PMQ: Johnson Refuses to Explain Lockdown Exit Strategy

The R rate dominated PMQs as parliament geared itself for a vote on new lockdown restrictions for November.


FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson makes a statement on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the House of Commons, in London, Britain September 22, 2020. UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Handout via REUTERS
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LONDON (Labour Buzz) - With the UK on the verge of a four-week lockdown, Keir Starmer and Boris Johnson faced each other once again. The coming lockdown dominated proceedings and, in particular, when or if we would ever get out of it. 

Delayed reaction 

Starmer used his first question to roll the clock back to the 21st of September when Sage recommended a circuit breaker lockdown. On that day he said, the number of people who lost their lives was 11. He ignored that advice which meant that more than a month later 397 people had lost their lives. 

“Does the Prime Minister understand the human cost of his delay,” he asked. 

Johnson acknowledged that the House had a ‘difficult decision’ to face when it voted on the proposals tonight. However, he claimed ‘it was always right to pursue a local and regional approach because that approach was showing signs of working. It did get the R rate down lower than it would otherwise have been.” However, he said, we have to ‘face the reality that in common with other countries in this part of the world we are facing a surge.’

Starmer came back to this question of timing. Had the decision been taken back in September he said the circuit breaker would have been only two weeks rather than the four which is now being proposed and it could have included half term. 

“Does he understand the economic cost?” he asked. 

Johnson replied that he did understand this cost and that was why he had pursued a local lockdown. He promised that at the end of this period on December 2nd he would be rolling out new types of testing on a ‘scale never seen before’. He highlighted Liverpool which is rolling out a system to detect asymptomatic transmission which will help break the transmission of the virus. He thanked the Labour leadership of Liverpool for its cooperation. 

Starmer snapped back that the delay was a failure of leadership. “I don’t buy the argument, and I don’t think anyone else does, that the facts suddenly changed,” he said adding that the direction of travel had been clear for some time. 

Nevertheless, he said, ‘are where we are’, so he turned his attention to what will happen after lockdown. 

Coming out of lockdown 

A major bone of contention ever since the weekend has been what happens at the end of this lockdown period. Michael Gove and Chris Witty have both said there is no guarantee the lockdown will end as schedule before Johnson assured the country that it will, but this creates a problem. What happens if infection rates have not come down below one? Would he still come out whatever the situation? 

Johnson couldn’t give a straight answer. He claimed they will expire ‘automatically’ on December 2nd before backtracking a little and saying it all depends on parliament who will be given a vote as promised. 

These measures will expire automatically on December 2nd and we will then, I hope, be able to get the country going again. But that depends on us all doing our bit now to get the R down. I have no doubt that we can. It will be up to the Commons to decide thereafter what to do. 

Starmer made a point that should be blindingly obvious. “If, on December 2nd, the infection rate is still rising is he saying that come what may we will come out of lockdown with infection rates still going up?

“I just want some basic honesty,” he said. “If the rate is still going up in December it is madness to come out of it.”

Test and trace  

Test and trace has been a big bone of contention for both men. Depending on which one you believe is either ‘world-beating’ or broken. Starmer pressed the Prime Minister on whether he would use this time to try and fix the system. He quoted figures which suggest 113,000 contacts were not reached, only 20% of people were self-isolating and tests were not coming back within 24 hours. 

“What’s he going to do to fix this?” He asked.  

Johnson replied that he was willing to accept the failings of the system, but tried to point everyone’s attention to the 500,000 figure and progress which he insists is being made. 

Starmer replied that if ‘four out of ten people aren’t isolating there’s a problem which needs to be fixed.’ 

Care homes 

Starmer’s final question was on care homes. 

‘We owe to them’ not to repeat the mistakes of the first lockdown, he said. He highlighted questions of people’s mental health and warned about the wellbeing of people if care home visits were stopped. He challenged the Prime Minister to come up with a system to help them. 

Boris Johnson responded by claiming guidelines were on the way which would fix this before launching into his usual random stump speech. This time he summoned up the ghost of Tony Blair who has been writing in the Daily Mail about his support for the government’s pandemic response. 

No straight answers 

Johnson tried to adopt a new strategy of attempting to provide some answers to questions but it didn’t quite work. Fearful of a growing rebellion on his backbenches he refused to state the obvious: that if December rolls around and the R rate is still above one, he would be mad to end the lockdown. 

He called for more cooperation from the opposition benches, but it is notable that even at a time of national emergency he can’t be straight and honest with the people. 

(Written by Tom Cropper, Edited by Klaudia Fior)

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