Coronavirus: Lockdown could end later in Scotland than England

Boris Johnson returns to work in Downing Street today, a fortnight after leaving hospital following his near-fatal brush with Covid-19. 

He is under increasing pressure from inside his party, and from Tory donors, to start easing the lockdown amid fears it could cripple the economy and destroy jobs for years to come.

With 20,000 people in the UK dying in hospitals so far from the infection, and rattled by his own close shave, Mr Johnson is wary of rushing a return to normality. 

However, the Sunday Times reported six major Tory donors are calling on him to move faster.

Cabinet ministers were also reported to be worried the public was growing weary of the lockdown and it may be difficult to maintain as the weather continues to shine. 

The UK Government yesterday announced the lowest daily death toll in hospitals since the end of March, with 413 fatalities taking the total to 20,732.

In Scotland, the total number of deaths from laboratory-confirmed cases to date rose by 18 to 1,249. 

On the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, Ms Sturgeon was asked if she had the power to close the Border with England if she chose a different exit path from the one taken by the UK Government. She said: “I don’t have the power to close borders but these are discussions we want to continue to have with the UK Government.

“On this question of will Scotland do things differently – not for the sake of it, we won’t. Only if the evidence and our judgment tells us that is necessary.

“Now that would mean if, and it is an if, I’m not saying we’re likely to get in to this territory, the UK Government took decisions that I thought were premature in terms of coming out of the lockdown, then clearly I would want to make sure Scotland did what I judged was best to protect the population.”
She said that, given the virus didn’t respect borders, and for simplicity of messages to the public, there had been a great deal of consistency in the UK to this point.

“But we all have to take decisions we judge to be right,” she said. “It’s not political in any way, shape or form.”

Scottish Health Secretary Jeane Freeman later claimed Ms Sturgeon had been talking about closing international borders, leading to Tory claims of confusion in the Scottish Government.
Ms Sturgeon was also accused of a “dereliction of duty” after failing to attend six UK-wide emergency meetings on the emerging threat from the coronavirus.

Scottish Labour said the First Minister had to explain why she missed the top-level Cobra meetings in January, February and early March.

After it emerged last week that Mr Johnson had missed the five January and February meetings, before finally attending his  first on March 2, SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford accused the UK Government of “jaw-dropping” complacency 
and negligence.

However, Ms Sturgeon missed the same meetings as the Prime Minister, the March 2 meeting was also her first, and that she then missed another on March 4. Her place was taken by Ms Freeman and Mental Health Minister Clare Haughey, with then chief medical officer Dr Catherine Calderwood also sitting in.

The Sunday Mail reported the meetings were convened on January 24 and 29, February 5, 18 and 26, specifically to discuss the coronavirus threat. On February 26, Ms Sturgeon chose to play netball with schoolchildren in Dundee.

Scotland had its first case on March 2 and its first death a fortnight later.

Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: “Nicola Sturgeon’s failure to attend six Cobra meetings on the coronavirus pandemic is nothing short of a dereliction of duty.

“The First Minister needs to explain what she was doing that was so important she missed all these meetings, or is this merely about status and she won’t go if Boris isn’t there?”

The Scottish Government said Ms Sturgeon had chaired meetings of the devolved emergency committee as the pandemic emerged.

A spokesman said: “The First Minister has been chairing meetings of the Scottish Government Resilience Committee, our equivalent of Cobra, since January 29. The Scottish Government has been represented at all Cobra ministerial meetings on the coronavirus that we have been invited to.

"We often receive only limited advance notice of such meetings.”

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the lockdown would have to be eased gingerly, as the outbreak was still at a “delicate and dangerous” stage.

He said a vaccine was unlikely to be ready this year and social distancing would remain in place for “some time”, including in shops and schools.

He confirmed the Government was considering checks on people arriving at sea ports and airports in the UK.

Sunday papers reported officials were reviving previously discounted plans for passengers to be quarantined for 14 days after entering the country.

READ MORE: ​Dominic Raab rejects calls for early lifting of coronavirus lockdown

Mr Raab said: “We have continually, throughout, tested this with the scientists and with the chief medical officer to make sure that as the evidence changes we are able to take any new measures that are necessary.  

“So that is something we will be looking at. It could include the testing of people coming in.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer yesterday urged the UK Government to set out an exit strategy explaining how the lockdown could eventually be lifted.

Shadow cabinet office minister Rachel Reeves also said ministers should treat people “like grown-ups” and should publish their plans for exiting the lockdown - to give businesses, schools and other organisations time to prepare.

Mr Raab responded: “Until we can be confident, based on the scientific advice, that we are making sure-footed steps going forward that protect life, but also preserve our way of life, frankly it is not responsible to start speculating about the individual measures.”

Mr Johnson also returns to a row over his chief political aide Dominic Cummings taking part in meetings of the UK Government’s chief scientific advice body on Covid-19.

It emerged at the weekend that Mr Cummings had been involved with the secretive Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies alongside another Downing Street political appointee, Ben Warner, who previously worked with Mr Cummings at Vote Leave.

There are fears it could compromise the group’s impartiality, or that Mr Johnson may be getting muddled advice from the group, some from its scientists and some from his aides. 
 Ms Freeman tried to row back 

Ms Sturgeon’s comments about discussing closure of the Scotland-England border with the UK Government at the Scottish Government’s daily briefing. 

She said: “What the First Minister was talking about was about the international borders, ie entry into the UK from outside the UK and raising and discussing with the UK Government could be done there. Because entry into the UK is a reserved matter for the UK Government.”

Pressed on whether there were no circumstances in which Ms Sturgeon might close the Scotland-England border, Ms Freeman said: “We wouldn’t be taking any different kind of approach for the sake of being different.

Jeane Freeman: “We wouldn’t be taking any different kind of approach for the sake of being different."

"It would be evidence-based and part of a four-nation discussion about his this pandemic is handled.

“The First Minister’s concern and interest is around the international importing of cases.”

Scottish Tory leader Jackson Carlaw said: “The Scottish Government’s key priorities should be to save lives, protect the NHS and social care system and ensure the ongoing protection and welfare of vulnerable groups. 

“Instead, the SNP leadership is now mired in farcical nonsense regarding frankly ludicrous rhetoric about closing the Border with England.

READ MORE: Jim Sillars says SNP may have to be replaced by new independence party 

“Nicola Sturgeon must know that loose talk from a minority government about shutting the border at Berwick is unhelpful and that any such action would cause further damage to jobs and our economy - rash statements suggesting such a possibility are irresponsible and can only spread wider alarm.

“A planned four nations approach to ending lockdown, with any variations agreed across the UK and supported by clear messaging is by far the most sensible option and the one the Scottish Government should be working with others to secure.”

Mr Blackford said that when Mr Johnson returned to No 10 he should end the “conflicting messages” over the lockdown.

The Skye MP said: “We all wish the Prime Minister well after recovering from this dreadful illness. I hope his strength has fully returned because he needs to hit the ground running.

“His stand-in Dominic Raab talks about the necessity of his five tests being met before considering relaxing lockdown measures. Yet it’s abundantly clear fellow Tories are encouraging specific business sectors to open up regardless.

"The mixed messages emanating from this Government are increasingly worrying.”