Member of Parliament for the Cities of London & Westminster Nickie Aiken has reacted to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement of a third national lockdown.
Last night, the Prime Minister announced a third national lockdown to combat the spread of COVID-19.
I was briefed on the latest position by the Health Secretary Matt Hancock and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England Dr Jenny Harris earlier today.
I wanted to share my thoughts with you following this briefing. I believe it would be wrong for the Government to not take action at this point to save lives.
I will be voting with Government when the new restrictions are brought before Parliament tomorrow.
I am sadly too aware of the destruction this pandemic is having on businesses and livelihoods. Since March, I have worked closely with business representatives across the Two Cities.
I have welcomed the host of financial packages the Treasury has provided throughout the pandemic.
It is right that the Government has announced further financial support for businesses today. I will continue to lobby Ministers to ensure that central London receives the support it needs.
Its unique importance to the whole of the UK economy must be taken into account. I know how frustrating the constant changes to restrictions are, particularly the introduction of a further lockdown, but we can’t give up now when we have sacrificed so much and there is light at the end of this dark tunnel.
So I encourage everyone to please come together and adhere to the latest restrictions to protect our families, friends and neighbours, to reduce infection rates and let the vaccine do its work so we can all move on. In closing, my thoughts are with the friends and family of those who have sadly lost their lives to COVID, or who are currently suffering from the virus. The message is simple: Stay home, protect the NHS, save lives.
You can watch further reaction from Nickie above.
