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Sir Keir Starmer has launched an attack on the chancellor, blaming Rishi Sunak for delaying a second coronavirus lockdown.
“Make no mistake, the chancellor’s name is on all of this,” the Labor leader told the conference of the Confederation of British Industry in London.
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Sir Keir said that “Sunak’s decision to lock out a circuit breaker” and “dismiss it as a” blunt instrument “” would have far-reaching effects.
“Now it will mean that companies will have to close for longer, more people will lose their jobs and public finances will be worse than necessary,” he added.
The Labor leader said: “It infuriates me so much. And I am so frustrated that when the British people – and British business – have given so much and made so many sacrifices, the government has let them down so much.”
Sir Keir said that Boris Johnson and Mr. Sunak had “failed to learn,” “failed to listen,” and “failed to lead.”
The labor leader asked for a “breaker” lockout – a two to three week closure during the October semester – last month.
His call came after it was revealed that scientists advising the government had recommended a brief lockdown in September.
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The prime minister did not explicitly rule out another national shutdown in the days and weeks that followed, but he consistently spoke out against the idea, even describing that course of action as the “height of absurdity.”
Mr. Sunak described it as a “blunt instrument” that “would cause unnecessary harm to parts of our country where virus rates are low.”
However, the prime minister announced on Saturday that a four-week shutdown in England will begin on Thursday and, as it stands, will last until December 2.
Johnson will face MPs later, and in his speech to the Commons, the prime minister will signal his determination that the shutdown end after four weeks.
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Questions about whether the shutdown will be extended further after Cabinet Minister Michael Gove told Sky News on Sunday that could happen “if necessary”.
Sir Keir said the government had been “slow to act again” and called on ministers not to “waste” the respite that the shutdown provides.
“They should be used to fix Test, Trace and Isolate, and to give control to local authorities,” he told the CBI conference.
“To control messaging and rebuild public trust.
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“And provide a clear and transparent roadmap to protect business and the NHS in the months ahead.”
The Labor leader’s attack on the chancellor, who has been brought into the spotlight by the COVID-19 pandemic, will be seen as an attempt to damage Sunak’s public reputation.
The chancellor’s performance in recent months has caused him to be talked about as a potential future Conservative leader among sections of the media and the Conservative Party.
