Honiton and Tiverton MP Neil Parish has said he will seek further support for businesses to help them through the extended coronavirus restrictions.

It was announced yesterday (Monday) that the final easing of lockdown restrictions would not take place on June 21 as initially hoped, but would be delayed for four weeks due to concerns over the rapid spread of the Indian (Delta) variant of COVID-19.

MPs from across Devon have offered a mixed reaction to the news, with Mr Parish saying Prime Minister Boris Johnson had "no choice but to be cautious".

He commented: "I am disappointed that a full unlocking cannot go ahead on 21 June, but I do accept the need to delay. The Delta variant has meant that the Prime Minister has had no choice but to be cautious.

"However, even a short delay will have an adverse impact on certain sectors, especially the hospitality industry, and so I will be seeking further support from the government to help businesses through the additional period of restrictions."

Mr Parish's acceptance of the extended restrictions was not shared by his Conservative colleague Anne Marie Morris, who represents Newton Abbot.

She said: "I am very much against this decision and am worried about a further delay post July 19. We, quite rightly, understand that the reality is that we will have to live with COVID-19 in various forms and any attempt at a 'zero COVID' strategy is both impossible and unworkable.

"Despite this, the government appears to be determined to pursue a lockdown policy that is likely to drag on for the foreseeable future.

"After all, what happens if four weeks becomes another extension and then another extension, just because another variant has flared up?

"We cannot afford to keep running scared from these variants, we need to manage them when they inevitably arrive.

"If we are to continue to be locked down for another month then the government must put in place a support package to help those who still cannot re-open and those who have received no support for the last 18 months.

"I cannot in good faith support the extension of lockdown by a further month. Despite this, the government clearly has a majority to do so, therefore it's going to happen.

"In that case, I would call on the government to publish the data justifying its decision and also provide financial support for those they have excluded for the past 18 months."

Economic misery

Ben Bradshaw, the Labour MP for Exeter, said that he would have to carefully study the proposals but he would be unlikely to support the extension of restrictions when they go to a vote in the House of Commons later this week.

He said: "We are paying a very heavy price for Boris Johnson's failure to put India on the red list when he should have done because he was prioritising an illusory post Brexit trade deal with India.

"That means that, in spite of being ahead on vaccines, we are now to be subject to much tighter restrictions than the rest of Europe and America, who are opening up and where life is returning to normal.

"Thousands more job losses can now be expected in the hospitality, culture and travel industries – just when they should be on the road to recovery.

"I will study the government's proposals when they are made but I very much doubt that I will be able to support the extension of the government's draconian curbs on our basic freedoms, which will cause such economic misery."

Sir Gary Streeter, MP for South West Devon, backed the delay, commenting: "It seems that it is prudent to delay the final release to enable more people to be vaccinated.

"I urge everyone who is entitled to get a jab to come forward and do so and then by mid-July we can see a full release of the lockdown and start to claw our way back to the new normality that awaits us."

Selaine Saxby, MP for North Devon, said: "As expected the Prime Minister has announced a delay to the final stage of the roadmap by at least two weeks, given the current data nationally. 

"I recognise how hard this is for so many local businesses, many have already been in touch and I know it is particularly difficult in our regions, where our cases remain so low, thanks to the steps taken by these businesses and residents alike to follow the rules.

"For the vaccines to protect, as fully as possible, against the Delta variant the second jab is needed.

"Over the coming weeks ensuring as many people as possible have had their second dose is the focus so the clear, current, exponential growth of the delta variant does not take off in the manner the Alpha (Kent) variant did at the end of 2020."

'We will get there

Steve Brown, Devon's Director of Public Health, said that with case numbers rising again across the country, and with a much more transmissible variant now the dominant strain, delaying the further lifting of restrictions would be sensible.

He commented: "Not only would that maintain the rules around social contact, but the delay would also allow more people to receive their first or second jabs, offering them valuable protection against this latest strain.

"I ask all Devon residents to be patient. We will get there, but we need to move with great caution.

"We are seeing case numbers start to rise in the county and we will see the Delta variant becoming the dominant strain.

"We must therefore continue to follow the all-important rules on social distancing, wearing face coverings when indoors in public places and washing our hands regularly.

"Please continue to get tested regularly using the rapid lateral flow tests, and self-isolate if you test positive or are asked to do so by contact tracing teams, and please take up the vaccination when you are invited to do so."

And Devon County Council leader, Cllr John Hart, said that as the country is in a race between our vaccination roll-out and the more infectious variant of the virus, he believed this delay was inevitable.

"We need to close the gap between the proportion of our population who've had two jabs and those who've only had one because the difference in protection is very, very marked," he said.

"And we must encourage younger people to book their vaccinations if they haven't already done so.

"I think many residents of Devon will be pleased with this delay as the county has already been very busy with visitors, but I have to repeat my plea to the government to ensure that our hospitality businesses continue to receive support.

"We're entering their peak time now and these continuing restrictions will obviously hamper their ability to operate at full capacity, so it is vital that they receive help, and in the meantime, Devon County Council will continue to do everything in its power to ensure our economy recovers strongly from the pandemic."

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