Mr. Johnson left it to Mr. Hancock to announce the new restrictions. The prime minister faces another politically difficult decision on a post-Brexit trade deal in the coming days. On Monday, negotiators for Great Britain and the European Union resumed talks in Brussels, amid some tentative signs of progress.
If Mr Johnson makes a deal, he could face a backlash from pro-Brexit lawmakers in his party, who view the negotiations as an assertion of British sovereignty. That would add to an unrelenting wave of pressure the Prime Minister has faced for setting balanced public health and economic priorities during the pandemic.
Mr Johnson was supported by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. But Mr. Khan called on the government to consider closing some schools early for 10-19 year olds and reopening them later than planned in January. He also demanded more financial compensation for the affected businesses and more help for those who need to isolate themselves.
But conservative lawmakers were less positive. Iain Duncan Smith, a former Conservative Party leader, said the decision would “hammer” on pubs and restaurants that have social remote control, and could encourage people to socialize at home in less secure conditions.
Another conservative lawmaker, Bob Neill, said the measures would have a “paralyzing effect” on hospitality. His colleague, Felicity Buchan, asked why the capital couldn’t be divided into different regions to protect things in central London, which she called ‘the powerhouse of our national economy’.
The hospitality industry responded, unsurprisingly, with anger, arguing that the spread of cases was mainly caused by infections in schools and that forced closures would devastate businesses that had invested heavily to make themselves safe from socially dispersed gatherings.
“There is no denying that moving from London and other areas to Tier 3 the week before Christmas will further paralyze the pub sector, which is already on its knees and impacting the livelihoods of our team members and tenants,” Nick Mackenzie, chief executive officer at Greene King, a major pub and brewing chain, said.