Lord Empey: Boris Johnson’s u-turn on lockdown is a wake-up call as to the threat of Covid-19

Another u-turn from the prime minister announcing a lockdown for England shows how out of touch many ministers, MPs and others have been about the seriousness of the Covid crisis.
By Alex Kane
Published 2nd Nov 2020, 07:30 BST
Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Downing Street on Saturday announces another lockdown for England. Photo: Alberto Pezzali/PA WirePrime Minister Boris Johnson in Downing Street on Saturday announces another lockdown for England. Photo: Alberto Pezzali/PA Wire
Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Downing Street on Saturday announces another lockdown for England. Photo: Alberto Pezzali/PA Wire

This should act as a wake-up call.

Nobody wants to see businesses closed and jobs lost.

Neither do we want to see our loved ones become ill and lose their lives.

Letter to the editorLetter to the editor
Letter to the editor

Governments around the world have been wrestling with the dilemmas caused by this crisis and here in Northern Ireland we have our own awkward squad of deniers led by Edwin Poots and Sammy Wilson who have been undermining the public health message that the executive has been trying to get across.

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Even critical backbench Tory MPs have been brought to realise where all this is going if action is not taken.

We have serious capacity problems in our hospitals in Northern Ireland, with the longest waiting lists in the United Kingdom.

This has arisen because of years of underfunding of our health service.

But to try and undermine the vital public health message by playing politics with it is outrageous.

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I hope that Edwin and Sammy will now row in behind our health minister, lead by example, and ensure that Northern Ireland’s measures to bring down the rate of infection are fully adhered to, so that perhaps everyone will be able to enjoy as close to as ‘normal’ a Christmas as possible.

Lord Empey, Ex Ulster Unionist leader, Westminster

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Related topics:Northern IrelandMPsBoris JohnsonEnglandEdwin Poots