Keir Starmer calls for “national consensus” on coronavirus next steps

Keir Starmer has called for a “national consensus” to be built around the next steps of the UK’s coronavirus response based on seven core principles set out by Labour.

The Labour leader has confirmed, ahead of talks with the Prime Minister, that his party will back a further extension of coronavirus restrictions – just as it supported the lockdown.

He has vowed to “act in the national interest” by continuing to “work constructively” with Boris Johnson’s government on the next phase of its Covid-19 response.

Labour has set out seven “core principles”, as well as specific ways of fulfilling them:

• Keeping people safe, through the introduction of a “national safety standard” and addressing the TUC’s concerns over draft back-to-work guidelines
• Mass expansion of community testing and tracing – setting target dates for 250,000 daily tests and 50,000 contact tracers, and a target for tracing
• Protect key and essential workers, with a national plan to guarantee supply of personal protective equipment and facial coverings
• Support people’s livelihoods, jobs and businesses, including bespoke support for worst-affected people and industries, plus making the furlough scheme more flexible
• Structured approach to easing and tightening restrictions, with advance warning to enable planning
• National vaccines plan, covering the manufacture and distribution of any vaccine that emerges
• Preparations for winter flu – and the “urgent publication” of a national plan for the winter flu season

In a statement released ahead of talks with the Prime Minister, Starmer said: “We want to support the government to get this right and that is why we need a national consensus on what happens next.

“Our priority is protecting the public’s health and saving lives. That is why we supported the lockdown and again support the restrictions staying in place at this time. However, we need to be honest with the public about the challenges ahead.

“We are in this for the long haul. It is imperative that the government is properly planning for what happens next and properly supporting our NHS and social care services.

“Mistakes were made at the beginning of this crisis. The government was slow to implement the lockdown, slow on testing and slow to get PPE to frontline workers. We need to learn from those mistakes.

“Labour is setting out seven core principles that need to be considered by the government to ensure public services, businesses and people are supported and kept safe. People rightly need confidence it’s safe before they go back out to work, travel or use public services.

“When I was elected leader, I promised to act in the national interest and I meant it. Over the coming days and weeks, I will work constructively with the government on these proposals to ensure we have the best possible response to this crisis.”

Starmer used an Evening Standard interview last week to tell the government to increase its daily testing target to 250,000, up its contract tracers target to 50,000 and harness the volunteer NHS responders.

The GMB trade union has warned that the latest back-to-work guidance produced by the government was “thrown together in a hurry” and would not protect workers from Covid-19.

“They cannot just flick a switch, say it’s safe to work within two metres of other people without PPE and expect them to head merrily off to work,” acting general secretary John Phillips said.

Johnson is expected to reveal the full details of how people are expected to return to work on Sunday evening. It has been reported that the ‘first day back’ could be on May 26th.