April 4, 2020

Boris Johnson invites Party leaders to come together to tackle Coronavirus

The Prime Minister has this morning written to all leaders of opposition parties in Parliament, inviting them to a briefing with himself, the Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Scientific Adviser next week.

All party leaders have a duty to work together at this moment of national emergency, and so the Prime Minister will listen to the views of other opposition leaders and update them on the measures his Government has taken so far, including rapidly expanding testing and providing unprecedented support for businesses and people across the country.

The Prime Minister also made clear in his letter that we will always act in the national interest and be guided by the best scientific evidence. We will continue to engage constructively with all political parties in this national effort to beat coronavirus.

Our message to the British public is clear: stay at home, in order to protect the NHS and save lives.

Boris Johnson's letter to Party Leaders in full:

Coronavirus is the biggest threat this country has faced in decades – and we are not alone. All over the world we are seeing the devastating impact of this invisible killer.

We are working to a scientifically-led, step-by-step action plan – taking the right measures at the right time. We know this will not be a short battle – beating coronavirus will take months, not weeks – but the people of the United Kingdom can come through this together. But the Government is keeping all the current restrictions, and any further action that might be required, under constant review and they will be released if and when the evidence shows we are able to.

Our message to the British public is clear: stay at home, in order to protect the NHS and save lives.

As party leaders, we have a duty to work together at this moment of national emergency. Therefore, I would like to invite all leaders of opposition parties to a briefing with myself, the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Adviser next week. I want to listen to your views and update you on the measures we have taken so far, such as rapidly expanding testing and providing economic support to businesses and individuals across the country.

The Government I lead will act in the national interest at all times and be guided by the best scientific evidence, and of course we will continue to engage constructively with all political parties on the national effort to defeat the pandemic. I have no doubt that – as we have so many times in the past – the people of the United Kingdom will rise to this current challenge, and we will beat Coronavirus together.

Yours Sincerely,
Boris Johnson
Region Labour's Pension Tax (£) Extra Months to Work
England 11,167 44
East Midlands 6,150 50
Greater London 12,871 45
North East 9,758 38
North West 6,835 47
South East 14,270 40
South West 7,407 45
West Midlands 10,729 41
Northern Ireland 13,718 35
Scotland 10,653 41
Wales 11,691 36
United Kingdom 11,253 43

Commenting, Therese Coffey, Secretary of State for the Department of Work and Pensions, said:

“Corbyn’s Pension Tax will see ten million savers facing a huge bill forcing them to delay their retirement for almost three and a half years.
“This is just one of the ways a Corbyn government would hammer hardworking people on top of his plans to hike up taxes by £2,400 a year, as well as the cost of his plan for unlimited immigration and the chaos of 2020 being dominated by two more referendums – one on Brexit and another on Scottish independence.
“Only Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party can get Brexit done with a deal, get parliament working again and turbocharge our economy to unleash Britain’s potential.”

Read more about how this Pension Tax will impact millions of savers (PDF)

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