Scotland: Forbes asked about SNP’s ‘cautious’ lockdown approach
Jonathan Saxty spoke after Scotland’s Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced that the vast majority of Scotland’s central belt would remain in Level 2 restrictions with concerns about a possible third wave, and the so-called Indian variant now confirmed as the strain. dominant. Saxty also warned Prime Minister Boris Johnson not to follow Sturgeon’s lead by rejecting his plan to lift restrictions entirely on June 21, warning of the devastating consequences for, among other sectors, hospitality.
Warning against ‘presumption’ towards Scots, Mr Saxty, the deputy editor of Brexit Watch, wrote in the Telegraph: “Areas that remain or move to Level 2 contain the majority of the population. from Scotland. We are talking about millions of people here.
“This undermines the UK’s recovery as the economic impact of restrictions will continue to impede many of our countrymen and countrymen.”
Saxty cited research by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which predicted that the UK’s economic recovery would be stronger than initially believed, outpacing many other developed nations with growth of 7.2 percent compared to a March forecast of 5.1 percent. .
Nicola Sturgeon described the move as a “pause, not a step back” (Image: GETTY)
Prime Minister Boris Johnson takes his second hit from AstraZeneca yesterday (Image: GETTY)
However, he added: “But this assumed that the country would move forward as one, rather than the SNP dragging the rest of the UK.
“As we see with the Northern Ireland Protocol, internal barriers to trade can have a hugely detrimental impact on a country’s economy.”
Saxty also suggested that “draconian measures” in one part of Britain could become a practical lesson for “lockdown enthusiasts” elsewhere.
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An anti-blockade protester in Edinburgh (Image: GETTY)
He explained: “Cambridge University professor Ravi Gupta is the latest expert to suggest that the end of the restrictions in England be postponed on June 21.
“In an ominous way, the health secretary also warned that ‘we have not beaten this virus yet’, even as Covid deaths reached zero on Tuesday.
“To be sure, conservative advocates and a weary public want the prime minister to stand his ground, and distinguish himself from the SNP by keeping England firmly on the schedule, but Johnson will be careful not to unblock if he thinks it will lead to an increase in cases and deaths. «.
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Cambridge University Professor Ravi Gupta during last week’s independent SAGE briefing (Image: Independent SAGE)
Pubs and restaurants will be badly affected by the ongoing restrictions, Saxty said (Image: GETTY)
Possible options could include maintaining social distancing, delays in reopening and a localized lockdown system, he suggested.
Such an approach was fraught with risk, Saxty said, and Kate Nicholls, UK Hospitality’s chief executive, warned it would be devastating for pubs and restaurants currently operating at 60 percent capacity due to social distancing.
He added: “Ms Nicholls said a delay would ‘push’ some companies ‘further to the brink of corporate bankruptcy’, now a reality for companies in Scotland.
UK coronavirus figures (Image: Express)
“Just as the recent announcement by the Australian state of Victoria that it will extend its lockdown strengthens the position of lockdown enthusiasts in other states, so Ms Sturgeon’s announcement gives ammunition to scientists and lockdown supporters in other parts of the Kingdom. United.
“Meanwhile, just as Victoria’s inevitable economic blow will act as a drag on the rest of the Australian economy, a blockaded Scotland will act as a drag on the rest of Britain as well.”
Speaking in the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday, Ms Sturgeon insisted that the ‘slight slowdown’ in response to the rise of the Indian variant was ‘a pause, not a step back’.
Indian variant in the UK (Image: Express)
She said: “Vaccines are changing the game. And that means we can still be optimistic about our chances for much more normalcy during the summer and beyond.
In fact, in the days to come, and while it may still seem like a distant road to many of us, we will publish more detailed work on what we expect life beyond Level 0 to be like, as that greater normalcy returns.
He added: “In fact, one reason to proceed with more caution now is to facilitate in the future the resumption of our progress to Level 0, and then beyond.”
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