PM shuns national lockdown... but it’s grim up North

DEMANDS from scientific advisers to impose new national lockdown restrictions were last night rejected by Boris Johnson.

But the Prime Minister will spend the weekend finalising local measures to be announced on Monday that could see pubs and restaurants ordered to shut in large parts of the North of England.

The Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) met on Thursday afternoon, when several members made the case for going further with strict national interventions, including a ban on household mixing.

They claimed the UK is in the same position as it was in early March – and a tougher lockdown is the only option.

But it is understood that Mr Johnson has ruled out bringing in any national changes on Monday, when he will unveil his new approach for dealing with Covid-19 flare-ups.

The Prime Minister is expected to introduce a three-tier system of lockdown measures in an attempt to make the existing patchwork of restrictions easier to understand.

Areas with relatively low infection levels will be placed in ‘tier one’, where only national restrictions such as the ‘rule of six’ and the 10pm curfew on pubs and restaurants will apply.

Tier two will also include bans on home visits and indoor socialising with other households. Options for tier three include total closure of the hospitality sector, a ban on overnight stays outside the home and the closure of venues such as cinemas.

Swathes of the North of England, including Manchester and Liverpool, could be placed immediately into the tier with the most severe restrictions, so pubs and restaurants would have to shut their doors.

But regional leaders have criticised the Government for failing to properly consult them on changes. Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said he would ‘use whatever means’ to challenge any closures. ‘ The Government has lost the dressing room and they have to work very hard now to get it back,’ he told the BBC’s Question Time.

Downing Street insisted the Government had been ‘working closely with local leaders and local authorities throughout the pandemic’. In a bid to soothe tensions, Sir Edward Lister, one of Mr Johnson’s most senior aides, last night held calls with regional mayors including Mr Burnham.

In a letter to MPs across the North West, Sir Edward wrote: ‘ The rising incidence in parts of the country means it is very likely that certain local areas will face further local restrictions.

‘The Prime Minister is clear that local leaders should be able to help shape the package of measures in the most concerning areas.’

It is understood that meetings will be held through the weekend with local leaders to discuss the different measures in the tier system and which ones the Government believes are appropriate for their areas. This week, Sage member Professor John Edmunds, a leading epidemiologist, urged ministers to immediately introduce a ‘severe’ national lockdown.

He said: ‘I don’t think it’s us holding the gun to the Prime Minister’s head. The virus is holding a gun to his head.’

Leading Sage member Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, said yesterday: ‘To avoid spiralling out of control [there] needs to be action now. We are close to or at the events and choices faced in early March.

‘The longer the decisions are delayed, the harder and more draconian are the interventions needed to change the trajectory of the epidemic curve.’