Labour Party civil war threat as Sir Keir warned Covid 'opportunism' will backfire
LABOUR PARTY members have begun to voice their opposition to Sir Keir Starmer's calls for further restrictions as the leader was warned his "opportunistic" strategy could soon backfire.
Keir Starmer warned of coronavirus 'opportunism' by Newman
Discontent has been brewing among Labour Party members over their leader's support for a "circuit breaker" coronavirus lockdown, according to Cathy Newman. The Channel 4 host suggested Sir Keir Starmer has sparked the fury of some Labour MPs opposed to further restrictions over concerns for the economy. Sir Keir on Tuesday publicly condemned Prime Minister Boris Johnson's failure to follow scientific advice on how to best contain the virus.
Ms Newman told Good Morning Britain Labour figures had expressed their oppositions to the proposed circuit breaker strategy, which would see a return of lockdown for two to three weeks in a bid to curb the infection rate.
She said: "I think there's also danger for Sir Keir Starmer here.
"I was talking to quite a few Labour MPs last night who were saying it looks a little bit politically opportunist.
"There are Labour MPs who privately say they don't want any more economic restrictions and they're really concerned about the economy. I don't think it's a risk-free approach."
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She also suggested Sir Keir's stance could backfire and be seen as "political opportunism" at a time of great crisis for the country.
Ms Newman continued: "There is an element of opportunism too.
"Keir Starmer could turn around in a few weeks, if and when the Prime Minister is forced into a form of national lockdown, and say, 'I told you so, I called it a few weeks back.'
"Idon't think it's risk-free for Keir Starmer either."
A new three tier system was introduced in England on Monday, the latest measure devised to contain the coronavirtus following a concerning spike of cases across the nation.
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Sir Keir insister stricter measure are required to keep the UK from "sleepwalking into a bleak winter".
He said: "The government's plan simply isn't working - another course is needed
"Three things are now clear: the government has not got a credible plan to slow infections. It has lost control of the virus. And it’s no longer following the scientific advice."
And in a direct challenge to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Labour leader added: "You know that the science backs this approach. You know that the restrictions you’re introducing won’t be enough.
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“You know that a circuit break is needed now to get this virus under control. You can’t keep delaying this and come back to the House of Commons every few weeks with another plan that won’t work.”
But while the debate on whether a new lockdown should be imposed or not continues, Britons have been warned normal life is not likely to resume until next summer "at the earliest."
Prof Andrew Pollard, who has been leading the Oxford University's vaccine trial team, told the Daily Mail: "“Life won't be back to normal until summer at the earliest. We may need masks until July.
"If we end up with a vaccine that's effective in preventing the disease, that is by far the best way to control the virus. But in the medium term, we'll still need better treatments.
“When does life get back to normal? Even if we had enough vaccine for everyone, in my view it's unlikely that we're going to very rapidly be in a position where the physical distancing rules can be just dropped."
He added: "Until we've got a high level of immunity in the population so that we can stop the virus so most vulnerable people are immune, there is going to be a risk."