The government’s lack of consistency in handling the pandemic is causing confusion and chaos, says Northumberland Labour.

Shadow cabernet for adult wellbeing Mark Purvis said: “People are being bombarded with contradictory messages against a backdrop of a government which says, ‘do as I say, not do as I do’.

 “Quite frankly it’s not surprising people are fed up. We’ve heard people say that the government has done its best but if this is its best, then its best is not good enough. With the exception of the NHS-led highly successful vaccination programme this government has acted too little too late and lives have been needlessly lost.

“It’s all very well saying people have to get on with living but while vulnerable people are still shielding and people are dying, the government should be providing some leadership.

“We fail to understand why mask wearing was lifted at all but why it now only applies to shops and public transport and not restaurants and pubs. Our hospitality industry will not be threatened by asking people to wear masks. People want to get out and socialise and we believe people would act responsibly if they were asked to.”

Labour wants:

• the vaccination programme to go further and faster
• sick pay to be improved to ensure people can afford to stay away from work if they are ill, ventilation in homes, offices, and shops improved and anti-virals used more widely to reduce the spread of the disease
• an improvement to pre-departure testing and follow up on PCR results
• the government to fulfill its commitment to get the vaccine rolled out to all parts of the globe (agreed at this summer’s G& summit)