A Warwickshire MP has set out to an audience of regional businesses why he believes the UK economy should be allowed to open up more quickly than has been planned in the Government’s roadmap.
Jeremy Wright, the MP for Kenilworth and Southam, told the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce’s Policy Hour session that there may be a ‘halfway house’ between immediate reopening and that which the Prime Minister set out.
He said the pace and success of the Covid-19 vaccination programme could mean that planning for a full reopening on June 21 – or later – was too cautious.
Mr Wright said: “The reason for lockdown and closing parts of our economy was to reduce transmission.
“However, the vaccination programme which began in our region has been hugely successful – probably even more successful than the Government could have ever imagined – and this is offering a great deal of protection to those most vulnerable and those most likely to die from Covid-19.
“So, in my view and that of many others, our focus should no longer be on transmission.
“There are some who say we can go faster and that we should open everything now, while others are quite happy with the caution set out in the roadmap. I believe there can be a halfway house and I will be making that case when legislation comes before Parliament.”
He added: “The Government has spent almost £350 billion in supporting businesses through Covid-19 and, as the Chancellor set out in his Budget, that will eventually need to be paid for.
“The best way of doing that is to get businesses back trading as quickly as possible for them to start making the money that means they are no longer reliant on support and can start to generate the profits to pay off the debts they’ve incurred during the pandemic.
“People might say that I’m arguing about a matter of weeks but, actually the difference between opening up in early May compared to later on in June could be massive to some of those seasonal businesses in our area.”
Mr Wright said the long-term effect of the pandemic on retail, leisure and office work would not be known immediately.
He said: “Even when we do reopen, we won’t know for some time whether people’s habits have changed. I suspect we will see change but we will have to wait to see what the extent of that is.”
Sean Rose, policy officer at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “It was an engaging and interesting virtual meeting and gave companies from across the region the chance to hear from a local MP directly and also ask questions that are key to their business and their future prospects.”