BORIS Johnson will stare down a growing rebellion and plunge millions of Brits in the North into tougher lockdown on Monday as Covid numbers rocket.
Despite facing a mutiny from local leaders, MPs and even his closest allies, the Prime Minister will order pubs and restaurants to shut in Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle.
After Nicola Sturgeon locked down boozers in Scotland for at least two weeks, the PM is facing open rebellion over plans for stricter measures on ten million in the North East and North West.
Tory MPs are threatening to work with Labour to defeat the Government next week in a crunch Commons vote on the 10pm pub curfew, but tonight the PM privately vowed to stick to his guns and clampdown further.
Under new lockdown measures for the worst affected areas, hospitality will shut but schools, offices and shops will remain open.
Ministers are still torn on what to do about hairdressers, gyms and leisure centres.
‘ECONOMIC SUICIDE’
Chancellor Rishi Sunak will bail out blighted businesses and workers, but critics branded the plan “economic suicide”.
After days of grim warnings from his medics, Mr Johnson will next week finally unveil his simplified three tier local lockdown code – nicknamed the “Rule of 3”.
In plans signed off at a ministerial “gold command” meeting last night that had been due to be unveiled on Thursday, Tier 1 will see current social distancing measures and the current rule of six enforced.
Areas in Tier 2 will have a ban on households mixing whereas the worst areas in Tier 3 will see lockdown on hospitality.
But with virus cases spiralling out of control in parts of the country, vast swathes of the North West and North East will automatically qualify for Tier 3 next week.
Another 14,162 Brits were newly-diagnosed with the virus tonight – while on September 30, 7,108 people tested positive.
But Downing Street have been horrified over North West numbers that have gone up by 56 per cent in just a week.
And crucially hospital admissions with the disease rocketed 46 percent in the seven days to Oct 1.
In the North East there has been a 46 per cent rise in cases in the same period with hospital admissions up 45.9 per cent.
Tonight leading Tories pleaded with Mr Johnson not to copy Scotland and close the pubs.
One Mr Johnson’s closest allies, ex-Northern Powerhouse Minister, Jake Berry launched an astonishing Commons tirade accusing his friend of falling into the “fatal trap of making national decisions on a London-centric view with London-centric data” and urging the PM to “remove the manacles of state control”.
Mr Berry told HOAR “the Scottish proposals on effectively banning alcohol consumption represent a new low in Covid restrictions.
“If people can’t have a drink to get through this crisis, then what can they do?”
He warned: “It would be act economic suicide for England to follow this path.”
And Former Cabinet minister Sir Iain Duncan Smith warned the PM there would be a major Tory rebellion if he copied Ms Sturgeon’s draconian lockdown.
He said: “There is no evidence that this works- absolutely none whatsoever.
“What there is evidence for is this will cripple the economy and lead to more deaths, as has already been demonstrated from non-Covid issues. It’s time to get some balance and save our economy.”
GOT a story? RING HOAR on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL [email protected]
