Michael Gove was told 500,000 could lose jobs if he got his wish to shut London in fraught Cabinet meeting to discuss the new tiering system
- Mr Gove called for London to be subject to the most severe, tier 3 restrictions
- Briefing notes projected the possible loss of 550,000 jobs in London in Tier 3
- Johnson dismissed Gove's argument as borrowing is set to reach £394 billion
As the fraught meeting to discuss the new tiering system drew to a close at 8.16pm on Wednesday, Boris Johnson essayed one of his cod Churchillian riffs – combined with an upbeat sporting reference.
'This is the beginning of the end,' said the Prime Minister, referencing the hope offered by the imminent vaccines, before adding slightly less hopefully: 'Or maybe the beginning of the second half'.
The ten-strong, hour-long Zoom meeting had just finished carving up the country into the new post-lockdown regimes, placing 99 per cent of the population under the tightest two tiers – a move that would trigger open revolt among Tory backbenchers.
Mr Gove, pictured, has led calls for London to be subject to Tier 3 lockdown restrictions
Leading the charge for shutdown was Michael Gove, who has grown in to such an evangelist for crippling lockdowns that some of his more conspiratorially-minded colleagues even wonder if the ambitious Cabinet Office Minister is trying to dynamite Mr Johnson's Government from within.
Mr Johnson 'looked askance', one source said, as Mr Gove called for London to be subject to the most severe, tier 3 restrictions, despite the savage impact it would have on the capital's economy. 'Michael didn't muck about,' said the source. 'He referred to the pressure on wards in areas such as Redbridge and said, "We need tier 3 for the whole of London, without doubt. We want to save lives".'
Mr Gove's pro-lockdown polemic came despite a Government briefing note prepared for the meeting which projected the possible loss of 550,000 jobs if London was put into tier 3, compared to 50,000 for tier 2.
Mr Johnson 'looked askance', one source said, as Mr Gove called for London to be subject to the most severe, tier 3 restrictions, despite the savage impact it would have on the capital's economy. Pictured: Mr Johnson in Parliament on November 26
Mr Gove's fellow Covid-cautious dove, Health Secretary Matt Hancock, gave a more nuanced overview. In the capital, he suggested that the boroughs with the sharpest spike in cases – including Redbridge in the East – could be sectioned off and placed in tier 3, with the rest of London put into tier 2.
The concept of a partial tiering was opposed by Treasury Minister John Glen, standing in for Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who pointed out that the latest data pointed to a drop in infections, and Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick, who argued against the sub-division of local authority areas.
Business Secretary Alok Sharma made the economic case against tier 3 in the capital, while Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden argued for tier 2 across London, but with additional help for hospitals in the worst affected areas.
Mr Gove's pro-lockdown polemic came despite a Government briefing note prepared for the meeting which projected the possible loss of 550,000 jobs if London was put into tier 3, compared to 50,000 for tier 2.
At that point the Prime Minister took charge of the meeting again, and made clear that he was dismissing Mr Gove's arguments following a report from the Office for Budget Responsibility which outlined how borrowing was set to reach £394 billion as the economy shrinks by 11.3 per cent.
Mr Johnson said: 'I have listened very carefully to what Michael said but I am persuaded we have to think about the overall situation with respect to what the OBR went through today on the economy. Things will be reviewed regularly but I am satisfied that we should put London in tier 2'.
He concluded with a flourish: 'Does anyone violently disagree with me? Well, I don't suppose it matters if you do. Well, that's what I think.'
Businesses have been struggling since the pandemic and closed retailers do their best to promote Black Friday and Christmas sales
A source said: 'The evolution of Michael's thinking is fascinating and perplexing. At the start of the crisis, no one could work out if he was a hawk or a dove, or a hawk camouflaged as a dove. Then he seemed to grow increasingly worried about the optics for a Tory Government having to deal with an overwhelmed NHS – particularly if it coincided with a no-deal Brexit – and so started offering increasing support to Hancock in key meetings.
'Now he is the biggest dove of the lot, to the dismay of the Treasury. If he had succeeded in shutting London we could have kissed goodbye to half a million jobs.'
Mr Gove's spokesman last night declined to comment on 'private Cabinet committee discussions'.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMifmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmRhaWx5bWFpbC5jby51ay9uZXdzL2FydGljbGUtODk5Njg4Ny9NaWNoYWVsLUdvdmUtdG9sZC01MDAtMDAwLWxvc2Utam9icy1nb3Qtd2lzaC1zaHV0LUxvbmRvbi1DYWJpbmV0LW1lZXRpbmcuaHRtbNIBggFodHRwczovL3d3dy5kYWlseW1haWwuY28udWsvbmV3cy9hcnRpY2xlLTg5OTY4ODcvYW1wL01pY2hhZWwtR292ZS10b2xkLTUwMC0wMDAtbG9zZS1qb2JzLWdvdC13aXNoLXNodXQtTG9uZG9uLUNhYmluZXQtbWVldGluZy5odG1s?oc=5
2020-11-28 22:28:00Z
52781213246176
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar