Fury as it is revealed Boris Johnson is set to CANCEL Christmas
Fury at Boris’s last-minute Christmas U-turn as Britons say they’ll IGNORE the new rules and complain it’s ‘just in time for everyone to have spent money on presents, food and booze’
- Prime Minister summons press conference after holding crisis talks with Cabinet
- Extraordinary U-turn has caused outrage among families across the south east
- Many have already made plans, booked travel and bought food for reunions
Britons have been left furious by Boris Johnson‘s cancellation of Christmas for millions in London and the South East with just a few days’ notice.
The PM held an emergency press conference this afternoon in which he shifted swathes of the home counties, including London, up to a new ‘Tier 4’.
That bracket includes closing non-essential shops and travel restrictions including ‘stay at home’ order for Christmas Day itself, even though Mr Johnson insisted just days ago that five-day festive ‘bubbles’ would go ahead.
The extraordinary U-turn has caused outrage among families that have already made plans, booked travel and bought food for reunions, with many taking to social media to vent their fury.
One devastated user said: ‘I’m sorry but my family have spent money on food for my family who are all coming in the next few days. I see my family twice a year and I am absolutely devastated like I cannot explain how upsetting and disheartening this is.’
A defiant tweeter said: ‘Already made plans and spent money to visit family, not gonna stay home alone for Christmas on 4 days notice.’
One devastated user said: ‘I’m sorry but my family have spent money on food for my family who are all coming in the next few days. I see my family twice a year and I am absolutely devastated like I cannot explain how upsetting and disheartening this is.’
A defiant tweeter said: ‘Already made plans and spent money to visit family, not gonna stay home alone for Christmas on 4 days notice.’
Another added: ‘If you lock us all over over Christmas – meaning families who have spent hundreds of pounds preparing to see loved ones – then you have proven what an utterly incompetent leader you and your cabinet are. Shame on you.’
A fourth said: ‘Strangely just in time for everyone to have spent on presents for their bubbles, food and booze orders.’
Another said: ‘After job loss, emergency international move, illness, breakdown, and everything else, I just desperately needed something to look forward to. Honeymoon fitted the bill, but was cancelled three times. Christmas was the next best thing. I spent weeks working on menus, precautions.’
Another added: ‘If you lock us all over over Christmas – meaning families who have spent hundreds of pounds preparing to see loved ones – then you have proven what an utterly incompetent leader you and your cabinet are. Shame on you.’
A fourth said: ‘Strangely just in time for everyone to have spent on presents for their bubbles, food and booze orders.’
Another said: ‘After job loss, emergency international move, illness, breakdown, and everything else, I just desperately needed something to look forward to. Honeymoon fitted the bill, but was cancelled three times. Christmas was the next best thing. I spent weeks working on menus, precautions.’
Others tried to see the funny side by sharing memes, including one depicting the Prime Minister’s latest U-turn and another comparing him going round in circles to Will Ferrell’s character in the Christmas film, Elf.
Twitter users took to the platform to express their frustration and fury at the new lockdown measures which have put an end many people’s Christmas plans
A clearly uncomfortable Mr Johnson told the nation tonight that he had ‘no alternative’ but to act after more evidence surfaced about the devastating spread of the new strain.
Although it does not appear to be any more deadly, it is believed to be much more contagious, accounting for an incredible 60 per cent of new cases in London over the past week.
Mr Johnson said it could increase the crucial R rate by 0.4 and be 70 per cent more transmissible than previous versions.
‘We must act now,’ he said, appealing for the public to ‘stay local’.
The PM held an emergency press conference this afternoon in which he shifted swathes of the home counties, including London, up to a new ‘Tier 4’, leading many social media users to question his decision
‘We cannot continue with Christmas as planned. I know how much emotion people invest in this time of year and how important it is for grandparents to see their grandchildren and families to be together.
‘So I know how disappointing this will be. But I have said throughout this pandemic that we must and will be guided by the science.’
He added: ‘As your Prime Minister, I sincerely believe there is no alternative open to me. Without action, the evidence suggests infections would soar, hospitals would become overwhelmed and many thousands more would lose their lives.’
Chief science officer Patrick Vallance said there was no sign so far that the mutation would be able to nullify vaccines – reassuring news for around 350,000 people Mr Johnson revealed have now received their first dose.
‘This virus spreads more easily and therefore more measures are needed to keep it under control,’ he said.
He added: ‘Assume you might be infectious.’
Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said that danger was that people moving around the country would ‘seed’ the variant. ‘This is a bad moment,’ he said.
