What is the POINT? Brexiteer John Redwood rips apart Boris Johnson’s second lockdown plan
John Redwood #JohnRedwood
Following the Prime Minister’s lockdown announcement on Saturday, Sir John expressed his concern over the impact and success of the new measures. Writing in his blog, the Tory MP for Wokingham claimed there will be no use in the new lockdown as the public may not even adhere to the regulations. He said: “It is no good the government imposing a whole new raft of controls over people’s daily lives if there is insufficient buy in by the public.
“To work people have to be persuaded it is necessary to follow the rules, and the rules have to be the minimum to keep virus spread down sensibly.
“What controls do you think are necessary?”
The Prime Minister has come under increased scrutiny for how he has handled the pandemic of late.
Many MPs within his party have questioned the use of a second lockdown considering the economic damage it will do.
Opposition MPs have also criticised the delay in calling a second lockdown when advisers stated it must be called early.
Mr Johnson will present his lockdown strategy to MPs who will then vote on the measures next week.
Tory MP for the New Forest, Sir Desmond Swayne told Sky News: “It will take a huge amount of persuasion for me to vote for this disastrous course of action”.
“I’m not persuaded that the cost of the intervention we’re about to make, with disastrous consequences, is worth the candle.
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“Normally, advisers advise & ministers decide.
“Yet that system has broken down, with SAGE believing its advice to be more like commandments written on stone and its members publicly lecturing the government over the airways when it disagrees.
“This is despite the fact that many of its recommendations have been hotly disputed by other reputable scientists.”
If ratified by MPs, England will proceed into lockdown from Thursday.
This lockdown will last until December 2, whereupon it will be reviewed with ministers refusing to rule out extending it further.