The government has come under pressure this morning after its website advised people not to travel into and out of areas hardest hit by the Indian variant of Covid-19 unless necessary
The advice covers eight areas Bolton, Blackburn, Kirklees, Bedford, Burnley, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside.
However there is controversy over the advice as is appears to have been changed on the Government website without any official announcement
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer branded the move “utterly shameful”, and called for clarity “fast”. and have tabled an urgent question in the House of Commons this lunchtime
Yasmin Qureshi, Labour MP for Bolton South East and shadow international development minister, told the BBC that she had not been informed and was “gobsmacked” by the updated guidance.
They’re making such an important announcement and they don’t even have the decency to tell us or tell our constituents,” she said – adding that many people would have made plans to travel over the bank holiday weekend.
While Layla Moran, the chair of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for coronavirus, urged the health secretary, Matt Hancock, to make a statement in parliament to explain the new guidance: “This is a major change to policy that will have a huge impact on people’s lives. Simply updating the government website without an official announcement is a recipe for confusion and uncertainty.
“Local people and public health leaders in these areas need urgent clarity from the government. It seems crucial lessons have still not been learnt about the importance of clear messaging during a pandemic.”
Kate Hollern, the MP for Blackburn, said: “I strongly oppose the Government’s attempt to introduce new measures by stealth and without consultation. Instead, the Government needs to continue to ensure it gets vaccines to where they’re needed the most.”
