Advertisement

British people being treated like children by Government during coronavirus pandemic, senior Tory says

1922 Committee Chairman Sir Graham Brady: Getty Images
1922 Committee Chairman Sir Graham Brady: Getty Images

A senior Tory has claimed the British people are “being treated like children” by the Government during the coronavirus pandemic.

Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the influential 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers, accused Boris Johnson’s government of using coronavirus emergency powers too liberally.

Under recent Government-implemented rules, anyone in England refusing to obey an order to self-isolate could face a fine of up to £10,000. The Government has also mandated the "rule of six”, banning social gatherings of more than six people.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that ministers had "got into the habit of ruling by decree", adding: "The British people are not used to being treated like children."

He said more scrutiny of the "rule of six" would have enabled MPs to question why the limit was put at six and not eight or 10 and why children were included in England and not in Wales or Scotland.

The senior parliamentarian also questioned whether the lockdown strategy had worked, pointing to the situation in Sweden, where such restrictions were not used.

He also denied that greater scrutiny would prevent ministers from acting swiftly to deal with the pandemic.

Sir Graham is tabling an amendment which would require the Government to put any new measures it is planning to take to a vote of MPs. The intervention could be difficult for the Prime Minister ahead of a vote on the renewal of the Coronavirus Act on September 30.

Mr Brady said: "Governments find it entirely possible to put things to Parliament very quickly when they choose to do so.”

His comments came as a retired senior judge accused Parliament of surrendering control to the Government over "draconian" measures put in place to help curb the spread of the virus.

The Prime Minister is expected to give an update on the UK's Covid-19 restrictions early this week (via REUTERS)
The Prime Minister is expected to give an update on the UK's Covid-19 restrictions early this week (via REUTERS)

Baroness Hale, former president of the Supreme Court, called for the return of a "properly functioning constitution as soon as we possibly can".

Lady Hale, in an essay seen by The Guardian, suggested Parliament had allowed the Government to act without proper scrutiny.

The Coronavirus Act 2020, passed in March, gave the Government "sweeping" powers alongside other "draconian" regulations, and "it is not surprising the police were as confused as the public as to what was law and what was not", she wrote.

She said that Parliament has now resumed much of its work "but it did surrender control to the government at a crucial time".

"Maybe the lockdown and its severe consequences ... were inevitable or at least the best solution that could be devised in the circumstances," she said.

"My plea is that we get back to a properly functioning constitution as soon as we possibly can."

England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, and chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance are due to give a televised briefing on Monday morning on the current coronavirus situation, while the Prime Minister is expected to announce more new measures in a press conference.

Sir Keir Starmer has said Labour would support any new measures (PA)
Sir Keir Starmer has said Labour would support any new measures (PA)

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has warned the UK is at a “tipping point”, and Health Secretary Matt Hancock has not ruled out a second lockdown.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Mr Shapps warned of further restrictions. He said: "It's very clear when you follow the data that we need to make sure we are applying all these measures or we are at this tipping point where we may need to go further - that's something we would like to avoid.

"A debate is quite proper, that's exactly what you would expect.

"Everyone recognises there is a tension between the virus and the measures we need to take and the economy and ensuring that people's livelihoods are protected, and we want to protect lives and livelihoods."

Sir Keir Starmer has said Labour would support any new measures but warned that a second national lockdown was becoming more likely because the Test and Trace programme was in a state of "near collapse".

In the UK, there are 59.3 cases per 100,000, with another 3,899 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK announced on Sunday. A further 18 people died within 28 days of testing positive, bringing the UK total to 41,777.

Read more

UK faces 200 daily deaths with pandemic 'doubling' every 7 days- LIVE