COVID-19 UK Political Analysis by Tim Hames – 23rd October

What was left of consistency and consensus on COVID-19 within the nations of the United Kingdom and in England is close to disappearing. Wales has opted for a “fire break” akin to a softer version of a full national lockdown. Northern Ireland is in similar territory. For the moment it appears that Scotland will soon approve its own five tier variation of the three tier approach that has been set out within England but with more forceful restrictions in the hardest hit areas. A shift towards a full circuit break north of the border cannot be discounted. In England itself there has been a very bitter and public argument between the Greater Manchester region and Whitehall over the terms by which it should accept movement into the “Very High” risk category. This has at times looked like an exercise less of principle than hard haggling over additional money to offset any local increase in unemployment. Other city regions, such as Sheffield, have pursued more subtle tactics to secure their co-operation. Conservative MPs in the South West and South East of England have been enraged at the suggestion that there might need to be a national circuit break in England when the rates of infection in their regions remain very modest indeed compared to the overall figures with little sign of a surge.