MISERABLE advice to only see friends and family when absolutely necessary has left Brits reeling at a “lockdown by stealth” this Christmas.
While Boris Johnson insisted he’s not imposing legal restrictions, he rowed in behind Prof Chris Whitty’s stark warning to “deprioritise” social gatherings.
Angry MPs erupted in the Commons earlier and accused the PM and scientists of plunging Britain into a lockdown in all but name.
Ex-health minister Steve Brine raged: “At a stroke the Chief Medical Officer changed government policy and put this country – certainly hospitality – into effective lockdown”.
Tory MP Steve Baker said that while Mr Johnson wasn’t closing pubs “formally” the grim warnings had left hospitality fighting to stay open amid a deluge of cancellations.
Bosses fear the harsh instruction to cut back on mixing will take a sledge-hammer to profits in the crucial festive period as people shun pubs and restaurants.
Rishi Sunak – currently away in California – is under enormous pressure to offer urgent financial support to stop firms being forced to shut.
Tory MP Anne Marie Morris said: “If we’re effectively telling people not to visit hospitality venues this Christmas, then this needs to be accompanied by immediate sector specific financial support from the Treasury.”
Labour’s shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said: “There is an urgent need to stop businesses closing by stealth and workers paying the price.”
In key developments:
- The Queen cancelled a Christmas lunch for fear of Omicron
- The number of Omicron hospitalisations rose to 15
- Mr Johnson vowed to do “whatever I have to to protect the public”
- France banned British tourists citing the spread of the variant
At last night’s gloomy press conference the PM stressed “we’re not closing hospitality, we’re not cancelling people’s parties or their ability to mix”.
But chief medical officer Prof Whitty told people to “prioritise social interactions that really matter to them” to stop the rip of Omicron.
And this morning Health Minister Gillian Keegan told revellers to sit “spaced apart” at Christmas bashes.
Labour’s Kevin Brennan fumed today: “The government is trying to sing two different tunes at the same time – and the result is a cacophony of mixed messaging”
The PM today scrambled to get the government’s message back on track and denied he was imposing lockdown by the back door.
On a visit to a vaccine centre he said: “So if you want to do something, if you want to go to an event or a party, then the sensible thing to do, if that’s a priority, the sensible thing to do is to get a test and to make sure that you’re being cautious.
“But we’re not saying that we want to cancel stuff, we’re not locking stuff down, and the fastest route back to normality is to get boosted.”
Hospitality chiefs said the advice and bleak warnings of “staggering” Omicron case rates have haemorrhaged bookings.
Jonathan Neame, chief executive of Shepherd Neame which runs hundreds of pubs and hotels, said they had been thrown into a “zombie world”.
He told Times Radio: “Christmas is key every year. Of course, we missed it last year. It is the golden period.
“The acute problem is that if you miss Christmas, and we’re in the zombie world where we’ve been desperately trying to hang on to stuff and want to hang on to stuff, then what could be very profitable could quickly run into a significant loss.”
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Greg Parmley, CEO of LIVE that represents musicians, said: “The current lockdown by stealth is quickly pushing the live music sector to the edge.
“We are now facing a crippling blow as individual venues scramble to cover the spiralling costs of Covid-related cancellations, which will inevitably result in permanent closures.”
Theatre director Sir Nicholas Hytner said venues were in “crisis mode”, with shows closing as actors and other staff contracted coronavirus while bookings have “fallen off a cliff”.
The former artistic director of the National Theatre told BBC Newsnight: “We now surely don’t want to get into a situation where the Government’s investment last year is wasted because the sectors that it has supported collapse in the new year.
“We need to see short term finance, we need to see loans, we need to see VAT looked at again, we need to see business rates looked at again.”
Renowned chef Tom Kerridge called for a return of the drop of VAT to 5 per cent for the hospitality industry, adding: “Undoubtedly there will be many places that close their doors for Christmas and don’t reopen.”
Prof Whitty’s advice for people to curb their mixing ahead of Christmas sparked a furious backlash from Tory MP Joy Morrisey who likened his intervention to a “public health socialist state”.
In a now-deleted tweet the Government aide said: “Perhaps the unelected covid public health spokesperson should defer to what our ELECTED Members of Parliament and the Prime Minister have decided.
“I know it’s difficult to remember but that’s how democracy works. This is not a public health socialist state.”
Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting called her comments “outrageous”.
