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Boris Johnson warned today “I’m ruling nothing” in a furious showdown over whether to introduce a two-week circuit breaker lockout.
Tempers flared after Keir Starmer broke his truce with the government and demanded a stay-at-home order that would last for two to three weeks.
In furious exchanges on the Prime Minister’s Questions, the Conservative leader accused his Labor rival of “opportunism” and vice versa.
And Johnson said his three-tier local lockdown system is the “right way to go,” despite the fact that his scientific advisers selected five urgent interventions, including a circuit break, three weeks ago.
However, in remarks just at the end of the 10-minute showdown, the prime minister admitted that he himself was not ruling out a circuit breaker lockdown.
When Sir Keir asked whether it was true that a circuit break had an 80% chance of being introduced, the prime minister replied: “Of course, I do not rule out anything in the fight against the virus.
“But we will do it with the local, regional approach, which can reduce and reduce the virus if implemented correctly.
“And that’s what I think he should support.”
Boris Johnson is under pressure to order a two-week “circuit breaker” lockout that scientists say could save thousands of lives.
The prime minister is believed to be willing to consider the drastic measure if his new three-tier alert level fails to slow the spread of the virus.
Last night, Sir Keir broke ranks to demand new national restrictions to prevent the country from “sleepwalking into a long and bleak winter” as infection rates soared.
The so-called breaker lockout would force most businesses, including pubs and restaurants, to close.
Ministers are expected to make a decision late next week, just in time for the mid-term school holidays, and a source told the Telegraph that the probability of a U-turn is “at least 80 percent” .
But there remains a furious dispute over restrictions in places like Liverpool, now at Level 3, and Greater Manchester, which the government could soon force to Level 3 as well.
The 10 Greater Manchester council leaders issued a statement this morning demanding not to enter Level 3 until wage support for workers is improved.
But Sir Keir took advantage of a part of the statement that said: “If cases continue to increase as predicted, and the government continues to refuse to provide the substantial financial support that Level 3 areas will need, then several leaders in Greater Manchester create a disruption. of the national circuit, with the required financial support, would be a preferable option. “
Sir Keir told the PMQs: “He (Mr Johnson) probably has not realized that this morning, the council leaders in Greater Manchester that you just quoted, including the Mayor and the Conservative leader of the Bolton Council, they have said in a press release that they support a circuit break above Level 3 restrictions. “
However, the Labor leader did not make clear that the statement of the 10 council leaders said that “several of them” supported a breaking of the circuit, not all.
The conservative leader of the Bolton Council, David Greenhalgh, told Guido Fawkes’ blog that the claim was “disgraceful” and that it was “completely false” that he endorsed a circuit break.
It comes after SAGE scientists reportedly estimated that a two-week circuit breaker lockout could save up to 107,000 lives by the end of the year.
An impressive new paper from SAGE Fellow Graham Medley and Matt Keeling of the Pandemic Influenza Scientific Group on Modeling found that between 3,000 and 107,000 deaths could be prevented by January if strict lockdown restrictions were imposed, according to the FT.
The couple described how a two-week shutdown starting Oct. 24 would reduce the death toll from 19,900 to 12,700 in January.
In the most extreme scenario, with cases increasing dramatically and few controls in place, up to 107,000 deaths would be prevented, they claim.
They also say that estimated hospital admissions would drop from 132,000 to 66,000.
Both sides in the PMQs accused the other of “opportunism” when they tried to turn around a quote from an anonymous government source, sent to all Westminster journalists last night, calling Sir Keir an opportunist.
MPs scoffed when Sir Keir said: “I know that for someone who has been an opportunist all his life this is difficult to understand.
“But after reading and considering SAGE’s advice, I have genuinely concluded that a circuit interruption is in the national interest.”
However, Johnson answered bluntly: “Opportunism is the name of the game for the opposing party.”
SIr Keir urged the prime minister to explain what his “fallback plan” was to get the R number below 1, rather than simply reducing it overall.
The prime minister replied: “The plan is the plan he supported on Monday.
“The goal is to seize this moment now to avoid the misery of another national blockade.”
Johnson pointed to comments from Labor health chief Jon Ashworth, who yesterday said a prolonged lockdown that would last “weeks and weeks and weeks” like in April would be “disastrous.”
He added: “Let’s work together as I was prepared to do on Monday to keep the kids in school, whom I would now yank out … keep our economy going and keep jobs and livelihoods in this country.”
(Image: PA)
Sir Keir said: “I am sure the prime minister has his spiel prepared as usual. But we are at a turning point. Time is running out “.
Asked about a Telegraph report that the chances of a circuit breaker were now 80%, he added: “Why don’t you do it now, save lives, fix tests and protect the NHS?”
The prime minister replied: “This is a [MP] which claims to be supporting the government one day and then makes a dramatic U-turn the next.
“He supports the rule of six one day and then withdraws his support the next. He wants tough measures and then refuses to vote for them.
“Everyone can see what he’s doing. Labor have said it themselves. They see this as a good crisis for the Labor Party and they want to explode.
“We see this as a national crisis that we are going to reverse.”
Boris Johnson himself told conservative activists on October 4: “We have a great opportunity now to use this unquestionable crisis, I want to say that it has been a great thing for our country, to rebuild better.”
He added: “It has been a very, very difficult time, but when spring comes, the opportunity will be huge.”
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