Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Starmer piles on pressure over the Covid Christmas amnesty

(Photo by Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament)

Sir Keir Starmer has called on Boris Johnson to hold an emergency Cobra meeting, arguing that the current plans to ease coronavirus restrictions over Christmas should be reviewed. The Labour leader said this afternoon that his party would support the government if it decides that tougher measures are needed. He stops short of calling for the Christmas easing to be cancelled, presumably because he’d rather not be the political grinch in this case. But he is still pushing Johnson.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Starmer argues that the current tier system has not been working and that the government cannot ignore the rising cases. He writes:

It has become increasingly clear over recent days that the tier system you introduced two weeks ago has failed to control transmission of Covid-19. Sadly, it does now appear that the Government has — once again — lost control of infections, putting our economy and our NHS at grave risk in the New Year.I

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