The Government has announced a three tier system for local restrictions.

Wolverhampton and most of the rest of the West Midlands has been placed in Tier 2. Dudley is in Tier 1.

Tier 1 means rule of six applies and pubs and restaurants close at 10pm.

In Tier 2 the rule of six also applies but there is no household mixing in any indoor settings such as pubs or restaurants.

Our local advice from the Director of Public Health and the local council was that most recent transmission was within households so our local authority did not want the restrictions on meeting in pubs and restaurants. However there is little flexibility in these new rules and we were told being in Tier 2 meant we had to have the ban on household mixing not just in people’s homes but other indoor settings too.

We have also learned today that the Government’s SAGE advisors advocated stronger measures such as a two week “circuit breaker” lockdown but this was rejected by Ministers.

I believe that the economic response to all this must be in line with the public health response. That means that where a business can’t operate for public health reasons, its owner and staff must be properly compensated for doing the right thing. If we withdraw economic help too fast as new public health restrictions are imposed, the likelihood will be more business insolvencies and more unemployment. Unemployment is already on the increase and many people fear more joblessness to come.

I am interested in your view of the new restrictions announced. Please email me patrick.mcfadden.mp@parliament.uk