British regional leaders and opposition chief Sir Keir Starmer have accused Prime Minister Boris Johnson of sowing confusion with his plan to gradually ease the country’s near-lockdown to curb the spread of novel coronavirus.
Starmer, who state during questions time in the parliament, said: “We are living through the biggest threat this country has faced for a generation. Coronavirus has taken so much from us – it’s brought normal life to a halt.”
“Over 30,000 people have lost their lives… millions are worried about their loved ones, their jobs, their communities, their families and their future.”
“That’s why when I was elected leader of the Labour Party, just over a month ago, I promised a new type of opposition. Labour will always put the national interest first.”
Starmer promises that his party will “have the courage to support the government when that’s the right thing to do, and the courage to challenge the government where it’s getting it wrong”.
“What we needed from the prime minister last night was clarity and reassurance,” he said, adding that “so many of us have questions that need answering”.
“We needed to hear that nobody would be asked to go to work or send their children to school without it being safe to do so.
“I’ll keep demanding answers to these questions because that’s how we get better decisions and better outcomes.
Read Also: Wike announces temporary lifting of lockdown
“We can’t go back to a society where we clap our carers once a week but where half of our care workers are paid less than the real living wage.”
Also yesterday, regional leaders insisted that social distancing rules remained unchanged, while a major trade union called for “caution and clarity” before allowing large numbers of people to resume travel to work.
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester in north-west England, said Johnson’s statement on Sunday had come “too soon for the North West and could cause confusion.”
“My message to the people and businesses of Greater Manchester is this: please be cautious and take time before making any changes to your routine,” Burnham tweeted.
Leaders of devolved governments in London, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all suggested they would not change social distancing rules after Johnson said the country would shift from ordering people to “stay at home” to allowing them to go out more but “stay alert.”
“Our message in Wales remains the same: Staying at home is the best way to protect yourself and others,” Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford tweeted.
Johnson said he had given the first sketch of a road map for reopening society, after a fall in the average number of confirmed infections with Covid-19 and deaths linked to the virus since mid-April.
He said schools and shops could begin a phased reopening in June, while hospitality businesses might need to remain closed until July.
Leave a Reply