Sadiq Khan calls for London schools to close as Tier 3 looms after 'catastrophic' rise in infections

London mayor on collision course with Gavin Williamson over school closures

London’s mayor Sadiq Khan is calling for the capital’s schools to shut from Monday as new "catastrophic"infection rates pushed the city to the brink of Tier 3.

The mayor’s demand puts him on a collision course with Gavin Williamson, the Education Secretary, who has insisted it is a "national priority" to keep children in school.

MPs from London and the surrounding areas are due to be briefed on figures which show the rate of infection is now doubling every four days.

Mr Khan’s spokesman said: “The mayor is backing the early closure of schools and would like the Government to consider shutting schools from Tuesday. He wants tomorrow (Monday) to be the last day at school.”

A London shutdown would close hundreds of schools and force hundreds of thousands of pupils to study online. It comes as one London council ordered all its schools to close - in defiance of Mr Williamson and risking a confrontation in the courts.

A health source said it now appeared “inevitable” that the capital will be placed under Tier 3 restrictions - closing all pubs and restaurants - when the allocations are reviewed on Wednesday. 

The source said the latest data was “terrifying,” with rates in the capital worse than those of Liverpool or Manchester when they entered Tier 3, giving the Government little choice but to introduce the harshest restrictions.

Despite some variations between different parts of the capital, he said the London boroughs were seen as “far too interconnected” to each other to be split up.

"The new data makes it likely London will go into Tier 3," said another Government source, describing the latest figures as “catastrophic”.

Another Government insider said: "Boris will be very against putting London in Tier 3. But I think it's more than 50 per cent likely London will go into Tier 3."

The leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, in south east London, asked headteachers to shut their schools from Monday afternoon in defiance of orders by Gavin Williamson, the Education Secretary. 

The request sets the council on a collision course with ministers who have threatened to take schools to court if they try to shut early in the run up to Christmas.

In the letter to headteachers, Danny Thorpe, leader of Greenwich council, wrote: "It has become clear in the last few days that rates of Covid-19 are rising extremely rapidly, both within Greenwich and across London. The latest data seems to suggest the rate of infection is doubling in the city every four days.

"Indeed, colleagues from public health have advised that Greenwich, with many other boroughs, is now in a period of exponential growth that demands immediate action."

London MPs and ministers including chancellor Rishi Sunak, Business Secretary Alok Sharma have raised concerns about pushing the capital under harsher restrictions, with businesses suggesting it could cost £3bn to the economy.

Government scientists have been pressing for such a move, in the hope that closing the capital’s pubs and restaurants in the run-up to Christmas could push down infection rates, before millions travel across the country. 

A spokesman for Sadiq Khan said the matter is a decision for public health officials and Government but said businesses that were forced to shut need to receive adequate compensation. The run-up to Christmas generates huge sums for West End bars and restaurants and without proper financial compensation, businesses would go bust and thousands of jobs would be lost, he said. 

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While the Government has said restrictions will be relaxed over a five-day Christmas period from 23 to 27 December, the “tier requirements” remain in place.

If London is added to the Tier 3 list it would mean that millions of people living or staying in the capital would be unable to enjoy a Christmas trip to restaurants or pubs. If London goes into Tier 3, hotels will have to close. However, they would be allowed to reopen just for the Christmas five-day window, meaning anyone who had booked to stay in the capital during that period to join a festive bubble would be able to. 

Ministers are currently considering whether changes can be made to the way the Tier system operates, which would release some areas from Tier 3.

A number of MPs have expressed fury that swathes of the country are under harsh restrictions, even though infection rates within counties vary substantially. 

Ministers are now examining whether decisions could be reflect infection rates and hospital admissions on a more localised basis. 

The Health Secretary said that “narrow carve-outs” - saving a town or village with low areas of infections from restrictions imposed in surrounding areas - would not work, suggesting that such areas only catch up and often overtake those placed under restrictions.

Officials are currently examining whether changes to the system could still free some areas, allowing for different tiers within counties such as Leicestershire, Kent and Somerset. 

But a health source said that Government discussions had concluded that there was no safe way to differentiate between London’s 32 boroughs, given the amount of travel within the capital. 

“It is all or nothing with London and it now seems inevitable that it will be placed in Tier 3,” he said. 

A Downing Street source said: "No decision has been made yet on London. We will look at all the latest data when the review date comes around."

Health officials are working on plans to increase community testing across the capital, in an attempt to isolate as many cases in the capital as possible before Christmas, and limit the spread of the virus to the rest of the country. 

 

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Health chiefs have called for a strengthening of restrictions, saying that any relaxation could trigger a third wave of coronavirus at the busiest time of year for the NHS.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents hospitals, urged “extreme caution” in moving any areas to a lower tier.

He said that a number of areas should be moved into Tier 3 “without any delay,” warning that the current trajectory across the country is “at the bottom end of the hopes and expectations” they had a month ago.

Mr Hopson raised concerns that the rates in the southern half of the country were similar to those seen in the north before the second lockdown. 

A Government spokeswoman said ministers will not "hesitate to take necessary actions to protect local communities" and that decisions are made based on the latest available data.

"We have introduced strengthened local restrictions to protect the progress gained during national restrictions, reduce pressure on the NHS and ultimately save lives," the spokeswoman said.

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