MP, Leader of the Labour Party, responding
to the Prime Minister's House of Commons statement on lockdown
restrictions, said:
"Mr Speaker, the central lesson from the first wave of this virus
is that if you don’t act early and decisively, the cost will be
far worse.
More people will lose their jobs, more businesses will be forced
to close and tragically, more people will lose their loved ones.
The Prime Minister and the Chancellor failed to learn this
lesson.
As a result, this lockdown will be longer than it needed to be –
at least four weeks - it will be harder, we’ve just missed
half-term, and the human cost will be higher.
On 21st September, when the Government’s own
scientists - SAGE – recommended an “urgent” two-to-three week
circuit breaker, there were 11 deaths from Covid-19 and just over
4,000 Covid infections.
For 40 days the Prime Minister ignored that advice.
When he finally announced a longer and deeper national lockdown
on Saturday, those figures had increased to 326 deaths a day and
22,000 Covid cases.
That is the human cost of the Government’s inaction.
The reality is that the two pillars of the Prime Minister’s
strategy, the £12bn Track and Trace and regional restrictions
have not only failed to stop the second wave, they’ve been swept
away by it.
At every stage the Prime Minister has been too slow and behind
the curve.
At every stage, he has pushed away challenge, ignored advice and
put what he hoped would happen ahead of what is happening.
At every stage he has over-promised and under delivered.
Rejecting the advice of his own scientists for 40 days was a
catastrophic failure of leadership and of judgement.
The Prime Minister now needs to explain to the British people why
he failed to act and to listen for so long.
But tougher national restrictions are now needed.
The virus is out of control and the cost of further inaction
would be huge.
So Labour will provide the votes necessary to make this happen
but we will also demand that the Government doesn’t waste these
four weeks.
And repeat past mistakes.
So can the PM answer some very simple and direct questions:
- Will the Government finally use this period to fix the broken
track and trace system – and give control to local authorities,
as we’ve been proposing for months?
- We agree that schools must be kept open – so will PM finally
put in place the additional testing, support and strategy needed
to make sure this can happen?
- Will the PM confirm that the new economic package – I think
this will be the Chancellor’s fourth in five weeks – will be at
least as generous as in March?
- And will he go further to close the gaping holes in support
for the self-employed and for the 1 million people who have
already lost their job since March?
- How does the Prime Minister plan to get a grip on messaging
and rebuild public trust?
After all, this announcement is only happening today because it
was leaked to the national papers before Parliament.
- And finally, can he clarify what the process will be for
exiting lockdown – will it be only when the national R-rate is
below 1? Or will some regions exit lockdown before others?
This really matters because even before this this national
lockdown millions of people have lived under restrictions for
months.
Leicester, for example, is on day 127.
After everything the British people have been through – and are
being asked to sacrifice again – they need confidence that the
Government actually has a plan and that there is light at the end
of the tunnel.
Mr Speaker, I know how difficult this next month will be. And the
months to come.
The lockdown will now be harder, longer and more damaging than it
needed it to be.
But now, more than ever, we must stand together as a country, as
families and as communities and show – once again – that at a
moment of national crisis, the British people always rise to
moment.
And support those in need.
