The UK has started a new unofficial lockdown. The starting shot was not given by Parliament, nor by the Prime Minister, but by the Chief Medical Officer of England, Chris Whitty, at a press conference in which he recommended that citizens reduce their movements and social gatherings to a minimum in the face of the uncontrolled increase in the omicron variant. The result has been an avalanche of cancellations that has led businesses to fear that, without financial help from the government, the Christmas season will be a disaster.
Wednesday’s press conference was disconcerting at times. While Whitty recommended that people confine themselves and avoid all encounters with people outside their family bubble, the ‘premier’, Boris Johnson, insisted from his side that it was not necessary to cancel anything or “suspend Christmas”: “We are not going to shut things down, we don’t ask people to cancel events. We don’t want to make decisions about their social lives,” he said.
A contradiction from which the public seems to have concluded that it is best to follow the expert’s advice and ignore the prime minister. The conservative tabloid Daily Mail headlined today “Johnson vs. Scientists,” and the number of cancellations in the last few hours indicates that people trust scientists more. Starting with the Queen: Elizabeth II has suspended her traditional pre-Christmas gala meal.
The main affected has been the restaurant sector, which has already begun to send requests for help. The ertes program of the British Government ended last summer, and the fact that this confinement is voluntary and unofficial means that it has not been accompanied by an aid plan like the previous ones. “Businesses suffer as consumer confidence sinks. The government must support our businesses if it wants us to survive,” said UK Hospitality, the employers’ association for the British hospitality sector.
In response, Finance Minister Rishi Sunak has brought forward his return from a trip to California and has promised to hold talks with industry leaders in the coming days. The Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has already sent a letter to Johnson asking to restore the ertes or allow the different states of the country to do it on her behalf.
internal crisis
Johnson’s great challenge is managing the enormous division that exists in his party. On Tuesday, 118 deputies -out of 361- broke the voting discipline and rejected the new restrictions imposed by the Government, such as the covid passport to enter closed premises, the mandatory use of masks or the mandatory vaccination of toilets. Without the support of Labor – who claimed their “patriotic” votes in favor of the measures – Johnson would have suffered a defeat similar to the one that marked the end of Theresa May’s government. And if in that vote on the Brexit agreement Johnson joined the 118 rebels against May, this time May was among the 118 who ignored Johnson’s orders.
And the swords are still high. A deputy with a position in the Foreign Office, Joy Morrissey, asked citizens to ignore “unelected advisers”, in reference to scientific experts, and keep social gatherings as Johnson has requested. The Government was forced to disavow her and leave her in defense of her medical advisers.
All this happens while . This Thursday the umpteenth party in which government officials participated during the 2020 confinements has been uncovered. In this case, one in Downing Street in May 2020, which Johnson himself attended, according to a leak to The Guardian and The Independent.
Meanwhile, the citizens of North Shropshire, an English constituency whose former deputy resigned a month ago due to another scandal -in this case, for illegal lobbying-, elect their new representative in a vote that could be a death blow to Johnson. The Tories have won that seat in every election for two centuries. A possible loss to the Liberals, who are the slight favorites in the bookmakers to take the seat from them, would unleash the battle to find a replacement for the current prime minister.
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