Steve Baker

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson has insisted England is not being put into lockdown by stealth, despite accusations from some of his own MPs.

The PM said he was not telling The Public to cancel events but urged them to exercise " caution".

It Comes as chief medical officer Chris Whitty suggested people " prioritise" activities in The Run up to Christmas.

Conservative MP Steve Brine accused the government of " putting hospitality into effective lockdown".

Mr Brine said Prof Whitty's comments meant businesses were now facing " complete ruin".

Business group the CBI has urged ministers to provide more support for businesses, who have seen a rise in booking cancellations amid the spread of the Omicron variant.

The PM's spokesman denied Number 10 was sending out Mixed Messages about socialising over Christmas, adding that both the Prime Minister and The Chief medical officer " were making The Point that given the current infection rate people should be cautious and think carefully before mixing with others".

Meanwhile, Labour said the government needed to provide clarity on whether people should go to football matches.

On Wednesday, Dr Nikki Kanani - director of Primary Care at Nhs England - said her advice would be " if you're going to go to a stadium at the weekend, make it one where you can get your vaccine or help out to give a vaccine, rather than going to watch a match. "

Some big stadiums, including Stamford Bridge , Wembley and Elland Road are hosting mass vaccination centres.

Separately, Prof Whitty told MPs " if The Most important thing to someone in The Next 10 days is to go to a football match do that. "

Asked about her advice, Mr Streeting said " clarity from the government would be helpful" but added that Covid passes should give people confidence to " go about their daily lives and enjoy themselves".

" We have got to get to a point in This Country where we can co-exist with coronavirus, " he added.

Asked if the government was imposing a lockdown by stealth, Mr Johnson said The Situation was " very different" from Last Year due to the existence of vaccines and testing.

" If you want to go to an event or a party. . the sensible thing to do is to get a test and to make sure that you're being cautious.

" But we're not saying that we want to cancel stuff, we're not locking stuff down, and the fastest route back to normality is to get boosted. "

Meanwhile, A Number of Conservative MPs have questioned Prof Whitty's role in offering advice to The Public .

In a tweet she later deleted, Conservative MP for Beaconsfield Joy Morrissey said: " Perhaps the unelected Covid Public Health spokesperson should defer to what our ELECTED members of Parliament and the Prime Minister have decided.

" I know it's difficult to remember but that's how democracy works. This is not a Public Health socialist state. "

Another Conservative Steve Baker asked a Treasury minister to give him reassurance that " when officials speak at particular podiums at press conferences, that they are staying within the bounds of the policy that ministers have decided".

He warned that officials advice had The Power to " herd The Public into particular behaviours" and that " while the government has formally allowed hospitality businesses in particular to stay open, the reality in my constituency is that fantastic businesses. . have seen massive cancellations. "

And Greg Smith said advisers had " pressed the Panic Button way beyond what this house voted for a couple of days ago".

Defending his role during a health committee Prof Whitty said he didn't think ministers felt he was " treading on their toes on this one".

He Said his job was to give scientific advice while ministers " take decisions".

Source of news: bbc.com