Keir Starmer urges Government to publish lockdown exit strategy as he warns England could 'fall behind' other countries

Rebecca Speare-Cole29 April 2020
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Sir Keir Starmer has urged the Government to publish an exit strategy for the coronavirus lockdown amid warnings the country could "fall behind" without one.

Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, the Labour leader warned that England would lag behind other nations, including Scotland and Wales, if plans to ease social distancing were not released soon.

Although he said he was not calling for the lockdown to be lifted, he said the Government needed to be "open" with the British public about "what comes next".

But Dominic Raab refused to lay out a time frame and date, saying it was not possible without the evidence from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage).

The Foreign Secretary stepped in to take PMQs for Boris Johnson after the PM and his fiance Carrie Symonds welcomed a baby boy earlier this morning.

Sir Keir said: “The public need to know what’s going to happen in the next phase and on exit strategy.

"I want to be absolutely clear with (Mr Raab), I am not asking for lockdown to be lifted. We support the Government on lockdown and we’ll continue to do so, so I’m not asking for that.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer speaking during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons
PA

“I’m not asking for a time frame - he Government says it can’t give a time frame, I accept that and we support the Government on that. I said I wouldn’t ask the impossible and I won’t."

But he added: "What I’m asking for is for the Government to be open with the British people about what comes next.”

Mr Raab responded that a timeframe and date cannot be given "until we have the Sage evidence".

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab speaking during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London.
PA

"If he thinks there’s things that we could be announcing, whether it’s workplace which he referred to, schools, or otherwise, feel free to propose those things," he added.

Sir Keir then said reiterated his calls, warning England was taking a different approach to other countries with the lack of strategy.

He said: “France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, New Zealand, Australia, Scotland and Wales have all published exit plans of one sort or another.

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"(Mr Raab) said, ‘well what are the proposals, what should they cover?’. If you look at those plans, as he’s done and I’ve done, it’s clear that there are common issues such as schools reopening, business sectors reopening.

“These are the issues that, if he wants me to put them on the table, I absolutely will.”

He added: “Delay risks not only falling behind other countries, but also the successful four-nation approach so far.”

Mr Raab responded by saying that Scotland "had not set out an exit strategy". "I read through very carefully their 25-page document, it was eminently sensible and it was grounded in the five tests that I set out on April 16," he said.

Sir Keir said he was still expecting to speak to Mr Johnson on Wednesday afternoon regarding the coronavirus lockdown measures.

The Labour leader's spokesman said: "When we were informed that Dominic Raab would take PMQs No 10 did confirm that the 1.30pm call was still going ahead."

Sir Keir will question the Prime Minister on testing and greater support for social care.

Pressure has been building on ministers to begin thinking about a way out of lockdown after Scotland set out its own path towards a “new normal.”

Nicola Sturgeon said the restrictions to tackle the coronavirus outbreak are doing “damage” to Scotland but that a return to "normal" was "not on the cards".

Describing how the country needed to find a better "balance", Ms Sturgeon warned that social distancing measures will be "a fact of life for a long time to come", possibly even "beyond the end of the year".

She made the comments during a briefing about a paper, published on Thursday, which discusses the plan for how Scotland might work towards easing lockdown regulations.

The document warns that attending pubs or public events will be "banned or restricted for some time to come".

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