End 10pm pub closure farce by letting MPs take back control – The Yorkshire Post says

If his ‘take back control’ mantra was so fundamental to Britain’s dealings with the European Union, it is even more important now when Downing Street is responding to the biggest peacetime crisis since the Second World War by circumventing Parliament in order to invoke Orwellian-like laws.

No wonder so many MPs are up in arms as Yorkshire’s very own Lady Hale, the former president of the Supreme Court, accuses Parliament of “surrendering” its role over the renewal of emergency laws put in place at the outset of the lockdown.

Not only is it wrong, even dangerous, to take elected representatives for granted like this but a more collegiate approach might have lessened the likelihood of ill-conceived decisions being taken, the latest being the farce over the 10pm closure of pubs.

Even though pubs and restaurants were the source of just three per cent of new Covid infections in the week before the curfew, it was clear this cut-off point would lead to crowds congrgating on the streets – and then groups gathering in private homes to continue drinking and, potentially, spreading the virus.

It would have been far better to empower local councils, and police chiefs, to come up with appropriate arrangements for their own areas. This would also have spared Mr Johnson getting in a muddle when pressed on the new lockdown arrangements for the North East – or his colleague Gillian Keegan’s response when asked how people are meant to keep up to date with the latest restrictions when ministers cannot. “I’m sorry I can’t answer that question,” she replied. She’s only the Education Minister.

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Thank you

James Mitchinson