Coronavirus lockdown: Emma-Lewell-Buck warns move may not halt spread

A Tyneside MP has warned she is "not entirely convinced" the latest England lockdown will help cut coronavirus infection rates sufficiently.

South Shields Labour MP Emma Lewell-Buck said issues with test and trace and the lack of a "proper vaccine roll-out plan" would hamper efforts.

She added the government's handling of schools was a "shambolic mess".

Richard Holden, Conservative MP for North West Durham, said moving to lockdown had "not been taken lightly".

Under measures announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday, people in England must now stay at home except for permitted reasons.

Ms Lewell-Buck said: "We seem to keep repeating the same things over and over again and it's not bringing the desired results, and that is because the other things that need to be in place are not.

"We've still got people arriving at airports not being tested and isolated, and we've still not got test and trace in place properly. There is no proper vaccine roll-out plan, there isn't increased sick pay and isolation payments are not enough.

"Again we heard the prime minister giving false hope to people saying we were in the last phase of the struggle.

"He needs to start being honest with the public that this virus will be around for a very long time and we need to learn to live with it as safely as possible with all these other elements in place instead of locking the country down."

As England enters its third national lockdown, the North East remains one of the areas with fewer coronavirus cases - but they are increasing.

The region recorded about 370 positive cases for every 100,000 people as of the latest figures, the sixth lowest of England's nine regions.

However, in context locally, this was an increase of nearly two thirds on the previous week, one of the steepest rises of any region.

Across the North East, Hartlepool had the highest infection rate of about 700 cases per 100,000 people as of the 31 December - this increased by nearly two thirds in a week. Newcastle saw the lowest rate of just under 200 cases per 100,000.

Hartlepool again saw the highest proportion of people testing positive for coronavirus in the last week. Of those taking lab-based tests, about 24% had at least one positive result. More than 5% positivity suggests widespread community transmission of the virus.

South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust had 222 beds filled with coronavirus patients as of 30 December, rising from 202 the previous week and 171 a month ago. Many of these appear to be new admissions.

Overall, there seems to be a real contrast across the North East in terms of the impact of coronavirus, with some areas affected far more than others. It's unclear whether this situation will remain, but cases are rising across the board, with the virus spreading quickly.

The House of Commons has been recalled to allow MPs to vote on England's new restrictions on Wednesday.

While Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said they have the support of his party, Ms Lewell-Buck told BBC Radio Newcastle she might vote against them.

"I'm saying I want the government to put other things in place before I vote for another lockdown because constantly doing the same thing and supporting them is letting them off the hook," she said.

"The prime minister said on Sunday morning schools were perfectly safe to reopen then last night he changed his mind and decided to close them. It's an absolutely shambolic mess."

Mr Holden said the government moved to impose lockdown and close schools because "the data is changing all the time".

"A few weeks ago I was desperate to see my community come out of tier three, but since then we've seen the new variant of the virus really rip through our communities," he said.

"We've seen hospital numbers surge and we've got to respond."

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