MPs amp up pressure to avoid placing London in Tier 3 when lockdown lifts
The Prime Minister is facing mounting pressure from his own party to avoid placing London in Tier 3 when England’s lockdown lifts, over fears tough restrictions could cripple businesses in the capital.
Reports of government plans to place London in the highest level of restrictions under the new tier system, set to be announced tomorrow, have ignited rumours of a Tory rebellion.
Former Conservative party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said the capital “must be put into Tier 1” when the nationwide lockdown ends on 2 December.
“London is critical to the UK’s economy. Just the West End represents four per cent of GDP and it is completely dead,” he said. “The cavalier way we are treating the capital city is astonishing.”
Eighteen out of London’s 32 boroughs saw the number of new infections decline in the week to 19 November, according to the latest official figures.
The capital has recorded 187.4 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people over the last seven days — well below levels in Yorkshire and the north east, which have reported more than 330 cases per 100,000 people.
Confirmed cases remain lowest in Central London, which has seen footfall plummet during the pandemic as office staff adhere to government orders to work from home.
Shops, gyms and hairdressers will be allowed to reopen across the country under the revised tier system.
However higher tiers will see tougher restrictions as the government scrambles to flatten the rate of infection.
Pubs and restaurants will be allowed to reopen in Tier 1 and Tier 2, but must remain as takeaway-only services in Tier 3.
In Tier 2, alcohol may only be served alongside a substantial meal, while all indoor entertainment and hotels will close under Tier 3.
London mayor Sadiq Khan yesterday said it was “right and sensible” for the capital to be placed in Tier 2 when England exits its month-long lockdown on 2 December.
“Thanks to the monumental efforts and sacrifices of Londoners we have managed to keep the number of cases lower in our city than most other parts of the country since the summer,” he said.
“London going into Tier 2 next week would seem the right and sensible decision. The cases in London are lower than other parts of the country expected to enter Tier 2.”
Ealing, which is the worst-affected borough from coronavirus, has recorded more than three times as many confirmed cases of Covid than the least-affected borough.
Forty new cases in the past 24 hours took Ealing’s total number of confirmed cases since the pandemic outbreak to 7,320, compared with Kensington and Chelsea’s 2,420 confirmed cases.
Harrow East MP Bob Blackman has called for a “borough by borough” system, warning that “the borough with the lowest infection rate will be lumped in with the one that has the highest”.
“We better not be in Tier 3 otherwise it is all but over for Christmas for the hospitality sector. London’s economy would be decimated,” he said. “A review in mid-December would be far too late.”
The tier system allocation is set to be announced tomorrow, after ministers have been shown fresh data from the government’s top scientific advisers.
Tier allocations will be based on five criteria, including case numbers across all age groups; cases in those aged over 60; the rate of rise or fall in infections; the percentage of those tested who have the virus; and current and projected pressures on the NHS locally.
Unlike the previous system, there will be no negotiation with local leaders over the classification, with financial support allocated on a uniform per-capita basis.
Announcing the new three-tier system on Monday, Boris Johnson said regional tier positions will be reviewed every 14 days, with the restrictions likely to be in place until March.
Canada Corporation’s policy chair Catherine McGuinness yesterday said there was an urgent need for a clear return-to-work plan, “in order to get as much of the economy operating as possible”.
MPs will vote on the new tier system next week, with a large proportion of the 70-strong Covid Research Group of lockdown-sceptic Tories expected to rebel.
Johnson on Monday admitted it was “likely that more of the country is placed into Tiers 2 and 3 at first” in order to “control the virus effectively”.
He insisted the end of lockdown could not be “replaced with a free for all” and stressed that “tiers will remain tough”.