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Labour leader Keir Starmer has warned Boris Johnson’s plans to ease the coronavirus lockdown lacks “clarity” in his response to the prime minister’s broadcast on Sunday.
Confusion has reigned since the prime minister announced a three-stage plan to begin lifting the lockdown.
The government has now published a 51-page “plan to rebuild” that many are hoping will provide more clarity.
In the foreword, the prime minister makes clear it is “not a quick return to ‘normality’” but that it should give people “hope that we can rebuild; hope that we can save lives; hope that we can safeguard livelihoods”.
READ MORE: What The Government’s 51-Page Official Coronavirus Lockdown Document Says You Can And Cannot Do
In a rare televised rebuttal from the leader of the official opposition, Starmer said Labour would continue to work constructively with the government in its response to the pandemic.
At the same time, however, he made clear the party would hold ministers to account for their actions.
“What we needed from the prime minister last night was clarity and reassurance,” he said.
“The prime minister said he was setting out a road map, but if we’re to complete the journey safely a road map needs clear directions. So many of us have questions that need answering.
“For as long as this crisis persists I’ll keep demanding answers to these questions because that’s how we get better decisions and better outcomes.
“I remain committed to working constructively with the government in the national interest.”
Starmer said that, as the country emerged from the crisis, there must be a collective effort to build a better society.
“After all this, all the sacrifice and the loss, we can’t go back to business as usual,” he said.
“When we get through this it will be because of the hard work and the bravery of every key worker as they took on this virus and kept our country going.
“In their courage and their sacrifice and their bravery, we can see a better future. This crisis has brought out the resilience and the human spirit in all of us.
“We must go forward with a vision of a better society built on that resilience and built on that human spirit.”