A FOURTH national lockdown would be disastrous for the North according to a Government minister. Former Northern Powerhouse minister Jake Berry feared the consequences for the region if the Government gets its roadmap out of lockdown wrong. He warned Boris Johnson that people simply can t afford another lockdown. Mr Berry, who is the chairman of the 50-strong Northern Research Group of Conservative MPs, said the region had been hit harder than the rest of England during the coronavirus pandemic, which had exacerbated regional inequalities and left families and busiensses struggling to stay afloat. He said: “The Prime Minister is right to take a cautious approach - a fourth lockdown would be disastrous for our region. But this must be the last time. With each passing day our recovery will take longer, and people simply can’t afford another lockdown.
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“You can t clap your keyworkers during a pandemic, then go back to business as usual and that is where this government will head.
“The first step has to be a recovery and a thriving economy, and if you put taxes up or you go for austerity, you will throttle that [before] you have even got to first base.”
However, Amanda Milling, the Conservative Party co-chairman, accused Labour of stealing policies.
She commented: “After 10 months of Keir Starmer, all Labour has to offer is others’ ideas, empty rhetoric and calling for things the Government is already doing.”