Coronavirus: Liverpool city leaders call for third national lockdown to prevent ‘catastrophe’

Boris Johnson faces calls for further nationwide restrictions as cases surge

A third national lockdown is urgently needed in England to prevent a "catastrophe", Liverpool's leaders have told the government.

The city's acting mayor, Wendy Simon, and the Labour-run city council's cabinet said the current tier system was failing to curb the spread of the new variant of Covid-19.

They said in a statement that they feared the "alarming levels" of coronavirus cases in London and the southeast would soon spread across the country.

It comes after scientists advising the government warned that further nationwide restrictions were inevitable because the NHS was struggling with record numbers of Covid patients in hospital.

Boris Johnson is expected to face questions over the possibility of further national restrictions, along with planned school reopenings, when he appears on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show on Sunday morning.

The prime minister has previously attempted to play down the prospects of further lockdowns. In July he described the policy as a "nuclear deterrent" that he did not think he would ever have to use again. He then rejected scientists' calls in September for a two-week circuit breaker, only to impose the second national lockdown for four weeks in November.

Last month, days before scrapping his plans for a five-day Christmas easing of restrictions across England, the prime minister hinted that a third lockdown might be necessary in the new year.

Liverpool’s cases of coronavirus have almost trebled in the past two weeks to 350 per 100,000, despite the city successfully leading on the national pilot for community testing which led to it being the first city to be taken out of tier 3 and into tier 2.

"It is clear that the country is now at a crossroads with Covid-19," the statement said.

"The stark reality is that today this virulent new strain of the virus is very much on the rise and we need to act now to prevent a crisis that will unleash even more pain and anguish.

"We need the government to listen to those at the frontline, both in our hospitals and frontline services.

"We as a nation can cope with a lockdown. We have before and we can again. The quicker we move into one now, the more lives will be saved and the quicker a recovery will be.

"Yes, there will be pain for our retail and hospitality sectors, but they want long-term security and a strong recovery and a lockdown provides both."

The council leaders said in their statement that it was "self-evident" the current system was not working, even with more than three-quarters of the country under the most serious tier restrictions. They also called for "an additional package of welfare and economic support" during a further lockdown.

"Let's get ahead of the curve and act now," they said. "We all know too well the dire consequences and costs if we don't, particularly to the most vulnerable in our communities.

"Millions of Britons have made many sacrifices these past 10 months and none of us want to see those efforts go to waste. Much progress has been made to limit the virus, but we can only do so much as individuals.

"The country is currently facing a catastrophe that will undo much of what has been achieved if we do not act as one."

The government's coronavirus advisers have warned that even a return to a full March-style lockdown - during which schools were shut and restrictions prevented people from leaving their homes except for essential reasons - may not be enough to control the new variant's spread in England.

A government spokesperson said: "We strengthened our measures by introducing tier 4 two weeks ago, based on advice from Sage and it is vital everyone continues to follow the rules to reduce transmission in their areas, save lives and protect our NHS.

"We keep the spread of Covid-19 under constant review based on latest medical and scientific data and have been clear we will not hesitate to take actions necessary to protect local communities."

Additional reporting by Press Association