Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the House of Commons of pursuing a “grubby take it or leave it approach” to negotiations over financial support for those regions which have been placed into Tier 3 restrictions.
Sir Keir told MPs during Prime Minister Questions (PMQs) on Wednesday, “It’s corrosive to public trust to pit region against region, mayor against mayor, council against council, asking them to trade away their businesses and jobs.”
However, Johnson said he was “proud” of the support the government has given to people across England during the pandemic.
He hit back at the Labour leader and said the “height of absurdity” for him to criticise the Tories when all they want to do is “turn the lights out with a full national lockdown.”
He Labour leader asked Johnson how does an area gets out of Tier 3 restrictions?
The Prime Minister replied, “The simplest and most effective way for areas to get out of those restrictions is, of course, to get the ‘R’ down to one or below.
“I’m very pleased to say that some areas are already having a considerable effect with the measures that they are taking.”
Pressed on the issue by Sir Keir, Johnson told him, “Obviously the ‘R’ is one of the measures that we look at and we’ll take a decision based on a number of things, including the ‘R’, but also of course rates of infection, rates of admission to hospital and other data.
“The most important thing is for areas that do go into Tier 3 – and I’m very grateful to local leadership in the areas that have gone into Tier 3, because it is the right thing for them to do, the right thing for their constituents, the right thing to save lives – when they are able to make progress then, of course, they will come out of Tier 3.
“As he knows full well, the measures that are put in place are reviewed every 28 days.”
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