Covid-19: Concern over what tier London will be placed in

Concerns have been raised over what tier London will be in following the ending of lockdown.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the three-tiered regional measures will return from 2 December, but added each tier would be toughened.

Regions will not find out which tier they are in until Thursday.

London MPs have questioned how the city will be ranked when infections rates vary between the worst-affected and least-affected areas.

In the Commons, Bob Blackman, Conservative MP for Harrow East, said: "(Mr Johnson) I understand is going to require London to be in one regional tier, but as of the end of last week the rate of infection in the worst-affected borough was a 372 per 100,000, but in the least-affected area at 125 per 100,000.

"What will drive which tier London goes into, the position in the worst-affected area, the middle or the least-affected area?"

Mr Johnson replied: "The point about London is that although it's very diverse and massive, 650 square miles or so, it is held together by a very dense mass transit system and although there are fewer people on it right now, the transmission within London means that it's quite difficult to separate one bit of London from another."

Fellow Conservative Felicity Buchan, MP for Kensington, said: "London is the engine of this country's economy and my central London constituency is suffering hard.

"As of Friday, London has a substantially lower case rate than the English average, coming in at 75 points lower, and my constituency was 125 points lower.

"Will (Matt Hancock) assure me that London will come out at the lowest tier possible given the health circumstances?"

Mr Hancock said London would "come out at the tier that is necessary and appropriate based on the public health evidence."

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has warned Londoners to "continue to stick to the rules so we do not waste the hard work and efforts that have been made during this lockdown".

It comes as London theatres bosses warned that if the capital was placed in the toughest tiers of restrictions, organisations' long-term survival would be "at risk".

Under the top tier, theatres would have to close, while audience capacity limits would be set for venues in areas where performances were allowed.

The Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre's chief executive Julian Bird said the announcement had "shaken an already fragile sector".

"Closure of venues in Tier 3 areas will mean cancellation of pantos and other shows, risking organisations' long-term survival and leaving theatre freelancers adrift with no compensation.

"The capacity constraints in Tiers 1 and 2 will lead to financial problems for venues and disappointment for audiences.

"It is unclear why these have been instituted in a sector with no known spread of the virus."

Dave Hutchinson, chief executive of the Selladoor Worldwide theatre company, also criticised the move.

"If ever there was a sector waiting for its slot on the runway, it's theatre," he said.