WARRINGTON North MP Charlotte Nichols has challenged Home Secretary Priti Patel on the Government’s failure to close Britain’s borders properly in the battle against COVID-19.
In the Urgent Question on ‘Covid protections at the UK border’ in the Commons on Tuesday afternoon, Ms Nichols challenged the Home Secretary on her failure to act quickly enough.
Responding to the Warrington MP the Home Secretary told the House of Commons, “We have a comprehensive strategy. That strategy has been in place since January last year. But as I have said repeatedly, measures will be under review, as they have been throughout this entire pandemic, including health measures at the border.”
Ms Nichols MP said: “As an island nation there is absolutely no reason why we couldn’t have followed the lead of countries like New Zealand in implementing tougher border restrictions.
“The failure to close the borders quickly, or to implement timely testing and quarantine measures, has been among the reasons that a year on from the first confirmed case in the UK we have failed to get a handle on the pandemic. This is made more troubling by the continuing threat of new strains developing and arriving in the UK from across the world.
“Priti Patel told me the Government has had a ‘comprehensive strategy ’in place since January last year. If she shows such poor judgement on reflecting on previous mistakes, how can she properly implement our plans now.”
Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds MP added: “The Conservative government are again dragging their feet on setting vital protections at our borders, which must involve using hotels to help prevent the importation of further strains of the virus.
“Labour has been calling for a strategic approach to tackling this awful virus and the worrying strains that are now emerging. The lack of strategy means the UK continually acts too slowly and without proper planning in place.
“This continued failure is leaving the door open to new strains of Covid, putting people at risk and undermining the sacrifices everyone is making to address this virus.”
When Priti Patel tells me we've had effective border measures in place since last January to stop Covid getting in the country… pic.twitter.com/fFImSdMPRN
— Charlotte Nichols (@charlotte2153) January 26, 2021
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