Boris Johnson urged to ‘get on with it’ and lift lockdown on June 21 or face economic ruin & spiralling health crisis
BORIS Johnson has been urged to "get on with it" and lift lockdown on June 21 - amid warnings the UK could otherwise face economic ruin and a spiralling health crisis.
Tory grandee Sir Iain Duncan Smith has told the PM to ignore Nicola Sturgeon and "nervous scientists" and plough ahead with 'Freedom Day' as planned.
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It comes as top scientists are urging Mr Johnson to push back his plans to unlock Britain as the Indian mutation spreads through the country.
While yesterday Sturgeon piled on further pressure by setting back the lockdown easing in Scotland.
But the UK recorded zero deaths on Tuesday for the first time since the pandemic began, even as the number of people newly-infected with the virus rose.
The news provides more hope that the vaccines are severing the link between infections, hospitalisations and deaths.
It comes as:
- The UK has recorded ZERO Covid deaths for the first time since the pandemic began - but cases have risen 26 per cent
- Hating certain types of vegetable may lower your risk of catching Covid, a new study reveals
- A new map reveals where the Indian mutation is now dominant
- A third wave could already be under way in the UK, scientists warn
- The UK must give poorer countries jabs to stop millions of deaths and fight ‘dangerous gap’, WHO warns
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the jabs are "clearly working" - but warned: "Despite this undoubtedly good news, we know we haven't beaten this virus yet."
However, top Tories say the PM must not blindly follow Scotland's lead.
"This is not a competition. If the evidence doesn't stack up, you get on with it [unlocking]."
And he said he has a "horrible feeling" stage four won't go ahead - because "everyone is very jittery" in the wake of Dominic Cummings' evidence about the Government response.
Urging ministers to "go ahead with June 21", he said many are listening to "nervous" scientists "peddling assumptions".
"They keep saying: 'We're going to listen to the science'," he said.
"But they're not – they're listening to the scientists. The science is what you make of it. We haven't seen any uptick in hospitalisations."
And Conservative MP Peter Bone urged Mr Johnson to ignore Ms Sturgeon's decision.
He argued Scotland has a "totally different" and "not comparable" set of restrictions - meaning her move is "not relevant" to any choice made for England.
Meanwhile, the publication reports that Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the powerful 1922 committee of backbench Tories, has also called for the PM to take the final steps to "normality".
Vaccinations appear to be working effectively against the mutation, he said - adding: "This should give us the self-confidence to continue our progress towards normality with the final step on June 21 and scrap all social distancing measures."
And Tory grandee Sir John Redwood said: "Just get on with relaxing the lockdown.
"Vaccines have brought the serious cases and deaths right down which is what matters."
Leading scientists are among those backing calls to unlock fully
Robert Dingwall, professor of sociology at Nottingham Trent University, told the paper: "I think it's really important that we go ahead.
'JUST GET ON WITH IT'
"We've got to look at the collateral damage in terms of untreated cancers, untreated heart conditions, all of the other things that people suffer from.
"We've got to think about the impact of economic damage that would be caused by further periods of delay and uncertainty."
But Professor Ravi Gupta insisted it is still too early to "put the vaccine straight up against the virus".
The member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) said the final relaxing of the rules should be pushed back by several weeks.
It's understood the PM wants to move cautiously - but is still hoping to unlock all areas of England at the same time, rather than reverting to the much-loathed tier system.
Elsewhere, every adult Brit will be offered a jab within weeks, it's reported.
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says officials are planning to open up eligibility to all age groups in a bid to crackdown on the Indian variant, recently renamed the 'Delta variant'.
The strain is spreading quickly among young people.