London could be SPLIT into different Tiers to keep capital booming – amid ‘catastrophic’ economy fears

The MPs claim shutting the beating heart of the city would not only hurt Londoners but also "people across the nation."

They pointed out millions of Brits depend on the "wealth and prosperity generated by our great city."

Health Secretary Matt Hancock is now thought to be considering shifting the hardest hit parts of London into Tier 3 while leaving the centre in Tier 2. 

That would allow pubs and restaurants in the West End to keep their doors open during one of their busiest times of the year.

The news comes as it was revealed the vast majority of rural towns and areas will see their hopes of being “decoupled” from neighbouring Covid hotspots in higher tiers dashed.

Mr Hancock wrote in a letter to MPs that “experience” showed that “narrow carve-outs” of lower prevalence areas often leads to them “catching up” or “overtaking” areas close by with high levels of infection.

Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove is reportedly one of the MPs who have suggested that only the London boroughs that have the highest infection rates - on the outskirts of the city - should be placed in Tier 3.

They say putting all of London in Tier 3 will cause a £3billion catastrophic hit to the economy.

North-West Leicestershire MP Andrew Bridgen said Mr Hancock had told him that a localised approach to Covid Tiers would be taken.

He told the Mail that Mr Hancock sent him a text message saying that his region was being "de-linked you from Leicester".

London is on the brink of being plunged into Tier 3 lockdown after coronavirus infections in the capital became the highest in England.

All the city's boroughs were placed in Tier 2 when the one-month lockdown in England ended on December 2.

There is a threat London could be moved into Tier 3 as soon as next week due to a rise in the number of Covid-19 cases.

The capital recorded 191.8 new cases per 100,000 in the week to December 6, according to a report published by Public Health England - 20 per cent higher than the week before.

Health ministers told London MPs that the positive test rate across the UK is 5.9 per cent - but it's more than 7 per cent in the capital.

One MP said: "It feels like they are preparing us for Tier 3. The data is pointing that way."

The worst affected areas are in East London - including Walthamstow, Redbridge, Newham and Barking.

The capital is one of only three areas where rates are rising, according to the latest data from Public Health England.

It now has the highest rate of cases among any region in England.

The sharp rise in cases have sparked fears jobs and businesses will be hit once again if the capital is placed under the tough Tier 3 restrictions.