Ahead of the votes on 'Plan B' Covid restrictions, Greg Smith MP has outlined why he will be voting against:
Tomorrow, I will be voting against all moves to make Covid restrictions tougher. I simply do not see the evidence to further restrict freedoms and liberties in the United Kingdom, especially given the absolute threat to the economy, mental health and ensuring the NHS is able to get the care and treatment needed to people with urgent conditions such as cancer and heart disease. Restrictions are not harm free, they cause significant harms in themselves. However, I fear the measures will pass, as it seems once again opposition parties, instead of challenging the government, will roll over and have their tummies tickled, writing the government a blank cheque.
I have long opposed vaccine passports which are divisive and discriminatory. They do not stop the spread of Covid and serve no medical purpose. This is obvious when you look at countries that have had health passes for some time including Israel and locally Scotland and Wales.
Vaccine passports look like a panacea, and they’re being presented as such. But they are a serious reinvention of our relationship to the state.
What’s more, nightclubs and live event venues where passports are to be introduced are already among the most badly hit businesses during the pandemic – they are saddled with debt and can scarcely afford additional capital investment. They are now being asked to change a key part of their operating model and to do this at weeks’ notice. The potential for chaos is high, with many businesses simply not having the funds or operational capacity to implement the policy.
The inclusion of negative testing as part of certification will put huge strain on the supply of lateral flow tests. On Monday morning, the Government website was already saying that no tests are available. This will threaten the whole system if shortages continue when Covid certification becomes mandatory for some venues.
We need local decision making and proper industry consultation, not just Whitehall diktat. The priority must be the restoration of freedom and we need a plan that makes sense to everyone. I have received countless emails from local businesses who understandably can see no justification for these measures.
The additional Covid restrictions could easily knock 2% off GDP and according to Institute of Economic Affairs estimates, will cost the UK economy £4 billion a month – potentially forcing the taxpayer to foot the bill for more emergency support. Any measures during the crucial festive period will impact small businesses already beset by supply chain disruption, inflation and shortages. I am already hearing from hospitality venues in the constituency being hammered by huge numbers of cancellations, just at the point they most need the trade. One pub reports they have already lost a fifth of their bookings.
This is all on top of the immense harms to people’s wellbeing and freedoms, as well as the risk of further disruption to children’s education which would be unforgivable.
Last week saw the one year anniversary of the UK administering the world’s first approved COVID-19 vaccine, and it was announced that innovative antiviral treatments will be rolled out from next week to over 50s and those most at risk to COVID-19 who test positive.
Vaccines are the answer, not restrictions on freedom, liberty, our way of life, our ability to earn a living and for our children to grow, learn and develop. Indeed, I was delighted to see reports over the weekend showing that three doses of a vaccine will significantly protect individuals against the Omicron variant. These vaccines - and those under development, such as the nasal spray, are our path to hope; alongside the conveyor belt of new treatments being approved to treat those with the virus.
There is little to no evidence that Omicron causes any more severe disease than previous variants (or the winter flu for that matter). The number infected is not a relevant metric to assess the danger of a given virus. The figures that matter are the number that become critically unwell or die as a result of contracting the virus. Medics and scientists in South Africa are saying that signs point towards Omicron being fairly mild compared to the preceding delta variant. South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases confirmed that only around 30 per cent of people hospitalised with Covid in recent weeks have been seriously ill – less than half the rate compared to the first weeks of previous waves of the pandemic.
I fear that the mindset and logic that led to the imposition of Plan B could well lead to a gradual creep towards more draconian restrictions. I cannot support measures that will wantonly trash the economy, impose restrictions on personal liberty and rob people of individual responsibility and their right to run a business and earn a living.
The concept of individual sovereignty is vital for our quality of life as a population. People have a right to personal responsibility, to choose what they do and where they go. This is the basis of a democratic society. Allowing the government to decide what risks people should and should not be able to take with their health, who they might and might not see, and how they may operate their businesses, is something only mirrored by totalitarian states. We can still protect communities and our health service with the information and vaccines they need to make the right decisions.
The goal must be to learn to live with Covid. This means accepting the virus will continue to mutate. The continual mutation of Covid means the Government could find endless excuses to restrict freedoms.
It is my intention to challenge each and every one of the new restrictions coming forward and vote against them.
