MINISTERS have been urged to “come clean” by Labour over the financial hit to the economy from lockdown measures.
Senior frontbencher Bridget Phillipson has written to the government demanding a detailed dossier looking at the Covid impact be published.
A colour-coded government spreadsheet has focused on the damage to sectors from aviation to tourism.
The shadow Cabinet Minister wants analysis published on why the UK economy has been hit harder than other G7 nations.
Calls for the estimated cost of the four-week restrictions in England that started from November 5 also need to be made public, they say.
The Labour frontbencher also wants a regional breakdown on how closing some parts of the country has a knock-on effect in other areas.
Ministers have so far only published an analysis into the “health, economic and social effects” of COVID-19 and tiering given to MPs ahead of a crucial vote to impose the new tier structure.
Her demands came in a letter to her counterpart Stephen Barclay, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
Phillipson said: “This Government was too slow into the first lockdown and too slow into the second. It blocked Labour’s call for a circuit-breaker in October only to see us enter a longer, harder lockdown in November.
“The Chancellor knows how much that irresponsible decision cost the economy – the British people deserve to know too.
“No more secret dashboards. It’s time for the government to come clean about the full cost to the economy of its Covid policies .”
Meanwhile, West Midlands Mayor Andy Street says the government needs to do more for the “struggling” hospitality sector who need a final round of cash otherwise they will “go to the wall”.
He asks for the Chancellor Rishi Sunak to step in fearing all previous support will be “for nothing” if businesses fold before the nationwide vaccination programme is complete.
Mr Sunak told the Commons that relevant information “is all provided in the report for people to look at”.
