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Keir Starmer has called for an end to the government’s “serial incompetence” during the pandemic as concerns mount about the possibility of further restrictions being introduced.
The Labor opposition leader, writing in the Telegraph, condemned the leaking of plans for tougher measures and said it had generated confusion about Downing Street’s approach.
He suggested several ways the government could “urgently get this situation under control before it gets out of hand.”
Local leaders needed to be consulted more closely about the restrictions, he said, to stop the frustration amid the feeling that the No. 10 was speaking ill of some parts of the country.
The government is reportedly planning to order the temporary closure of pubs, bars and restaurants in coronavirus hot spots, and ministers are considering new financial packages to help the hardest hit areas and industries. Regional leaders have criticized the government for not consulting them ahead of the changes, while Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said he would defy any closure.
“The government is operating under the mistaken, arrogant and self-defeating view that ‘Whitehall knows best’, that decisions can be made behind closed doors, without any real consultation or even picking up the phone to those on the front lines,” Starmer wrote.
The government should increase testing capacity by investing in the NHS and university labs, Starmer said, while suggesting that local public health teams should have the responsibility for tracing contacts.
“We don’t need a test system that outperforms the world, we just need one that works.”
Ministers are expected next week to outline a three-tiered local lockdown system that may see those most at risk being told to stay home for months.
