Sir Keir Starmer urges Boris Johnson to give 'clarity and reassurance' over lockdown road map

Kit Heren11 May 2020

Boris Johnson needs to give the British people "clarity and reassurance," Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said, as the Government eases the coronavirus lockdown,

In a Monday evening response to the Prime Minister's address to the nation on Sunday, Sir Keir said Labour would keep working "constructively" with the Government on its coronavirus response, while "demanding answers" to unclear issues.

He added: “What we needed from the Prime Minister last night was clarity and reassurance.”

“The Prime Minister said he was setting out a road map, but if we’re to complete the journey safely a road map needs clear directions. So many of us have questions that need answering," he went on.

Sir Keir said that he will "keep demanding answers to these questions" in order to provide "better outcomes" for the British people from the coronavirus pandemic.

He went on: “I remain committed to working constructively with the Government in the national interest”, adding that "whether we voted for this Government or not, in this moment of national crisis we all rely on the Government to get this right."

But he said that the Government had left many issues unclear.

"We needed to know that nobody would be asked to go to work or send their children to school without it being safe to do so. We needed to know that the huge problems we've seen with protective equipment are over," Sir Keir added.

A road in Camden, north London 
AFP via Getty Images

The leader of the opposition said that it was important for the UK to create "a better society" after the turmoil of the coronavirus lockdown.

"After all this, all the sacrifice and the loss, we can’t go back to business as usual,” he added.

The Labour leader said that "the hard work and the bravery of every key worker" was vital to keeping the UK going during the pandemic.

“In their courage and their sacrifice and their bravery, we can see a better future. This crisis has brought out the resilience and the human spirit in all of us," he went on.

“We must go forward with a vision of a better society built on that resilience and built on that human spirit.”

A Belfast mural paying tribute to NHS workers 
PA

Sir Keir's comments came after the Government announced a range of new measures to ease the lockdown on Sunday and Monday.

Mr Johnson encouraged Brits who can't work from home to get back to work if possible from Wednesday.

Among other new guidelines, people will also be allowed to exercise more and sit outside for an unlimited amount of time, while meeting up with one person from a different household is now also allowed.

But there was widespread confusion on Monday about who some guidelines referred to, and how people should get back to work given the current low capacity of much public transport.

Sir Keir called the situation "a shambles".

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