A Harsh But Necessary Lockdown (with Bill Esterson MP)

10/01/20 • 22 min

The government has extended stricter Covid rules to Liverpool, Warrington, Hartlepool and Middlesborough, just a day after getting fresh backing for its powers from MPs.

Bill Esterson, Labour MP for Sefton Central and shadow international trade minister, tells Bloomberg Westminster's Sebastian Salek and Roger Hearing the measures are necessary to deal with rapidly escalating infections, but there does need to be better communication with the public on the need for them.

Plus, Dr Alan Wager, research associate at the UK in a Changing Europe, joins to discuss the consequences of the EU's decision to begin legal action against the UK over the Internal Market Bill.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government has extended stricter Covid rules to Liverpool, Warrington, Hartlepool and Middlesborough, just a day after getting fresh backing for its powers from MPs.

Plus, Dr Alan Wager, research associate at the UK in a Changing Europe, joins to discuss the consequences of the EU's decision to begin legal action against the UK over the Internal Market Bill.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Backing Boris on Covid Curbs (with Andrea Jenkyns MP)

There's a growing rebellion among backbench Tory MPs that threatens a government defeat over its powers to impose restrictions to fight Covid-19.

But Andrea Jenkyns, Conservative MP for Morley and Outwood and deputy chair of the European Research Group, says despite struggling with the issue she'll vote with the government.

Plus, Bloomberg Opinion columnist Therese Raphael joins to discuss the chances of a post-Brexit trade deal emerging as the deadline looms, and the difficulties Boris Johnson is facing on the eve of the Conservative conference.

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Next Episode

Lockdown Special: Arrogance And Overreach?

With a quarter of the population now under increased restrictions, anger is growing about measures that don't fit local circumstances and may have no medical validity.

Shane Moore, council leader in Hartlepoo,l tells Bloomberg Westminster's Sebastian Salek and Roger Hearing the government broke a pledge to consult with them before imposing the new rules, which he says will have devastating consequences for mental health and jobs.

Karol Sikora, professor of medicine at the University of Buckingham Medical School and chief medical officer at Rutherford Health joins to say restrictions like the rule of six are unnecessary and the government almost appears to be enjoying its new powers.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg UK Politics - A Harsh But Necessary Lockdown (with Bill Esterson MP)

Transcript

Speaker 100:00:03.680

I take full responses for everything this government has been doing in tackling coronavirus and I'm very proud of our record. Pen the thousands of our citizens have died avoidably. These were unnecessary death because of the systematic government miss ponder with good British common sense, we will continue to defeat this virus and take this country forward. There were a lot of green shoots of opportunity on you know, we've been held down on Bois