Keir Starmer urges PM to set out evidence for new lockdown measures

Boris Johnson must set out the scientific evidence behind the introduction of further lockdown measures, Keir Starmer has said, hinting his party could vote against implementing the 10pm curfew if the government fails to provide more evidence.

Speaking at prime minister’s questions, the Labour leader highlighted figures showing a rapid rise in infection rates in areas currently under harsher restrictions, saying it was “obvious something has gone wrong here”.

Starmer said the country was owed an explanation of the rationale behind key restrictions. “The prime minister can’t explain why an area goes into restrictions. He can’t explain what the different restrictions are, and he can’t explain how restrictions end. This is getting ridiculous,” he said.

“Next week this house will vote on whether to approve the 10PM rule. One question is now screaming out: is there a scientific basis for the 10pm rule? If there is then why doesn’t the government do itself a favour and publish it? And if not why doesn’t the government review the rule?”

He said the government should “commit to publishing the scientific basis for the 10pm rule before this house votes on it next Monday”.

More than a dozen Tory MPs have signalled they could also withhold support for approving the curfew, meaning the regulation could lapse if the government loses the vote next week.

Labour also highlighted that 19 out of 20 areas in England that have been under restrictions for two months have reported increasing infection rates:

• Bolton, which has been under restrictions since 30 July, where the infection rate has increased almost 13 times from 20 per 100,000 people to 255.

• Burnley, which has been under restrictions since 31 July, has an infection rate that has risen from 21 per 100,000 people to 434.

• Bury, which has been under restrictions since 31 July, has an infection rate of 266 per 100,000 people, up from 20.

“The prime minister really needs to understand that local communities are angry and frustrated. So will he level with the people of Bury, Burnley and Bolton and tell them what does he actually think the problem is here?” Starmer said.

Johnson hit back at Starmer, saying Labour had failed to back a vote overnight to approve the rule of six. “What we are doing is a combination of national and local measures which one week he comes to the house to support and the next he decides to whisk away,” he said. “That’s not new leadership, that’s no leadership.”

Labour has not yet committed to voting against the approval of the 10pm curfew but a significant number of both Labour and Conservative MPs have said they do not support the measure.

On Tuesday night, 12 Conservative MPs voted against approving the “rule of six” regulation which limits social gatherings. Rebels included the chair and a vice-chair of the backbench 1922 Committee, Graham Brady and Charles Walker, a select committee chair. Huw Merriman. and the former cabinet minister Esther McVey.

During the debate ahead of that vote, the Tory former minister Steve Baker said people were being “destroyed by this lockdown, strong, confident people, outgoing people, gregarious people … reduced to repeated episodes of tears on the phone”.