Peer claims ‘Plan A’ isn’t working as UK records 49,139 new Covid cases

Labour peer Baroness Thornton says ‘Plan A’ isn’t working as the UK records 49,139 new Covid cases, the highest since March 2021 and 179 deaths.

Labour peer Baroness Thornton says it’s “quite clear” that “Plan A” isn’t working as the UK records 49,139 new Covid cases, the highest since March 2021 and 179 deaths.

There has been a rise in cases by 21.1 per cent week-on-week.

Lib Dem peer Lord Scriven asked what criteria the UK government has put in place as the “triggers” that would mean implementing the Covid ‘Plan B’ in the House of Lords this afternoon, October 20.

Lord Kamall, a parliamentary under-secretary for health and social care, says: “If the data suggests the NHS is likely to come under unsustainable pressure, the government has prepared Plan B contingency measures.”

“We can act if there’s a substantial likelihood of this happening.”

Labour peer Baroness Thornton says “it’s quite clear those things aren’t working.”

She continued that she “thought we might open a book on how soon it will take the government to actually launch Plan B” when she heard Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng denying ‘Plan B’ would be implemented.

Lord Kamall replies that ‘Plan B’ doesn’t “actually involve complete lockdown,” but will include vaccine passports and mask mandates instead.

He goes on to say that it’s “quite clear the vaccine has been working in breaking the link” between the number of cases and the number of hospitalisations and deaths.”

Speaking to Kay Burley this morning, chief executive of the NHS Confederation Matthew Taylor said things in the UK are “inevitably going to get worse” and that there is “overwhelming evidence” that the UK needs to act.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid will be holding a Covid news briefing at 5pm UK time today.

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