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Mark Hendrick, Labour & Co-Operative MP for Preston, appeared on BBC Newsnight to discuss a possible delay to the end of England’s third lockdown. Reports suggest June 21 could be pushed back as Delta Covid cases, which first originated in India, continue to emerge.
Speaking on the nightly programme, Mr Hendrick said he would welcome a delay to the end of lockdown.
When asked “how we proceed now” by Mark Urban, who cited officials warning against travel from areas hit hard by the Delta variant, the MP said: “It’s too little and it’s too late.
“I would welcome the extra four weeks because it’s not about learning to live with the virus, it’s about a lot of people that are learning to live with it because their relatives and friends are passing away in front of their very eyes.
“This virus has increased in Preston by 54 percent in the space of just seven days, and it’s getting to the point where it’s doubling every week.
“And again, just trying to say ‘well let’s close down Preston’ or ‘let’s close down Blackburn’, it’s not really enough because there’s travellers to work distances not covered by these restrictions.
“I wouldn’t even call them restrictions, I would call them guidelines, because they are no way enforceable, they’re relying on the good will of the public.”
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Health Secretary Matt Hancock, speaking to the BBC’s Andrew Marr, stated the Government is “absolutely open” to delaying the final lifting of lockdown.
The minister also boosted hopes Britain is beating Covid, sharing data which indicates vaccinations are starting to break the link between infection and deaths.
Speaking to the Commons on Monday, he said the jab programme is “breaking the link between infections, hospitalisations and deaths, a link that was rock solid back in the autumn”.
He added: “As of June 3, our data shows that, of the 12,383 cases of the Delta variant, 464 went on to present at emergency care and 126 people were admitted to hospital.
“Of these 126 people, 83 were unvaccinated, 28 had received one dose and just three had received both doses of the vaccine.
“The jabs are working, we have to keep coming forward to get them and that includes vitally that second jab which we know gives better protection against the Delta variant.”
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The Guardian reported that, according to a Whitehall source, Chancellor Rishi Sunak is also open and “willing to accept” a delay to the end of lockdown.
At a cabinet meeting yesterday, Boris Johnson also said: “While the relationship between cases and hospitalisations has changed, we must continue to look at the data carefully ahead of making a decision on step four.”
The Prime Minister is set to make an announcement on whether June 21 can go ahead on Monday.
It also comes as the NHS allowed over-25s to book vaccinations yesterday, with 493,000 slots being reserved in one day.
Yesterday saw another 6,048 cases and 13 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test recorded.
So far, the UK has seen 4,528,442 cases and 127,854 deaths.
The vaccination rollout, after being extended, has seen another 112,941 first doses and 306,068 second doses administered.
In total, the UK has administered 40,573,517 first doses and 28,227,362 second doses, equalling 77 percent and 53.6 percent of the population respectively.
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