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Covid-19 Update
19 January 2022
Lead MP
Boris Johnson
Debate Type
Ministerial Statement
Tags
NHSForeign Affairs
Other Contributors: 55
At a Glance
Boris Johnson raised concerns about covid-19 update in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Government Statement
Mr Speaker, with permission, I will make a statement on our progress against omicron and the review of plan B measures. The Prime Minister announced that they are reviewing testing arrangements for travel in England, emphasising that getting one's booster vaccine is crucial when travelling internationally. They noted that they have been conducting about 1.25 million tests per day, highlighting their world-beating testing industry and a massive diagnostics facility. Regarding the distribution of vaccines globally, Boris Johnson mentioned the UK has already provided 30 million vaccines abroad, with plans to reach 100 million by June. Additionally, 2.5 billion AstraZeneca vaccines have been distributed at cost price thanks to deals made with AstraZeneca. The Prime Minister also defended against Labour's criticism of the NHS funding and vaccine hesitancy outreach efforts.
Keir Starmer
Lab
Holborn and St Pancras
Question
I thank the Prime Minister for advance sight of his statement. Throughout the pandemic, the British public have made enormous sacrifices to limit the spread of the virus through staying at home, social distancing and—unlike the Prime Minister—cancelling parties... Labour does not want restrictions in place any longer than necessary, but we need a robust plan to live well with covid... The Government’s testing abilities are under scrutiny as is their global vaccine distribution strategy. Keir Starmer also criticises the Tory Government for the NHS and social care service being run down over the past decade.
Minister reply
The Prime Minister agrees to share scientific advice but asserts that Labour has been inconsistent in their positions throughout the pandemic, citing incorrect stances on keeping schools open, going forward from lockdowns, and opposing vaccine taskforce spending. He emphasises the success of UK testing capabilities, including 1.25 million tests per day and collaborations across the UK to facilitate these efforts.
Question
Many of my constituents work in the aviation sector. I welcome my right hon. Friend’s announcement about plan B restrictions but note that he made no reference to travel test requirements for people entering England... Will the Prime Minister take this opportunity to announce that when plan B restrictions are removed next week, there will be no test requirements for fully vaccinated individuals?
Minister reply
We are reviewing testing arrangements for travel and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care will make a statement on that in the coming days.
Question
I thank the Prime Minister for advance sight of his statement... We must remain cautious, even with declining omicron cases and optimistic data. Will the Prime Minister guarantee that lateral flow tests will remain free as required?
Minister reply
We will keep lateral flow tests free for as long as necessary.
Jeremy Hunt
Con
Godalming and Waverley
Question
Highlights the exhaustion of NHS staff due to the pandemic and asks for measures to address this workforce crisis.
Minister reply
Acknowledges the exhaustion of frontline staff but emphasises their heroic efforts. Mentions that 44,000 more healthcare professionals have been recruited compared to 2020.
Battersea
Question
Questions the Prime Minister about the booster vaccination programme and its completion date, as well as efforts to encourage take-up among young people.
Minister reply
Acknowledges vaccine apathy rather than hesitancy, particularly in younger demographics. Emphasises ongoing work to address this issue.
Andrea Leadsom
Con
South Northamptonshire
Question
Asks the Prime Minister about future plans beyond the current crisis and specifically enquires about assessing the impact of lockdowns on birth rates.
Minister reply
Acknowledges the importance of birth partner presence at births and mentions collaboration with Secretaries of State for Education and Health to address this.
Edward Davey
Lib Dem
Kingston and Surbiton
Question
Questions the Prime Minister's credibility due to his inability to grasp basic covid rules, suggesting he should resign.
Minister reply
Declares that the Government will continue to focus on levelling up across the country, despite criticism.
Mark Harper
Con
Fittleworth
Question
Urges reconsideration of policy mandating vaccinations for NHS staff and subsequent sackings without compensation.
Minister reply
Acknowledges the importance of vaccination within the NHS for patient safety, but notes an increase in vaccination rates since the announcement.
Wayne David
Lab
Caerphilly
Question
Compares Prime Minister's behaviour to that of the Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford regarding pandemic integrity.
Minister reply
Highlights exemplary collaboration across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland during the pandemic.
Edward Timpson
Con
Eddisbury
Question
Queries the Prime Minister on tracking excluded children to ensure they remain connected with education.
Minister reply
Agrees that schools are the best place for children and reiterates efforts to keep them open during the pandemic.
Caroline Lucas
Green
Brighton Pavilion
Question
Asks Prime Minister to formally recognise long covid as an occupational disease and launch compensation schemes.
Minister reply
Acknowledges concerns of people with long covid, stating ongoing research and support are being provided.
Desmond Swayne
Con
New Forest West
Question
Asks the Prime Minister to review the need for mandatory vaccinations for domiciliary workers and NHS staff.
Minister reply
Supports policy due to patient safety considerations, despite understanding concerns.
Richard Burgon
Lab
Leeds East
Question
Critiques the Prime Minister's decision regarding mask requirements as politically motivated rather than health-focused.
Minister reply
Acknowledges disagreement with his Front Bench but trusts in judgment of British people.
Esther McVey
Con
Tatton
Question
Questions the rationale behind mandatory vaccinations for care workers and NHS staff, urging against sacking unvaccinated staff.
Minister reply
Supports policy due to patient safety considerations.
Question
After he called for the Prime Minister’s resignation over partygate, the branch manager of the Scottish Conservatives was referred to as a “lightweight” by the Leader of the House. How does the Prime Minister think he can maintain his position and continue to issue rules and advice on covid, when he cannot follow the rules himself?
Minister reply
I do not agree with the hon. Lady, with the greatest respect. She will have to wait for the inquiry to conclude. The work on rules and guidance, which we have done together with our friends and partners in the Scottish Administration, has been exemplary and has helped the whole country to come out of covid faster than any other European country.
Question
I welcome my right hon. Friend’s statement, particularly the part about masks. I hope that they never, ever return in our schools. Sadly, it felt to many of us who were concerned about the plan B measures that there was no learning from the last two years. The impact on businesses, including in my beloved weddings sector, has been serious, with fears about next winter already affecting bookings. Will my right hon. Friend confirm that we are learning from facts and not just models, to provide confidence that our response to the next variant—because it will come—will be assessed accordingly?
Minister reply
Yes, and my hon. Friend should look at other European countries. I share her enthusiasm for the wedding industry—it is a fantastically important business sector and a massive employer in our country. Other European countries have been in a far worse state in respect of the closures and restrictions they have been forced to impose. We have been able to open up in the way that we have, and to get people married in the style and pomp that they want.
Marie Rimmer
Lab
St Helens South and Whiston
Question
Prime Minister, there is a group of vulnerable people who are not able to receive the booster. They have inquired through clinical commissioning groups, doctors and NHS England, but there is a blockage in the system. They have had three injections, but the third does not count as a booster. They were told that they would have a fourth, but they cannot access it. Please intervene and get people talking to unblock this.
Minister reply
I thank the hon. Lady very much. We are working fast to unblock it so that people get the fourth jab as fast as possible.
Question
I warmly welcome my right hon. Friend’s statement. Will he not just remove the work from home guidance but actively encourage people to return to the office, which is good for the economy and particularly important for younger workers, who cannot get the skills, experience and networks that they need by working from home?
Minister reply
I agree with that. I think that across Whitehall we need to show a lead and make sure that we get back to work—that everybody gets back to work. It is safe to do so, provided everybody exercises the due caution that I have set out today.
Question
We are, mercifully, in a much better position today than we were this time a year ago, and that is thanks to the heroic efforts of the NHS in the roll-out of vaccinations, but just 9% of people living in Africa have been vaccinated against covid-19 to date. Does the Prime Minister agree that the UK is failing to honour its humanitarian obligations to the poorest countries in the world, and will he commit this Government to support a waiver of intellectual property rights on covid-19 vaccines?
Minister reply
I agree with the hon. Gentleman about the importance of vaccinating the world. No one is safe till everybody is safe. We must get more vaccines to Africa in particular. I have talked to colleagues in African Governments and to African leaders about what we can do to have more fill and finish in Africa and to encourage Africa’s own supply of vaccines. The UK is donating £100 million by June, as well as £548 million to COVAX and an investment in Gavi.
Question
It is a warm welcome for the return to plan A from me; I hope it is irreversible this time. The Prime Minister knows that our young people have missed out on so much, and now they face punishment for doing the right thing when it comes to travel, especially our teenagers. They cannot prove that they have had two jabs on the NHS app if they are under 16, because they cannot access it. Even if they can access the cumbersome process involving a letter from the NHS, those with one jab and a recent infection cannot prove that at all. That effectively grounds them. Prime Minister, half-term is coming. Family memories are now, not at some point in the future. Please can we urgently, with the Health Secretary, find a way that teenagers can be treated with fairness and parity with their parents on these important issues, so that they can get on with their lives with their families?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend makes an extremely important point about young people and vaccinations. I do think that people need to appreciate the value of vaccinations for ease of travel, particularly boosters, but it should be as simple as possible for young people; I totally agree with him about that. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care will make a statement in the next few days about what we propose to do.
Question
I want to quote the words of my constituent Steven Booth: “I wish to add my name to the angry voices regarding the conduct of politicians who broke the rules during lockdown, but especially that of the Prime Minister, who demanded we follow the rules, which we did to the letter, while completely disregarding the rules themselves…This is one scandal too many.” Mr Booth and other constituents will now have no confidence in the rules or the public health messaging from this Prime Minister, and that is a serious failing. What is the Prime Minister’s response to my constituent?
Minister reply
I am very grateful to the hon. Lady’s constituent for his point of view and I understand where he is coming from, but if you look at the evidence, the UK population have been amazing in the way we have followed the guidance and followed the rules, and the results are there to be seen in what I have been able to announce today.
Question
I warmly welcome the lifting of restrictions and congratulate everyone involved in the booster vaccine roll-out. Mental health services in Rushcliffe have seen a huge spike in demand following the pandemic. Can my right hon. Friend reassure me that mental health services will have their share of the billions of pounds of catch-up funding that this Conservative Government have awarded to the NHS and that the party opposite voted against?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is totally right. The No. 1 priority for the British people is not just to keep our economy moving forward, as we are, but to make sure we clear those covid backlogs. We cannot do that without the steps the Government have taken.
Stephen Flynn
SNP
Aberdeen South
Question
Can I have confirmation from the Prime Minister? Is he getting rid of the covid rules simply because he does not understand them?
Minister reply
We are able to make progress on the covid rules, and to get rid of them, because of our deep understanding of the pandemic. British people across the whole UK have been able to move forward more or less together.
Edward Leigh
Con
Gainsborough
Question
Only this morning, I received an email on behalf of deaf pupils who have been so disadvantaged by forced mask wearing in schools. But for this Prime Minister, we would have had far more severe lockdowns and restrictions. Will he please remain true to his instincts and sweep away all the remaining controls, such as isolation, that are crippling the NHS? To paraphrase Leo Amery, “For God’s sake, keep going.”
Minister reply
I think masks erode our ability to educate properly and to learn properly, and I am glad they are going.
Emma Lewell
Lab
South Shields
Question
Today, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Royal College of Nursing and others have rightly raised concerns about the rationality, proportionality and recklessness of mandatory vaccination for NHS staff. With approximately 100,000 vacancies already, does the Prime Minister think that, come April, sacking more than 70,000 NHS staff will increase or decrease the pressures on our NHS?
Minister reply
I hear the hon. Lady’s point, which many other colleagues have made today. I repeat that I think it is the duty of healthcare professionals to get vaccinated.
Question
I am absolutely delighted with my right hon. Friend’s announcement that children will no longer be required to wear a mask in school. This is a welcome and evidence-based return to prioritising the interests of our children, who have suffered greatly during the pandemic. My right hon. Friend knows I have not always been a supporter of restrictions, but does he agree that under a Labour Government, far from being the freest country in Europe, we would have had longer, harder lockdowns and school closures, causing immeasurably more harm to the poorest, the youngest and the most vulnerable in our society?
Minister reply
I see the hon. Member for Ilford North shaking his head on the Opposition Front Bench. He was cruelly exposed last week as having repeatedly called for lockdowns. The reality is that the Opposition would have kept us in lockdown in July, and their response to omicron was to call for a road map back into lockdown.
Khalid Mahmood
Lab
Birmingham, Perry Barr
Question
In Birmingham we have been trying to tackle areas of low vaccine take-up. What should I now say to my constituents to ensure they take up the vaccine?
Minister reply
"Vote Conservative," obviously. “But get boosted now”—that is what I would say.
Mark Jenkinson
Con
Fylde
Question
Thanking his right hon. Friend for standing firm against further restrictions, can my right hon. Friend confirm that guidance will remove the option of masks for schools completely?
Minister reply
I thank my hon. Friend who is a fantastic campaigner for Workington and for liberty. He is absolutely right in what he says about masks in education. I am delighted they are going.
Neale Hanvey
Lab
Dunfermline and West Fife
Question
Why is the Prime Minister trying to hide his Government’s undermining of the UK domestic diagnostic sector?
Minister reply
The hon. Gentleman is completely wrong. He should go to Nottingham, where he will find a SureScreen Diagnostics factory which makes lateral flow kits and we have bought millions and millions of them.
Philip Hollobone
Con
Kettering
Question
May I urge the Prime Minister, when daily hospitalisation cases are published, to emphasise that 90% in ICU have had no booster?
Minister reply
Yes. I thank my hon. Friend. He is spot on. He is absolutely right in what he says.
Grahame Morris
Lab
Easington
Question
May I respectfully remind the Prime Minister that unless rhetoric about a ‘war on cancer’ is backed up by new resources, it will be seen as empty rhetoric?
Minister reply
I agree with the hon. Gentleman completely. Tackling the cancer backlog is a massive priority for the Government. That is why since October we have rolled out 40 community diagnostics hubs which will be part of a total of 100 going forward.
Andrew Murrison
Con
South West Wiltshire
Question
Given leaked advice to Ministers said compulsory vaccination of NHS workers is neither rational nor proportionate, will the Prime Minister think again before redundancy letters start going out from 3 February?
Minister reply
That argument has been well made by colleagues across the House today. I remind my right hon. Friend that this policy is supported by the NHS for patient safety.
Janet Daby
Lab
Lewisham East
Question
Will the Prime Minister say when ventilators will be provided to all schools up and down our country?
Minister reply
From memory, we have provided 350,000 carbon dioxide detectors and I think we are supplying 7,000 ventilators.
Stephen Metcalfe
Con
South Basildon and East Thurrock
Question
Will the Prime Minister reassure my vulnerable constituents that the move to ease restrictions is based on trends in data?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is completely right. Covid has caused a great deal of apprehension across the country, particularly among vulnerable people.
Hilary Benn
Lab
Leeds Central
Question
Following discussions between the Department of Health and Social Care and the Information Commissioner, is the Prime Minister satisfied that NHS employers will have access to all information they require?
Minister reply
The right hon. Gentleman makes an extremely important point. The data I have is that we are up to 94.7% of NHS staff who have been vaccinated.
Alberto Costa
Con
South Leicestershire
Question
May I ask him about the Feilding Palmer Hospital in Lutterworth? Will he help me arrange an urgent meeting with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care?
Minister reply
You bet.
Ronnie Cowan
SNP
East Renfrewshire
Question
When the Prime Minister read out the line, “The Government will no longer mandate the wearing of face masks,” a number of his Back Benchers took off their masks and waved them around their heads. Will he acknowledge without a hint of irony that we have a deadly virus still at work in our communities?
Minister reply
I thank the hon. Gentleman very much and direct him to exactly what I said earlier.
Derek Thomas
Con
St Ives
Question
May I ask him to consider carefully the consequences for our NHS in our constituencies if we cannot convince the remaining 5% of NHS staff who are yet to have the vaccine?
Minister reply
Yes. I want to reassure the House that this is a complex and difficult issue, but it is important that we give NHS staff the strongest possible encouragement to get vaccinated.
Florence Eshalomi
Lab Co-op
Vauxhall and Camberwell Green
Question
I pay tribute to the fantastic NHS staff up and down Vauxhall and the many volunteers helping with the roll-out of the booster jab. I speak regularly to staff at St Thomas’ Hospital in my constituency—a hospital the Prime Minister knows very well, as it was the hard-working staff there who cared for him when he was sick with this deadly virus in 2020. Those staff tell me that they are tired and that they are mentally stressed. Those staff are burnt out. What is the Prime Minister going to do to redress, first, the staffing shortages across our NHS, and secondly, the sheer mental health stress that staff are facing, day in, day out?
Minister reply
I echo what the hon. Lady said about the staff at St Thomas’ Hospital, to whom I owe a massive personal debt. They are indeed wonderful people. I know they are tired now, but they have kept going. London hospitals went through a pretty nasty wave of omicron and they got through it brilliantly. We have to make sure that we support them with more investment but also with more staff. I find when talking to them that that is what really helps—another pair of hands in the night to help on the ward can make a huge difference. That is why it is important that there are 44,000 more NHS staff this year than there were in 2020, but we need to do more, which is why I think the £36 billion more that we are putting in over three years is hugely necessary.
Question
I welcome the Prime Minister’s statement today. He is right to highlight the sacrifices made by the British people and the success of the early vaccination and booster programmes. This news will be especially welcome for people who are desperate to see loved ones in care homes, but there is a risk that those listening to his statement might think that the job is done. Will he continue to ensure that the NHS focuses on making sure that as many people as possible are vaccinated as quickly as possible, particularly among harder-to-reach groups?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is very wise and completely right. I know that many right hon. and hon. Members across the House totally get that this is not the moment when we roll out the bunting and say, “It’s all over.” We are not saying that, because we have to be cautious. We have to continue to recognise that the virus is not mild for everyone, and, as he rightly said, for people who are not vaccinated the consequences can be severe, so for heaven’s sake, get boosted.
James Murray
Lab Co-op
Ealing North
Question
The Prime Minister spoke about the importance of the vaccination programme, but the first dose, second dose and booster jab rates in my constituency are significantly behind the national average. Will he explain in detail what he is going to do to drive up vaccination rates in my constituency and elsewhere?
Minister reply
The hon. Gentleman makes a very important point. We need to drive up booster take-up, but a lot of people have not even had a first and second dose. Our launch of the booster drive had a beneficial effect on first and second dose take-up as well—I think there were 2 million more in December alone.
Question
I thank the Prime Minister for his statement today, which I am sure will welcomed by people across Cornwall. I would like to put on record my sincere thanks to the NHS and social care staff across Cornwall, who have cared not only for the people of Cornwall, but for members of my family throughout this pandemic.
Last night, Cornwall Council announced that we were in a critical incident for adult social care. As we know, this is multifaceted, but one of the reasons Cornwall hospitals have struggled in this pandemic is that the brilliant infection control they have had to put in place in hospitals has lowered the capacity of beds. With this announcement, can my right hon. Friend and the Secretary of State work at pace to give hospitals the reassurance that that can soon be lifted?
Minister reply
Yes. My hon. Friend is absolutely right, and that is why we gave another £300 million of funding this December.
Rachael Maskell
Lab Co-op
York Central
Question
Now is not the time for complacency—1,000 people have died over the past week; 438 just yesterday. I am also concerned at complacency about putting everything into the vaccine. I really do encourage everyone to get vaccinated, but according to the Government’s own figures, the depletion rate of the efficacy of the booster vaccine is between 40% and 50% after 10 weeks. So what happens then? What are the next steps, and is it really worth sacking NHS staff for that?
Minister reply
I totally support what the hon. Lady says about combating apathy. I do think that apathy is our foe now, particularly among people who think that the variant is so mild that they do not need to get vaccinated. As the hon. Member for Ealing North (James Murray) was saying, people need to get their first dose and their second dose, and they need to get their booster.
Question
I very much welcome the Prime Minister’s announcement today, having backed his very cautious, calm and proportionate plan B measures. I would like to congratulate everybody involved in the superb vaccination roll-out. Last week, I had a telephone call with a constituent who is an ambassador for Blood Cancer UK, and he told me about the challenges still facing those who are immunosuppressed. Will the Prime Minister please ask the Health Secretary if he could update the guidance and support for those with blood cancer and other conditions, so that they can emerge from the omicron wave and covid, and live with it safely and cautiously?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is completely right to draw attention to those who are living with conditions that make them particularly vulnerable. That is why it is so important that, among all the other things the Government have done, we have invested more in antivirals per head than any other country in Europe.
Question
Reports are circulating that the Government plan to lift all restrictions by early March because No. 10 thinks that we must all just learn to live with the virus. However, 438 people across the UK yesterday failed to live with the virus. How does this Prime Minister persuade their loved ones that the wholesale lifting of restrictions is not premature and misguided?
Minister reply
I must just repeat that that is not what I said in my statement, but I do think this is the right, balanced and proportionate approach. I notice that measures are also being lifted in Scotland, and I think that that is appropriate.
Mike Wood
Con
Kingswinford and South Staffordshire
Question
Many people were sceptical about whether the sunset clauses would ever be triggered, so I congratulate the Prime Minister on responding to the clear evidence by bringing plan B to an end. However, as covid will be with us for a long time to come, will he ensure that regional Nightingale hospitals maintain the surge capacity necessary to deal with any future variants, so that they do not put unsustainable pressures on our NHS and we do not have the kind of restrictions that we have seen over the past two years?
Minister reply
I thank my hon. Friend, who is completely right. We need to learn the lessons of the last two years. We need to make sure that if we are, heaven forbid, attacked by another variant—a more lethal variant than omicron—we have different ways of dealing with it, and we have resilience built in to the NHS and into the way we handle it.
Daisy Cooper
Lib Dem
St Albans
Question
I was very concerned earlier to hear the Prime Minister repeat an incorrect claim. He said that the UK was able to approve the vaccines only because we had left the European Medicines Agency. That claim has been roundly and repeatedly debunked, including by Full Fact in December 2020. Was he aware that that claim is incorrect, or is it just that in the last year, nobody has told him?
Minister reply
It is not incorrect. We were the first country in the world to licence a vaccine.
Danny Kruger
Reform
East Wiltshire
Question
I make an appeal to the Front Benches on both sides of the House. We voted for the compulsory vaccination of NHS staff on the basis of the argument that it significantly reduces transmission, but it now appears that the evidence is changing. I note the careful words that the Prime Minister used to my right hon. Friend the Member for Forest of Dean (Mr Harper) when he said that he would reflect on the policy. I hope that both Front Benches will reflect on it and consider the advice of the Royal College of Nursing that we should at least delay the implementation of the policy until the evidence is clearer.
Minister reply
I repeat my careful words to my right hon. Friend the Member for Forest of Dean (Mr Harper). I also repeat what I think is common ground, that it is the responsibility of every healthcare professional to get vaccinated.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Question
I, too, thank the Prime Minister for his statement. As we all know, it is thanks to the sterling and courageous efforts of our NHS staff and many dedicated volunteers that the Government could deliver some 36 million booster vaccines across the whole of this great nation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. As restrictions ease, what additional moneys will be provided to the Northern Ireland Executive by way of covid recovery funding for businesses that have suffered due to the ongoing restrictions?
Minister reply
I am proud of all the work that we have done together with the authorities in Northern Ireland to ensure that we look after business, such as the furlough scheme and all the loans that we have made available, and to ensure that we continue to support the Northern Ireland economy as we come through the pandemic and beyond.
Question
Last summer, the Government’s decision to remove all covid restrictions and reopen society was proved correct. The decision to resist all calls for further restrictions before Christmas, as craved by the Opposition, has again been proved correct. Does the Prime Minister agree that, while Opposition Members dither, delay and opine in hindsight, on covid, the Government get the big calls right?
Minister reply
I thank my hon. Friend for that excellent summary of what I was trying to say in response to the hon. Member for Ilford North (Wes Streeting). It would have been a great thing—a fine thing—throughout the pandemic to have had useful advice and co-operation from the Opposition. We did not get it, but I think we have taken the right decisions on the whole and we have got the big calls right.
Dave Doogan
SNP
Angus and Perthshire Glens
Question
I take this opportunity to thank staff at NHS Tayside and the Angus Health and Social Care Partnership for their tremendous work. If we look at the covid heat map across the United Kingdom as of 18 January, almost all of England is in the top two of four categories for infections per 100,000, whereas all of Wales and Scotland are in the bottom two. Why is now the time to reduce control measures in England? Is it on the basis of public health advice or is the Prime Minister having to kowtow to the febrile ambitions of his Back Benchers on whom his future now depends?
Minister reply
Really, that is a complete travesty. If we look at the numbers, as I think even the Opposition Front-Bench team have accepted, we can see that they are going down in all age groups across the country. What is interesting is that hospitalisations have not only stabilised but started to come down, which has always been the most important thing for me. That is why this is a sensible and proportionate step to take, but I have to remind him and everybody that it is still important to be cautious, and I am sure he will be.
Ian Lavery
Lab
Blyth and Ashington
Question
Before the Prime Minister becomes overly euphoric about covid, he might do well to remember that 150,000-plus people have died in this country as a result of covid, with 438 people having died yesterday. On 9 December, when he introduced plan B, the rate of cases per 100,000 in my constituency was 412.6, whereas today, when he has withdrawn the restrictions, the rate is 1,517.5—it is astronomical. What reassurance can he give my constituents that his withdrawals are safe and they have not been made in the best interests of the political issues that face him at the moment?
Minister reply
The hon. Gentleman is asking an excellent question. The difference between the situation when plan B came in and today is the sheer level of vaccination in this country, including in his constituency. That, combined with the direction of travel of the figures, as I said to the hon. Member for Ilford North, is what gives us the confidence to take the steps we are taking now.
Question
It is disappointing that the Prime Minister’s statement did not include measures to recover the £4.3 billion fraudulently claimed through coronavirus support schemes. With the £20 a week cut to universal credit, inflation at over 5% and energy prices going through roof, ordinary families are not experiencing coronavirus recovery in the same boozy way as the Prime Minister, so will he now commit to supporting those families to the tune of £4.3 billion, in the same way as criminals have been supported?
Minister reply
We continue to support people throughout the pandemic, and we can be very proud of the speed with which we not only did the vaccine roll-out, but secured 17 billion items of personal protective equipment for the use of people across this country.
Question
It is good to see some positive signs on covid, but throughout the pandemic it has been clear that we need to remain cautious and accept that covid may well have some surprises up its sleeve for us, and that is not really the approach set out in this conveniently timed statement today. The Prime Minister’s changeable and increasingly distant relationship with the rules that he himself set undermines public health messaging and future compliance. Does he really not recognise how damaging that is?
Minister reply
The hon. Lady is right in what she says about the risks we still run. I think they are diminishing but we still need to be cautious. She is also right to say that even if this is the final reel, there can be a twist in the final reel and we will have to deal with it then.
Shadow Comment
Keir Starmer
Shadow Comment
The shadow responds by thanking those who have followed rules during the pandemic and acknowledges that restrictions should be in place only when necessary. He calls for scientific evidence behind the decision to relax plan B measures, emphasising the need for vigilance given new variants' likelihood. Keir Starmer criticises the lack of robust plans from key ministers regarding vaccine distribution, testing supplies, and national preparedness for future waves of infections. Labour's plan includes training volunteer vaccinators, improving test kit manufacturing in Britain, raising statutory sick pay, enhancing school ventilation, and contributing to global vaccination efforts.
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