TORY MPs say putting London under Tier 3 restrictions will be catastrophic as Matt Hancock considers splitting the capital into different tiers.
In a letter, MPs have asked PM Boris Johnson to not put the entire capital under the strictest Covid restrictions.
They argue that it would hurt “people across the nation” who rely on the “wealth and prosperity generated by our great city”, the Mail on Sunday reported.
They reportedly said the decision will cause “untold damage”.
Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove is reportedly one of the MPs who have suggested that only the London boroughs that have the highest infection rates – on the outskirts of the city – should be placed in Tier 3.
They say putting London in Tier 3 will cause a £3billion hit to the economy.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock is reportedly considering putting the areas of London most affected by Covid into Tier 3, but leaving most of the city in Tier 2.
North-West Leicestershire MP Andrew Bridgen said Mr Hancock had told him that a localised approach to Covid Tiers would be taken.
He told the Mail that Mr Hancock sent him a text message saying that his region was being “de-linked you from Leicester”.
London is on the brink of being plunged into Tier 3 lockdown after coronavirus infections in the capital became the highest in England.
All the city’s boroughs were placed in Tier 2 when the one-month lockdown in England ended on December 2.
There is a threat London could be moved into Tier 3 as soon as next week due to a rise in the number of Covid-19 cases.
The capital recorded 191.8 new cases per 100,000 in the week to December 6, according to a report published by Public Health England – 20 per cent higher than the week before.
Health ministers told London MPs that the positive test rate across the UK is 5.9 per cent – but it’s more than 7 per cent in the capital.
One MP said: “It feels like they are preparing us for Tier 3. The data is pointing that way.”
The worst affected areas are in East London – including Walthamstow, Redbridge, Newham and Barking.
The capital is one of only three areas where rates are rising, according to the latest data from Public Health England.
It now has the highest rate of cases among any region in England.
The sharp rise in cases have sparked fears jobs and businesses will be hit once again if the capital is placed under the tough Tier 3 restrictions.
