    The comments made by Alok Sharma, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on 2 December 2020.

    Since the start of the pandemic, every single person has made an immense sacrifice to protect themselves, their loved ones and the health of our nation. Through it all, we have remained united to defeat a virus that has taken too many before their time.

    As a nation we owe every scientist, clinician and trial volunteer an enormous debt of gratitude for their victory won against odds that at times seemed impossible. It is thanks to their efforts, and of our Vaccine Taskforce, that the UK was the first country to sign a deal with Pfizer/BioNTech and will now be the first to deploy their vaccine.

    While today’s breakthrough is a positive one, we will not end the pandemic overnight. But in years to come, we will look back and remember this moment as the day the United Kingdom led humanity’s charge against this terrible disease.

  • Boris Johnson – 2020 Statement on Covid-19

    Boris Johnson – 2020 Statement on Covid-19

    The statement made by Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, on 2 December 2020.

    It is almost a year since humanity has been tormented by COVID

    Across the world, economic output has plummeted and a million and a half people have died

    And all the time we have waiting and hoping for the day when the searchlights of science would pick out our invisible enemy

    And give us the power to stop that enemy from making us ill – and now the scientists have done it

    And they have used the virus itself to perform a kind of biological jiu-jitsu, to turn the virus on itself in the form of a vaccine from an idea that was pioneered in this country by Edward Jenner in 1796

    And today we can announce that the government has accepted the recommendation from the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for distribution across the United Kingdom. After months of clinical trials, involving thousands of people to ensure that the vaccine meets the strictest, internationally recognised, standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.

    Thanks to the fantastic work of Kate Bingham and the Vaccines Task Force, we purchased more than 350 million doses of seven different vaccine candidates, and the UK was the first country in the world to pre-order supplies of this Pfizer vaccine securing 40 million doses.

    Through our Winter Plan, the NHS has been preparing for the biggest programme of mass vaccination in the history of the UK.

    And that is going to begin next week, and in line with the advice of the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation the first phase will include care home residents, health and care staff, the elderly and those who are clinically extremely vulnerable,

    But there are immense logistical challenges: the vaccine must be stored at minus 70 degrees and each person needs two injections, three weeks apart.

    So it will inevitably take some months before all the most vulnerable are protected.

    Long and cold months. So it is all the more vital that as we celebrate this scientific achievement we are not carried away with over optimism

    Or fall into the naïve belief that the struggle is over. It’s not, we’ve got to stick to our Winter Plan, a comprehensive programme to suppress the virus, protect the NHS and the vulnerable, keep education and the economy going and use treatments, testing and vaccines to enable us to return to much closer to normal by spring.

    Today in England we have ended national restrictions, opening up significant parts of the economy in doing so; but also replacing them with tough tiers to keep this virus down.

    And I know that those tiers will mean continued hardship for many, and it is going to continue to be tough for some sectors but until the vaccine is deployed, our plan does rely on all of us continuing to make sacrifices to protect those we love.

    So please, please continue to follow the rules where you live, remember hands, face, space – and if you live in a tier 3 area where community testing will be made available, please take part in that community testing.

    Together, these steps are for now the surest way to protect yourselves and those you love and by reducing the transmission of the virus, help de-escalate your area to a lower level of restrictions, as vaccines and testing, as I say, take an ever larger share of the burden.

    And as we do all this, we are no longer resting on the mere hope that we can return to normal next year in the spring, but rather on the sure and certain knowledge that we will succeed: and together reclaim our lives and all the things about our lives that we love

    So I want to thank the scientists and all those around the world who have taken part in the trials and got us to this stage.

  • Michael Gove – 2020 Article Justifying the Lockdown

    Michael Gove – 2020 Article Justifying the Lockdown

    The article in the Times, republished by the Government, by Michael Gove, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, on 28 November 2020.

    It was a decision none of us wanted to take. But it was a decision none of us could avoid. When ministers met just one month ago to consider whether to introduce a second national lockdown we were presented with a Devil’s dilemma.

    We were being asked to impose restrictions on individual liberty which went against every instinct we have had all our adult lives. We would be asking friends and families to avoid each other’s company. We would be closing shops, bars and restaurants, and not just denying people the social contact which defines us as human beings but also suppressing the animal spirit which keeps our economy going. We would be asking millions who had already given up so much to sacrifice even more.

    So why did those of us gathered round the cabinet table that Friday afternoon decide that we would, indeed, choose to make November 2020 such a difficult month? For the same reason that Emmanuel Macron in France, Sebastian Kurz in Austria, Micheál Martin in Ireland, Mark Rutte in the Netherlands, Angela Merkel in Germany, Stefan Löfven in Sweden and so many other democratic leaders chose to restrict their people’s freedoms. And for the same reason that the eight political parties in power in devolved administrations have taken similar steps to the UK government. Because the alternative would have been indefensible.

    We had to act, as they did, because if we did not our health service would have been overwhelmed.

    That Friday morning I was in Surrey, looking forward to a trip later to an award-winning business in my constituency, the Hogs Back Brewery. But a cloud already hung over my day. I knew that the data coming in from the frontline of the fight against the virus was ominous. So I was not surprised, although I was certainly chilled, by the summons to an action meeting to consider the difficult steps that might now be required. Of course, I’d change my diary: was the meeting tomorrow, or Sunday? No — please get back to London as soon as possible.

    That afternoon we were confronted with what would happen to our hospitals if the spread of the virus continued at the rate it was growing. Unless we acted, the NHS would be broken.

    Infections were doubling fast. The number of days taken to see that increase was open to question. But the trend was not. Infection numbers were growing in areas which had previously seen low prevalence. And as the numbers infected increased so, with iron logic, did the numbers in our hospitals. We could not know exactly when, or how late, we could leave it and still have time to pull the handbrake to avoid disaster, but sooner or later our NHS hospitals would be full.

    Not just administratively at full stretch. But physically overwhelmed. Every bed, every ward occupied. All the capacity built in the Nightingales and requisitioned from the private sector too. The NHS could, and would, cancel the operations of patients waiting for hip replacements and other routine procedures to free up more beds. But that wouldn’t be enough. The numbers infected with Covid-19 and requiring a bed would displace all but emergency cases. And then even those. With every NHS bed full, the capacity of the health service to treat new emergency cases — people who had suffered serious accidents, heart attacks, strokes — would go.

    The questions we asked that afternoon — and had asked before — were the questions we were to hear everyone ask after we took our decision. Couldn’t NHS capacity have been increased to meet this pressure? Well it had been; the Nightingales had been built, staff redeployed, retired doctors and nurses called to the colours. But while capacity had been, and can be, increased, there is a limit. With the numbers becoming infected and facing hospitalisation doubling, there comes a point where no more flexibility exists. It is difficult to strengthen flood defences when the tsunami is surging towards the shore. Hospitals need doctors and nurses and you can’t double their numbers in a month. And even if you could, you would still need to slow the virus spreading to stop even that capacity being overwhelmed.

    Could not more patients be treated at home? And surely improvements in treatment — dexamethasone and non-invasive oxygen support — had made the virus less deadly? Well yes, some patients could be treated at home but the difference could only be made at the margins. And yes, these new treatments reduced mortality. But they relied on patients being in hospital and receiving the treatments from trained professionals. And that was precisely the resource that would run out.

    Keeping our hospitals open, available and effective was not just crucial to dealing with Covid-19. It was imperative for the health of the whole nation. But the only way to ensure we can take care of cancer patients, administer radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and help stroke victims and treat heart attacks is by protecting the NHS. And the only way we can do that is by reducing the spread of the virus, thus limiting the number of Covid-19 patients in hospital. Reducing infections is not a distraction from saving other lives, it is a precondition of saving other lives.

    And just as we want to reduce Covid-19 infections to save lives, so reducing them is the key to saving the economy. Think for a moment what would happen to our economy if we allowed infections to reach such a level that our NHS was overwhelmed. Would families seek out crowded bars and buzzing restaurants if they knew they could be infecting friends and relatives who could not be treated if they fell ill? Would we flock to the January sales if the doors to our hospitals were shut? Would investors, entrepreneurs and tourists make a beeline for Britain if we could not even guarantee the lives and welfare of our existing citizens?

    All the arguments against lockdown came up against that harsh, brute reality. If this government could not guarantee that the NHS was there for our citizens, it would not just be a political and moral failure. It would mean Covid-19 patients who could be saved would die; cancer patients who could be cured would be lost; thousands in pain would suffer for longer; countless more would lose years of their lives; the economy would grind to a halt, as a population we could not protect sought to save their loved ones; and the world would hang an indelible quarantine sign over our nation’s name.

    So we acted. And we did so knowing that the most difficult lesson we had learnt that year is that tougher measures than we would ever want to impose are required to restrict the virus’s spread. The tiers we had in place before the lockdown had not suppressed it sufficiently: they were neither strong enough to reduce social contact sufficiently, nor applied widely enough to contain the virus’s spread. And that is the difficult lesson we cannot unlearn as this lockdown ends.

    Thanks to the chancellor’s swift action, millions of people have been helped financially through the dark days of this crisis. Since March, we have provided more than £200 billion in fiscal support. We have extended the furlough scheme to the end of March next year, and businesses that are forced to close can get grants of up to £3,000 a month. For councils, we have also provided an additional £900 million on top of previous funding, to support local economies and communities and fund local healthcare needs.

    This coming month brings hope. Vaccines that will defeat the virus are motoring towards regulatory authorisation and distribution. We are seeing strong efficacy rates coming out of the Pfizer/Biontech, Moderna and Oxford/Astrazeneca trials, and the regulator is reviewing both the Pfizer and Oxford vaccines to determine if they reach the required robust standards for quality, safety and effectiveness. The end of the national lockdown means that in all areas shops can reopen, people can go to the gym, hairdressers and beauty services are available again, collective worship can resume and outdoor sports can restart. And, of course, this Christmas, friends and families across the UK can travel to celebrate in each others’ homes.

    But for many, these relaxations are cold crumbs of comfort at the start of a long, harsh winter. The new, tougher tiers which cover most of the country still limit social mixing, keep friends apart and hit pubs and bars particularly hard.

    Yet they are grimly, inevitably, necessary. The level of infection across the country remains uncomfortably and threateningly high. The pressure on hospitals is still severe: across the UK, about 16,000 beds are filled with Covid-19 patients, which compares with almost 20,000 at the April peak and as low as 740 on September 11. From the current high base, any sharp uptick in infection could see the NHS under even more severe threat again.

    Before the lockdown, the increase in infections was like a tap filling a bath faster and faster with every day that passed. Lockdown first slowed the pace at which the bath was filling up, then stabilised it. Slowly, it has begun to lower the water level. But as we exit this lockdown the level is still high and it would not take too much, or too rapid an increase, for us to risk it overtopping again.

    If, however, we can keep the level of infection stable or, even better, falling, and hold out through January and February, then we can be confident that vaccination will pull the plug on the problem. That is why in our Winter Plan we have set out new, stronger tiers. Bluntly, our previous tiers were not as effective as we had hoped. In general, infections continued to rise in Tier 1 and Tier 2 areas and even the bare, basic, old Tier 3 wasn’t enough.

    These are, of course, uncomfortable truths. Not least for those of us who argued that these measures, on their own, would be enough. But we cannot ignore the evidence. What has worked, however, is the combination of a toughened Tier 3 and widespread community testing. In Liverpool, the mayor Joe Anderson bravely adopted measures above and beyond the old basic Tier 3 and championed mass testing. The result: falling infections, reduced hospitalisations and a smooth transfer to the new Tier 2.

    Learning from that experience, we are confident that our new, tougher tiers will have a real impact, and equip us to respond to local conditions — guarding against spread, stemming signs of growth, or bringing a local outbreak back under control so that hospital capacity is not overwhelmed.

    Why is it, some ask, that when they come into force on Wednesday, so many areas will be in Tiers 2 and 3, when they entered the lockdown a tier below? Because the level of infection, while stabilising, is simply still too high, and many hospitals remain under pressure. And why is it that we did not take an even more localised approach, and carve up local authorities? Because we are a small, densely populated country where this virus has proven it can spread with ease — so casting the net wide is more effective. And for another reason too, which is that many NHS hospital catchments are expansive, and so to protect our hospitals you need to tackle the virus right across the areas they serve.

    The truth, however uncomfortable, sets you free. And these new tiers, alongside the wider deployment of mass testing, have the capacity to prevent our NHS being overwhelmed until vaccines arrive.

    In politics there is often a readier market for comfortable evasions than uncomfortable truths. Some have argued that you can avoid restrictions on everyday life, let the young in particular go out and about, and build up collective or herd immunity — “Just look at Sweden”.

    But Sweden, which has in fact always placed restrictions on its population, has found that even the battery of measures it adopted was not enough. Infections rose dramatically in October and early this month, and hospitalisations continue to rise as its government has, reluctantly but firmly, introduced new measures to keep households apart, restrict commerce, stop people visiting bars and restaurants and comprehensively reduce the social contact that spreads infection.

    Others have argued, in good faith of course, for a sort of Sweden-that-never-was — for the strict segregation of the most vulnerable while the rest of us go about our business until the pandemic passes. But what would that involve? How, practically, could we ensure that every older citizen, every diabetic, everyone with an underlying condition or impaired immune system was perfectly insulated from all contact with others for months to come? How many are we expected to isolate completely and for how long? Five million? Ten? No visits by carers or medical staff, no mixing of generations, the eviction of older citizens from the homes they share with younger? No country has embarked on this course, with no detailed plan for implementing such a strategy ever laid out.

    That is not to deny the course we are on has costs. But those costs are not ones we choose; they are ones we must endure. It is this virus — which in its combination of rapid spread and targeted lethality poses a bigger public health threat than any pandemic since the Spanish flu of 1918 — which brings terrible costs. As previous pandemics always have.

    And when the country is facing such a national crisis, the truth is that all of us who have been elected to parliament, not just ministers, must take responsibility for difficult decisions. Covid-19 is no respecter of constituency boundaries and the hardships we are facing now are unfortunately necessary to protect every single one of us, no matter where we live. In any analysis of this government’s, or any government’s approach, the cost of lockdown and restrictions cannot be reckoned against the status quo ante, but only against the cost of inaction, or inadequate action, and the overwhelming of the NHS.

    We know now that the costs, significant as they were, generated by our pre-lockdown measures still did not bring us the benefit of a virus under control. We know now, as do other European and western nations, that we can keep the enemy at bay until vaccination turns the tide, but it will be tough. For France, with cafés and restaurants closed across the country until January; for Germany, where even as I write they debate whether even school closures may be necessary; in the US, where Joe Biden, the president-elect, knows he must enter office imposing tougher restrictions to cope with resurgent infections, the need to act is the same. Because the grim calculus of infection is the same. We cannot alter the mathematics, bargain with the virus or evade our responsibilities.

    But we can see an end to this. We can end the suffering. Mass testing, vaccination, liberation. But until that liberation comes, we must stand firm. Stand in solidarity with each other. And shoulder the sacrifices required to save the lives of those we love.

    The original article.

  • Boris Johnson – 2020 Statement in the House of Commons on Winter Plan

    Boris Johnson – 2020 Statement in the House of Commons on Winter Plan

    The statement made by Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, in the House of Commons on 1 December 2020.

    Mr Speaker, I beg to move that these Regulations now be approved.

    And I want to begin by telling the House that I was hugely encouraged by a visit I paid only yesterday to a vaccine plant in North Wales where I saw for myself the vials of one of seven vaccines backed by the UK Government that could turn the tide of our struggle against Covid, not just in this country but around the world.

    It is the protection of those vaccines that could get our economies moving again, and allow us to reclaim our lives.

    And that one plant in Wrexham could produce 300 million doses a year and yesterday was the momentous day when it began to manufacture the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine.

    And it was a very moving moment Mr Speaker when I talked to one of the brilliant young scientists there,

    And she described the extraordinary moment for her in her life,

    to be part of an enterprise that was she thought truly going to offer humanity a route out of this suffering.

    But Mr Speaker, we have to be realistic,

    And we have to accept that this vaccine is not here yet, no vaccine is here yet

    and while all the signs are promising

    and almost every scientist I’ve talked to agrees that the breakthrough will surely come

    we do not yet have one that has gained regulatory approval.

    We can’t be completely sure when the moment will arrive

    and until then we cannot afford to relax,

    especially during the cold months of winter.

    The national measures which are now shortly ending in England

    have eased the burden on the NHS and begun to reverse the advance of the virus.

    Today, the R is back below 1

    and the ONS survey is showing that signs of the infection rate are levelling off

    and Imperial College London has found that the number of people with Covid has fallen by a third in England since 2nd November.

    But while the virus has been contained, it has not been eradicated.

    The latest ONS figures suggest that out of every 85 people in England, one has Coronavirus; far more than in the Summer

    between 24th November and yesterday, 3,222 people across the UK lost their lives;

    and despite the immense progress of the last four weeks,

    our NHS remains under pressure, with hospitals in three regions – the South West, the North East and Yorkshire – all treating more Covid patients now than at the peak of the first wave.

    So we can’t simply allow the current restrictions to expire for the reason he gives with no replacement whatever.

    With the spread of the epidemic varying across the country, there remains a compelling case for regional tiers in England and indeed Mr Speaker a compelling necessity for regional tiers.

    But I hope the House is clear what I am not asking for today.

    This is not another lockdown,

    nor is this the renewal of the existing measures in England.

    The tiers that I am proposing would mean that from tomorrow

    everyone in England

    – including those in tier 3 –

    will be free to leave their homes for any reason.

    And when they do, they will find the shops open for Christmas,

    the hairdressers open,

    the nail bars open,

    gyms and leisure centres, swimming pools open,

    churches, synagogues, mosques and temples will be open for communal worship.

    Organised outdoor sport will resume,

    and in every tier you will be able to meet others in parks and in public gardens subject to the Rule of Six.

    And every one of those things has been by necessity restricted until today.

    Every one of them would be allowed again tomorrow.

    Of course I accept that this is not a return to normality. I wish it were so.

    But it is a bit closer to normality than the present restrictions.

    And what we cannot do is lift all of the restrictions at once, or move too quickly, in such a way that the virus would begin to spread rapidly again.

    That would be the surest way of endangering our NHS and forcing us into a new year lockdown, with all the costs that that would impose.

    We all accept that the burden on the hospitality sector has been very great.

    We feel this deeply, because our pubs, our hotels, restaurants they are in many ways the heart of the communities

    And part of the fabric of our identity as a country

    And everybody can see that the hospitality industry has borne a disproportionate share of the burden in this crisis. There’s no question about it. And that is obviously because we want to keep schools open Mr Speaker and we have to take such measures as we can.

    I would just remind the House however, that we are not alone in this.

    In France bars, restaurants and gyms will not reopen until 20th January at the earliest.

    In Germany, the hospitality sector will remain closed in its entirety over Christmas.

    But we will do everything in our power to support our hospitality sector throughout this crisis.

    We have already extended the furlough scheme for all businesses until the end of March,

    We’ve provided monthly grants of up to £3,000 for premises forced to close,

    and £2,100 for those that remain open but have suffered because of reduced demand.

    We have allocated £1.1 billion for local authorities to support businesses at particular risk.

    And today Mr Speaker we are going further with a one-off payment of £1,000 in December to wet pubs – that is Mr Speaker pubs that do not serve food as the House knows

    recognising how hard they have been hit by this virus in what is typically their busiest month.

    We will also work with the hospitality sector in supporting their bounce back next year.

    Mr Speaker I want to stress, that the situation is profoundly different now because there is an end in sight.

    And I am not this afternoon seeking open-ended measures.

    On the contrary, these regulations come with a sunset clause at the end of February, sorry at the end of the 2 February I should say Mr Speaker.

    At that point we will have sufficient data to assess our position after Christmas,

    and though I believe these types of restrictions will be needed until the Spring,

    they can only be extended beyond 2 February if this House votes for them Mr Speaker.

    These are points that have been made with great power as I say by Hon Members on all sides of the House.

    We will review the allocation of tiers every fourteen days, starting on 16th December. I just want to make an important point to my Rt Hon friend and to all members who are rightly concerned about the position of their constituencies, our constituencies, in these tiers.

    Hon Members have it in their powers, in our power to help move our areas down the tiers,

    by throwing their full weight Mr Speaker, our full weight as leaders in our communities behind community testing,

    and seizing the opportunity, seizing the opportunity to encourage as many people as possible to take part.

    Of the kind we’ve seen in Liverpool Mr Speaker

    where since the 6th November over 284,000 tests have been conducted,

    and together with the effect of national restrictions,

    the number of cases fell by more than two thirds. This is the model that I would recommend.

    We are now proposing that from tomorrow Liverpool City Region and Warrington should be in tier 2, where as previously obviously they were in tier 3.

    And we want other regions and other towns, cities, communities to follow this path,

    And that is why – with the help of our fantastic armed forces –

    we will be offering community testing to tier 3 areas as quickly as possible.

    Mr Speaker let me just say, I find it extraordinary that the Official Opposition –represented by the gentleman opposite – currently have no view on the way ahead and are not proposing to vote tonight.

    I do think it is extraordinary that in spite of the barrage of criticism that we have no credible plan from the party opposite. Indeed, we have no view on the way ahead. It’s a quite extraordinary thing Mr Speaker that tonight to the best of my knowledge

    The RHG Opposite who has always said he will ‘act in the national interest’ has told his party to sit on its hands and to abstain in the vote tonight Mr Speaker.

    And I think the government has made its decision, we’ve taken some tough decisions Mr Speaker and the Labour opposition has decided tonight heroically to abstain Mr Speaker

    And I think when the history of this pandemic comes to be written, I think the people of this country will observe that instead of having politicians of all parties coming together in the national interest they had one party taking the decisions and another party heroically deciding to abstain

    Mr Speaker, in the story of 2020, I think there are two great feats in which we can take a great deal of comfort.

    First, our country has come together in an extraordinary effort that has so far succeeded in protecting our NHS and in saving many lives.

    And while our scientists have been zeroing in on the weaknesses of Covid,

    telescoping ten years of work into ten months,

    and now their endeavours are about to deliver the means as I say to rout the virus. That is clear.

    The Government is backing not one potential vaccine, but seven.

    We have ordered 100 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, that is now seeking regulatory approval.

    We have ordered 7 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, which has almost 95 per cent effectiveness in trials.

    And Mr Speaker, we have ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which

    if approved by the regulator –

    could start being administered before Christmas.

    In total, Mr Speaker our Vaccines Task Force has secured more than 350 million doses,

    more than enough for everyone in the UK, the Crown Dependencies and our Overseas Territories.

    All we need to do now Mr Speaker is to hold our nerve until these vaccines are indeed in our grasp,

    and indeed being injected into our arms.

    So I say to the House again let us follow the guidance, let us roll out mass testing, let’s work to deliver mass testing to the people of our country, let’s work together to control the virus and it is in that spirit that I commend these regulations Mr Speaker I commend these regulations to the House.

  • Keir Starmer – 2020 Statement in the House of Commons on Winter Plan

    Keir Starmer – 2020 Statement in the House of Commons on Winter Plan

    The statement made by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, on 1 December 2020.

    Thank you Mr Speaker.

    Can I start by welcoming the fall in infection numbers, the number of people being admitted to hospital, and crucially that the R rate is now below 1.

    Before this lockdown, the infection rate was doubling every two weeks, the R-number was above 1 in every part of England, and the number of people in hospital was going up sharply across the country. In other words, the virus had been allowed to get out of control.

    And if anyone doubts a lockdown was necessary – I would point out: Since 2nd November – when this lockdown started, 10,711 people have tragically died in England within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19. In the last week there were an average of 460 deaths per day. Those are appalling numbers. Every one a tragedy.

    So we can argue about why this lockdown didn’t happen sooner. When the infection rate was lower. As we argued for several weeks ago. But it’s clear that the lockdown was necessary and has helped to reduce infections.

    I also want to welcome further progress on vaccines. I have nothing but admiration for our scientists. And for the amazing progress that’s been made. This will go down as one of the great moments for science in this country. I saw this for myself a couple of weeks ago at Oxford University.

    A vaccine may now be in sight, and we must do everything we can to encourage take-up and make sure that it’s rolled out quickly, fairly and safely.

    But Mr Speaker, the questions before the House today are these: How can we save as many lives and livelihoods as possible until we reach the light at the end of the tunnel? And are the measures the PM announced today going to: Control the virus; And provide the right support for the communities worst affected by these restrictions?

    Labour has supported the Government in two national lockdowns. And I recognise the need for continuing restrictions. I also recognise that the tiers have been toughened – as it was obvious to everyone that the previous tiers were a one-way street. But I’m far from convinced by what the PM said today.

    In particular, the economic package is nowhere near sufficient to support the communities worst affected. And who have been suffering now for many months.

    I also fear that without the right health measures in place, in particular a working trace and isolate system, there are real risks that this plan is incapable of controlling the virus this winter.

    I want to set out this out in more detail. The first point I want to make is this: We’ve been here before. On 10th June the PM first told of us his “whack a mole” strategy to control local infections. We were told these would be so effective they would only last a few days or weeks. Far from reality. Leicester, for example, has had 154 days of restrictions. By the time these regulations run out on 2nd Feb – it will be 217 days. So that didn’t work.

    Then on 22 September – with infections rising in 19 of the 20 areas then under restrictions, the PM announced new restrictions including the rule of 6, which the PM told the House would: “curb the number of daily infections and reduce the reproduction rate to 1”. That didn’t work.

    Two weeks later, 12 October, with the precise opposite happening the PM introduced a three-tier system. Again, we were assured this would work.

    The PM told the House that: “would deliver the reduction in the R rate, locally and regionally, that we need”. That didn’t work.

    Fourth attempt: 19 days later: in a hurried press conference, the PM announced that the tiered system had failed, the virus was out of control and a national lockdown was now “unavoidable”.

    The reason this all matters is that there is a pattern here: the PM has a record of over-promising, and under-delivering. Short-term decisions are taken, that then bump into the harsh reality of this virus. So a new plan is conjured up a few weeks later, and with even bigger promises that never materialise.

    After eight months of this, the PM should not be surprised that we – and many of the British people – are less than convinced this time around.

    The second point I want to make is this: The public health risk of the PM’s approach is significant. The prevalence of the virus remains high. The R-rate is only just below one. We know the virus is at its most deadly during the cold winter months. And that the NHS of course at that point will be under its greatest strain.

    So if we are to keep R below 1 during the winter – and not waste the progress made in the last four weeks, we have to proceed with precision and caution.

    But instead of levelling with the British public, the PM has spent the weekend telling his backbenchers that the plan is all about: “loosening restrictions across the country” and fuelling a promise that within days, local areas have the prospect of dropping from one Tier to another. In my view, that’s highly unlikely.

    It’s obvious that the new Tier One may slow but won’t prevent a rise in infections. And it’s far from certain that the new Tier Two can hold the rate of infection. I hope it does – but it depends on other factors all falling into place at the same time.

    And – although like everyone else we want the chance to see our loved ones at Christmas – I’m not convinced that the Government has a plan in place to prevent a spike in infections over the New Year.

    I recognise this is difficult, and that any system would have risk. But that brings me to my third point: The risk we face today is so much higher, because the PM has failed to fix the major problems with the now £22bn Track and Trace system.

    Before the PM simply brushes this point aside – again – let me remind the House that one of the major reasons that SAGE advised a circuit break back in September was because Track and Trace was only having “a marginal impact on transmission”. So if we’re to control the virus, this really matters. And the PM having his head in the sand isn’t helping.

    I know the PM has made much of the advances in testing. I recognise that and I hope it helps tackle this virus. But as the Chief Scientific Officer said: “testing is important, but of course it only matters if people isolate as well”.

    PM knows only a fraction of people are able to self-isolate when asked to do so. But he still hasn’t addressed the reasons for this. Including the huge gaps in support: I know PM has announced a change for those notified by the app – a ridiculous omission in the first place. But it doesn’t affect basic eligibility.

    Only one in eight workers qualify for the one-off £500 self-isolation support. Anyone not receiving that has to rely on Statutory Sick Pay which is the equivalent of £13 a day. That’s a huge problem. People want to do the right thing. But for many, there’s a real fear that self-isolation means a huge loss of income that they simply can’t afford.

    And that’s not the end of the problems with track and trace. On tracing, the latest figures show: 137,000 close contacts missed by the system in one week. That is the highest weekly figure yet. And it means that over 500,000 close contacts have been missed by the system in the last month.

    That’s not just a statistic, it means that last month alone, there were half a million people who should have been self-isolating but instead were moving around with their friends, their families and their communities. That’s a huge gap in our defences. I raise this every week. Every week the PM pretends it’s getting better, but it never does. And the PM now seems almost to have given up on it – and to be hoping instead that mass testing can solve this on its own. Again, blind optimism – not a plan.

    My fourth point is about the level of economic support provided. Have to say to the PM: It’s hard to overstate the level of anger about this – particularly in communities that have been in restrictions for months on end.

    Yesterday I was on a virtual visit to the North West talking to local businesses. Their emotions ranged from deep disappointment at the Government, to raw anger that the PM and Chancellor just aren’t listening. And don’t get the impact that months of endless restrictions have had on local communities and on people’s lives.

    In March, the Chancellor vowed to do “whatever it takes” to support households and businesses. But there’s now been 6 economic plans in 9 months. And the level of support around this latest package is still insufficient.

    First, it doesn’t fairly reflect the difficulties faced by businesses across the country. Three aspects to this: Let me start with the Additional Restrictions Grant. That gives a flat figure to a local area regardless of how long it’s been in restrictions. So, Greater Manchester, which will be on its 40th day of severe restrictions when it enters Tier 3 tomorrow, has received the same one-off support as the Isle of Wight, which went into restrictions far later and will emerge tomorrow into Tier 1.

    That can’t be fair.

    The second aspect is that this grant doesn’t take account of the number of business that need support in each area. So our great cities are being asked to spread the same sum far more thinly. That’s also that’s clearly unfair.

    The third aspect: even allowing for today’s announcement on pubs – which I think is the definition of ‘small beer. Many businesses are now receiving less support than they did during the first wave. That’s a huge strain for many businesses – particularly after so long under restrictions, and it makes no economic sense for the Government to allow them to go to the wall.

    The second major point on economic support is that millions of self-employed people remain unfairly excluded from Government support schemes. Again, there’s nothing in this latest package to address this.

    I’ve raised this many times with the PM – every time he chooses to talk about those he is helping and ignore the millions he isn’t. Reality: the government have had 8 months to fix this and they’ve failed.

    The third point about the economic package is that the Government must remove the uncertainty around furlough and rule out changing the scheme again in January. The Chancellor’s made this this mistake before. That uncertainty caused real economic damage. He can’t make the same mistake again.

    So taken together the business and economic support just doesn’t stack up.

    But I also want to make a wider point on the economic damage this pandemic – and this Government – have done to our economy. Last week’s Autumn Statement laid bare the huge and worsening economic cost of this crisis.

    I know there are those who say that is a reason to end restrictions. But the reality is – you can’t protect the economy if you lose control of the virus. That just leads to more uncertainty. More restrictions. And more long-term damage to the economy. And it’s this failure to get control of the virus, or to take a long-term approach to shielding our economy that’s left the UK with the worst recession in the G7 and the highest death total in Europe.

    Fifth and final reason for scepticism about the Government’s approach is this: messaging and priorities. The last 48 hours have been a summary of the mistakes the Government has made in this crisis. The PM is fatally split between appeasing his backbenchers and following the science. It’s why he ends up pleasing nobody.

    I think the PM knows that tough restrictions are now needed, but he pretends that the restrictions might not be in place for long. And that it’s quite possible that everyone can be in a lower tier in two weeks’ time. But the reality is that tough restrictions will be needed until a vaccine is rolled out. And that may be months away.

    So the PM will doubtless be back in a couple of weeks with another “plan”. But the PM doesn’t feel able to make that case today, or to provide the certainty and consistency we need. So instead we’ve had 48 hours of concessions, letters and promises to his MPs – not clear and reliable messaging to the public. It’s sadly symptomatic of the last eight months.

    Mr Speaker, coronavirus remains a serious threat to the public’s health, to our economy and to our way of life. We recognise the need for continued restrictions. It would not be in the national interest to vote against these restrictions today. So we will allow the regulations to pass. But this is another wasted opportunity.

    The PM could have spent the last four weeks fixing track and trace, putting in place the support people need to isolate, building the economic package our great towns and cities need to protect jobs and people’s income, and restoring public confidence.

    Instead, we see more short-termism. A PM stuck between his backbenchers and the national interest. And I fear that just won’t work.

  • Matt Hancock – 2020 Comments about Vaccines

    Matt Hancock – 2020 Comments about Vaccines

    The comments made by Matt Hancock, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 29 November 2020.

    Every week, we are getting more positive news about the range of vaccines in development, and thanks to the work of our taskforce the UK has pre-ordered hundreds of millions of doses from those companies most advanced in their work.

    This includes buying a further 2 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine, on top of the 5 million we’ve already secured.

    With a wide range of vaccine candidates in our portfolio, we stand ready to deploy a vaccine should they receive approval from our medicines regulator, starting with those who will benefit most.

  • Iain Stewart – 2020 Comments on UK Government Testing Centre in Cumbernauld

    Iain Stewart – 2020 Comments on UK Government Testing Centre in Cumbernauld

    The comments made by Iain Stewart, the UK Government Minister for Scotland, on 28 November 2020.

    The UK Government is helping all parts of the UK fight the coronavirus pandemic. Testing is vital, helping to manage local outbreaks and protecting people’s livelihoods. The UK Government is providing the bulk of Covid testing in Scotland, and this new walk-through centre is just the latest in our extensive testing network.

    We are pleased to be working with local and commercial partners. These sites are not possible without the hard work of many people. I would like to thank everyone involved for their incredible efforts for the good of the country at this difficult time.