Covid-19: Northern Tory MPs demand England lockdown exit plan
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A group of Conservative MPs in northern England has warned the prime minister not to leave constituencies "locked into lockdown" indefinitely.
The chairman of the Northern Research Group (NRG) of Tory backbenchers, Jake Berry, called for a "clear roadmap" for easing and ending restrictions.
The House of Commons backed a second England-wide lockdown on Wednesday, but 34 Conservative MPs opposed it.
Boris Johnson said it was needed to "contain the surge" in Covid-19 cases.
The lockdown, scheduled to end on 2 December, involves pubs, restaurants, gyms and non-essential shops closing. People are also being told not to leave home unless necessary, while households must not mix unless part of the same support bubble.
In Scotland, a new five-tier restrictions system came into force on Monday. Wales is in a "firebreak" lockdown until 9 November, and Northern Ireland is also under tighter restrictions.
The NRG includes several Conservative MPs in northern England whose constituencies were on tier 2 and the highest - tier 3 - restrictions before lockdown started on Thursday.
Some of them represent former Labour strongholds taken by the Tories in last December's general election on a promise to "level up" the country.
Mr Berry, MP for Rossendale and Darwen, Lancashire, said: "Whilst the South has faced fewer restrictions in recent months, the North has been held back under one form of restriction or another - and significant parts have been in tier 3 restrictions for two weeks prior to [Wednesday's] vote.
"We share concerns that after this second national lockdown ends on 2 December, our northern constituencies are the most likely to go back into the higher levels of the regional tiering system."
Mr Berry asked Mr Johnson to give "reassurances" that there would be "a clear roadmap down the tiering system and out of restrictions when this lockdown ends".
He also asked the prime minister to "accelerate shovel-ready infrastructure projects already in the pipeline" and create "a northern economic recovery plan".
"Our constituents have been some of the worst-affected by Covid, with many losing jobs and businesses," Mr Berry said. "We cannot allow our region to become locked-in to lockdown indefinitely."
More than 70 business leaders from the North of England are supporting the NRG's demands.
'Safest path'
On Wednesday, the UK recorded a further 492 coronavirus deaths - the highest daily figure since 19 May - and 25,177 confirmed cases.
The prime minister told MPs that a second lockdown was "not something any of us wanted to do", but he added: "I am not prepared to take the risk with the lives of British people."
"While it pains me to call for such restrictions on lives, liberty and business, I have no doubt that these restrictions represent the best and safest path for our country," he said.
Mr Johnson insisted lockdown would expire automatically on 2 December and he hoped "very much" to "get this country going again" in the run-up to Christmas.