London Councils Chair Cllr Peter John and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan have written to the Prime Minister expressing their ‘great surprise’ at press reports that the government held a critical planning exercise in which a major resurgence of Covid-19 in London was a central scenario.
“Our surprise is that such far reaching contingency plans have been discussed and tested without the involvement or awareness of London’s government. This is clearly totally unacceptable and an affront to London and Londoners”
The letter follows reports that plans included using the M25 as a quarantine ring.
“We are accountable to nine million Londoners and have a duty to represent their views and best interests”, Cllr John and Mayor Khan go on to say. “We also know our communities and their needs far better than national government. As category 1 responders we have a legal duty towards our city and cannot do what is right for Londoners if we are excluded from key planning sessions in this way.”