Northern Ireland enters new limited lockdown

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What defines a lockdown? At what point does it cease being a “circuit breaker” and actually become a fully-fledged second shutdown? These questions will have been in the minds of the 1.9 million inhabitants of Northern Ireland as First Minister Arlene Foster announced a new, temporary four-week lockdown for the region.

Yes, you read that correctly – the measures will last for an initial four weeks before coming up for renewal by the Stormont Parliament. If it gets any longer then it will make Keir Starmer’s two-to-three week proposal look like a bank holiday. The power-sharing government in Stormont has expressed its hopes that this time period be will enough to get a grip on the epidemic. But, it must be remembered, the UK’s original nationwide lockdown from March ended up lasting for much longer than initially planned. This crisis has no regard for good intentions.

The new rules for Northern Ireland come into force on Friday. They include the closure of “close contact services” and the hospitality sector, except for deliveries and takeaways for food. There will also be a limitation on “bubbling”, which will be kept at a maximum of 10 people from 2 households. Schools will be closed on Monday and will stay shut for two weeks, until 2 November.

The measures stop short of closing down society to the same extent as in March, however. Gyms are allowed to stay open for individual training while retail will also remain up and running. Weddings and civil partnerships can also take place, provided they are attended by fewer than 25 people.

Speaking early this morning, Foster explained that the measures are designed to combat “the very worrying increase in numbers of cases and hospitalisations”. Derry and Strabane Council area, which was already under tougher restrictions than the rest of the region, has been experiencing the highest infection rate in the United Kingdom and Ireland, with a seven-day rolling average of about 970 cases per 100,000 people.

Foster also called on the people of Northern Ireland to work together over the coming weeks: “We all have a role to break this chain, and it’s important that we all understand this. People pass Covid onto each other, and that happens in a variety of settings and limiting our social contacts will play a role in breaking the chain.”

Sources close the First Minister say that the message was not inspired by Fleetwood Mac.

The measures in Northern Ireland add to the pressure being exerted on Boris Johnson by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and SAGE over the question of a circuit-breaker lockdown. The Prime Minister vigorously defended his government’s three-tier strategy today in the Commons, even though he said he wouldn’t rule out further restrictions if they were to become necessary.

There is one, admittedly very small, consolation in these times and it is that the UK is not alone in facing rising cases. Across Europe, governments from Paris to Budapest are also grappling with the same challenging questions as Downing Street and the devolved assemblies.

Starmer’s first mistake?

PMQs saw a lively back and forth between Johnson and Starmer over (you guessed it) the circuit breaker issue. The atmosphere was tense to a degree that these exchanges between the two men have not been thus far, with both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition in a combative mood.

Starmer led with a follow up from his statement yesterday. He demanded to know why the Prime Minister is not following “the Science” as outlined by SAGE, took aim at failings in the government’s Test and Trace programme, and liberally quoted Chris Whitty’s reservations about its Covid strategy.

In a sign that a cold day in hell might be possible, Johnson was strong on his brief and pushed back hard, defending his localised policy in England: “We want to put in the most stringent measures necessary in the places where the virus is surging, in order to get it down where it is surging…That is the logical thing to do.”

Starmer even slipped on a crucial detail, inaccurately arguing that the Conservative leader of Bolton Council had pushed for a tighter lockdown.

There were also ad hominem strikes, such as when Johnson accused Starmer of political “opportunism” and viewing the UK’s epidemic “as a good crisis for the Labour Party”. Starmer quipped back quickly that the Prime Minister has been an opportunist for his whole life.

There is a deeper problem here for Starmer on the circuit-breaker issue, however. He has until now thrived on a non-committal approach to policy. Yet his newly-found clarity on the circuit-breaker question contradicts the recent remarks of his own shadow Health Secretary, who yesterday described the possibility of a new national lockdown as “disastrous for society”. It also flies in the face of the hard work carried out by Labour Mayors and council leaders to avoid harsher restrictions in the North and the Midlands.

Some feat of medieval metaphysics may yet reconcile all these contradictions, but don’t hold your breath. For now, it seems that Sir Keir won’t be shedding any Covid tiers for Labour’s local mayors. It may yet prove to be a strategic mistake.

Fishing for a Brexit deal

The German Chancellor has weighed in on the Brexit negotiations to say that the European Union will seek to take an even-handed approach to British interests on fisheries. Angela Merkel told an EU committee via video link yesterday that “an agreement has to be in the interests of both parties, in British interests as well as the interests of the 27-member EU”.

This micro-intervention could be a positive sign for the trade talks, which are now entering a final sprint for the finish line over the next couple of weeks. It appears that Germany is supporting a more pragmatic negotiating line on the issue of fish and will push for President Macron of France to follow suit.

Mutaz Ahmed has the story today – you can find his report here.

Jack Dickens
News Editor