UK Government Still Hiding Coronavirus Lockdown Exit Plans

THE UK government is still hiding their lockdown exit plans, despite devolved administrations in Edinburgh and Cardiff declaring their future strategy.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is deputising for Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he recovers from the coronavirus, was pressed on Sky News this morning (April 26) to reveal the government’s thinking on how and when the country might begin to see an easing of social distancing measures.

“We are at a delicate and dangerous stage and we need to make sure that the next steps are sure-footed,” Raab told Sky News, adding that the government was “doing the homework” behind closed doors on what would happen in the next phase.

“It’s not responsible to start speculating about the individual measures,” he said, urging the public to stick to the current guidance, which is to stay at home except for essential travel.

Raab’s comments are in contrast to the devolved bodies in Scotland and Wales who have been guiding people through their roadmap of plans once the pandemic is brought under control.

Labour Party leader, Sir Keir Starmer, has written a letter to Boris Johnson calling on him to declare openly the strategy for getting the UK out of lockdown.

Starmer said that he wasn’t after an exact timetable, but that bringing the public in on the plans would help keep them on side as the isolation restrictions continue.

The letter also criticised the government’s slow initial response to the coronavirus outbreak.