Boris Johnson tells Keir Starmer to 'get onto his Labour friends in the North of England' to accept tier 3 measures

During Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) on Wednesday, October 14, Boris Johnson has again suggested that the Government wishes to see stricter Covid-19 measures in the North East.

It follows on from Monday, October 12 during his announcement of the new three-tier system where he said that the Government was “still working with leaders” in the North East.

When questioned by Sir Keir Starmer over claims that the Prime Minister has rejected the advice of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) over stronger measures, Boris Johnson defended the new tier system.

Mr Johnson said: “The difference between this stage of the pandemic than March and April is that the disease is appearing more strongly in some parts of the country than others.

"In Liverpool for instance, the figures are now running at 670 cases per 100,000 against 33 per 100,000 in Cornwall and 540 cases in Newcastle, against 32 per 100,000 in North Norfolk.

"That is why the three-tiered approach that we set out on Monday (October 12) is the right way forward.”

The PM also urged the leader of the opposition to “get onto his Labour friends” in the North of England to accept stricter measures.

He added: “We want to put in the most stringent measures necessary in the places where the virus is surging in order to get it down, that is the logical thing to do.

"So will he (Sir Keir) get onto his Labour friends in those parts of the North of England, where we want to work with them to put those very stringent measures in place in order to deliver the reductions that the whole country wants to see?”

Presently the North East falls under the tier two alert level, meaning that the spread of the illness remains ‘high’ and that no households are allowed to mix indoors.

There is still a chance that the North East could move to tier three, which would mean pubs, bars, gyms and leisure centres would have to close.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

You can subscribe to this website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Simply click ‘Subscribe’ in the menu. You can subscribe to the newspaper with 20% off here. Thank you.