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More than 50 Conservative MPs in the north of England have thrown the gauntlet at Boris Johnson, urging him to provide a “clear roadmap” out of lockdown and arguing that the Covid pandemic “has highlighted in great relief the profound disadvantage. structural and systemic facing our communities ”.
In a provocative letter from the Northern Research Group, led by former Northern Power Minister and Johnson ally Jake Berry, all 55 MPs express fears that government “leveling” is being abandoned. 41 are named, many of the old “red wall” seats, two from North Wales and one from Scotland, and 14 are anonymous.
More regions were subjected to the most severe coronavirus restrictions on Monday, meaning that 8.2 million people in England, one in seven, will soon be living below level 3, forcing pubs, bars and other parts of the world to close. hotel sector. Of these, 92% are in the north of England.
More than 2 million people in West Yorkshire could join them on the weekend after local leaders met with ministers on Monday to discuss new measures to combat the increasing cases. Another 20,890 cases were confirmed in the UK and 102 deaths, and another 1,142 were taken to hospital, although the weekend figures are often lower.
The letter released Monday expresses concern “that the cost of Covid could be paid for by downgrading the leveling agenda, and northern districts like ours will be left behind.”
The MPs write: “We believe this would threaten to undermine the government’s hard-won mandate in December, at a time when the political and economic case for the leveling agenda that we have been elected to fulfill has never been more essential.”
Northern Research Group letter to Prime Minister
They argue that the north of England has experienced a level of disruption unmatched by other parts of the country. “The virus … threatens to further increase the disparity between the north and the south. The northern parts of our country were among the first to be significantly negatively affected by the Covid outbreak and now many communities have been subjected to severe restrictions, ”they add.
The group calls on the prime minister to create “a path to the tiered system” and to accelerate key projects for road, rail and social infrastructure, and job creation. It should develop “a tailor-made economic recovery plan” for the north, they say.
Members of Parliament remind Johnson of a speech he delivered on June 30 in Dudley, West Midlands, in which he stated that “we must seize this critical moment to address issues that collectively we have not addressed for decades.”
All are under significant pressure from irate voters that the government refused to extend free school meals for half the term, and only one signatory (Jason McCartney, MP for Colne Valley) voted against the government on the policy last week. pass.
The Jake Berry Rossendale and Darwen constituency has been under local lockdown measures for months and is now at Level 3 along with the rest of Lancashire.
Berry said: “Our party’s return to government in December was won by hardworking people in constituencies like ours who backed the Conservatives for the first time in a generation and who did so with the promise that they would not be forgotten. .
“We cannot forget that we must fulfill our commitments made during that election, to level northern communities and create opportunities throughout our region.”
Another signatory, William Wragg, MP for Hazel Grove in Stockport, who moved to Level 3 as part of Greater Manchester last week, said: “We have long needed a good deal for the north of government and the virus has only exacerbated that need. . .
“This is not about giving the government a difficult time, the prime minister shares our collective priority. But there are convincing and constructive arguments that we, as a group of parliamentarians from the north, can present to the government on how it fulfills its promise to level the north. “
Level 3 restrictions will take effect at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday for Warrington in Cheshire and 12:01 a.m. Thursday for Nottingham and its commuter suburbs of Rushcliffe, Gedling and Broxtowe, it was confirmed Monday. The rest of Nottinghamshire will remain at level 2.
The new measures mean that all pubs and bars must close unless they serve “large meals.” Alcohol can only be served with food. Additional closures include gambling shops, adult gaming centers, casinos and soft-play centers.
Infection rates in Warrington are among the highest in the country and continuing to rise, with case rates of 361 people per 100,000, double the England average of 180.6.
Although Nottingham’s younger population was initially the hardest hit, rates have now risen to 217 per 100,000 in those over 60, a 20% increase from the previous week, the Department of Health and Social Care said ( DHSC).
West Yorkshire leaders met with government ministers and the deputy medical director on Monday to discuss whether their region should also enter level 3. In a subsequent statement, they said: “The most recent data on infections and hospital admissions shows a continued increase, and We have repeated our calls to the government for more local action, including strengthening community engagement and test and trace. There will be more discussions with the government in the coming days. “
A spokesperson for No. 10 said: “We are absolutely committed to leveling up across the country and building back better after the coronavirus.
“We stood in the last elections with the solemn promise that we would improve people’s lives and, although the pandemic has meant that 2020 is not the year we all expected, our ambitions for the country have not changed.”
