Labour leader says Christmas will not be normal

The Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has told reporters it is unfair to pretend to the public that Christmas “will be normal.”

Sir Keir said, “This lockdown is going on to at least 2 December, everybody’s seen the figures, and, therefore, I don’t think it’s fair to pretend that Christmas is going to be normal in any sense of the word. 

In a statement the Labour leader said, “Everybody is concerned about the rise in infections, hospital admissions and – tragically – the number of deaths. 

“That’s why three weeks ago, Labour called for a circuit breaker in England, in line with SAGE’s recommendation to bring infections down.

“The government completely rejected that, only to now announce the same thing.

“That delay in introducing restrictions will come at an economic cost and a human cost. 

“I’m glad that the government has finally taken this decision – but it should have done so weeks ago.”