The United Kingdom enters an ‘unofficial’ confinement and the hotel industry asks for help before the braking

The UK has started a new unofficial lockdown. The starting shot was not given by Parliament, nor by the Prime Minister, but by England’s Chief Medical Officer, Chris Whitty, at a press conference in which he recommended that citizens minimize their movements and social encounters in the face of the uncontrolled increase in the omicron variant. The result has been an avalanche of cancellations that has led companies to fear that, without financial help from the government, the Christmas season will be a disaster.

Wednesday’s press conference was puzzling at times. While Whitty recommended people to confine themselves and avoid all encounters with people outside their family bubble, the ‘premier’, Boris Johnson, insisted from his side that it was not necessary to cancel anything or “suspend Christmas”: “We are not going to shutting things down, we don’t ask people to cancel events. We don’t want to make decisions about their social life, “he said.

A contradiction from which the public seems to have concluded that it is best to follow the expert’s advice and ignore the prime minister. The conservative tabloid Daily Mail today was headlined “Johnson vs. Scientists,” and the number of cancellations in the past few hours indicates that people trust scientists more. Starting with the Queen: Elizabeth II has suspended her traditional pre-Christmas gala dinner.

The main affected has been the restaurant sector, which has already begun to send requests for help. The British Government’s death program ended last summer, and the fact that this confinement is voluntary and unofficial means that it has not been accompanied by an aid plan like the previous ones. “Businesses suffer as consumer confidence sinks. The government must support our businesses if it wants us to survive,” said UK Hospitality, the UK hospitality industry employer.

In response, Finance Minister Rishi Sunak has advanced his return from a trip to California and has promised to hold talks with industry leaders in the coming days. Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon has already sent a letter to Johnson asking to reinstate the Ertes or allow the various states of the country to do so on their own.

Internal crisis

Johnson’s great challenge is managing the huge division that exists in his party. On Tuesday, 118 deputies – out of 361 – broke voting discipline and rejected the new restrictions imposed by the Government, such as the Covid passport to enter closed premises, the mandatory nature of masks or the mandatory vaccination of health workers. Without the support of Labor – who vindicated their “patriotic” votes in favor of the measures – Johnson would have suffered a defeat similar to the one that marked the end of Theresa May’s government. And if Johnson joined the 118 rebels against May in that vote on the Brexit deal, this time May was among the 118 who ignored Johnson’s orders.

And the swords are still high. A deputy with a position in the Foreign Ministry, Joy Morrissey, asked citizens to ignore the “unelected advisers”, referring to scientific experts, and to hold social gatherings as Johnson has requested. The government was forced to overrule it and come to the defense of its medical advisers.

All this happens while the scandals do not stop growing. This Thursday, the umpteenth party in which government officials participated during the 2020 confinements was uncovered. In this case, one in Downing Street in May 2020, which Johnson himself attended, according to a leak to The Guardian Y The Independent.

Meanwhile, the citizens of North Shropshire, an English constituency whose former MP resigned a month ago due to another scandal – in this case, illegally lobbying – elect their new representative in a vote that can involve a death stab at Johnson. The Tories have won that seat in every election for two centuries. A possible defeat to the Liberals, who are the slight favorites in the bookmakers to snatch the seat from them, would unleash the battle to find a replacement for the current prime minister.