Local Covid lockdowns should not be based on political bias, warns Labour

The Labour Party has raised concerns over decisions around local Covid restrictions being made by the UK government on the basis of political bias rather than public health advice and data.

As Prime Minister’s Questions came to a close this afternoon, it was announced that the decision to lift restrictions in Bolton and Trafford was being reversed by the government after just 12 hours.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and council leaders in the areas had criticised the easing of local restrictions because a spike in the number of Covid-19 cases was reported.

Their pleas were ignored in what Burnham described as a “Whitehall-knows-best approach”, and the easing went ahead – until midday today, when Matt Hancock confirmed a U-turn.

Shadow health minister Justin Madders commented: “Once again, the government is in complete chaos. Decisions on localised restrictions should be made on public health grounds, not to appease Tory backbenchers.”

Keir Starmer’s spokesperson said: “Decisions about local restrictions should be based on the science, and should be based on the advice of public health directors – not on whether or not the area has a Conservative MP, which some local areas have rightly been concerned is the approach that the government has been taking.”

Commenting on the confused situation that has seen two boroughs of Greater Manchester receive conflicting advice over the last 24 hours, the spokesperson added: “This is complete chaos.

“At a time when the Prime Minister is saying we need an ounce of confidence to get the economy going, when you see chaos like this, it gives no confidence in the government’s approach.

“It’s another sign of their incompetence, which is holding Britain back from its recovery. People are rightly very anxious at the moment and what they’re looking for from the government is clarity.

“The handling of this has been utterly chaotic and Keir shares Andy Burnham’s concerns about the way this has been handled.”

This morning, Burnham described the lifting of restrictions in Bolton and Trafford as “completely illogical” and urged residents of those areas to ignore government advice and follow restrictions instead.

Local leaders issued warnings about the Covid-19 spike last week. Trafford Council leader Andrew Western repeatedly told the public that the data was showing increases in cases in the area.

Trafford Labour advised that “we should see evidence of a sustained reduction in Trafford’s infection numbers before calling for the lifting of local restrictions”, but the government appeared to overrule them.

The influential Conservative MP Graham Brady, whose constituency includes part of Trafford, had reportedly been advocating that the area be removed from the coronavirus restrictions.

Starmer’s spokesperson was also asked about people working from home during the pandemic. He said: “There is undoubtedly concern about the impact this is having on city centres and crucially on high streets in towns across the country.

“But crucially it’s not good enough for the government just to say ‘go back to work’… The problem at the moment is that people don’t have confidence that the government has got a grip on this situation.”

On whether workers should return to offices, the aide said: “This is for individual employers and individual employees to take the decisions they believe is right for them. There can’t be a blanket rule.”