Treasury Committee calls for economic modelling alongside Covid lockdown roadmap
Westminster’s Treasury Select Committee has called for the government to release economic and epidemiological modelling on Covid restrictions when Boris Johnson unveils his roadmap out of the lockdown.
Committee chair and Tory MP Mel Stride wants chancellor Rishi Sunak to produce the combined modelling, known as epi-macro modelling, to provide businesses the economic and social impact of Covid restrictions.
The latest report from the select committee also chastised Sunak and the Treasury for not being transparent enough on the economic impact of Covid restrictions.
Johnson is set to unveil his roadmap out of the current lockdown for England in one weeks’ time.
The Prime Minister confirmed on Saturday that schools would likely reopen on 8 March, while one Downing Street source told The Sunday Telegraph that some outdoor picnics and gatherings would also be allowed from that date.
The source said people would be able to meet one person outside that is not in their household without exercising, while whole households will be able to have gatherings outside.
Outdoor dining
Media reports over the past few days have also speculated that hospitality will reopen for outdoor dining and drinking from 1 April.
Stride said that his announcement must come alongside detailed modelling.
“After almost a year of restrictions, people and businesses need confidence that the government has a clear route of out the crisis,” he said.
“To provide this confidence, the Government must set out the criteria for how and when it will lift lockdown restrictions.
“This should be supported by combined economic and epidemiological modelling undertaken by the Treasury, showing how it would best optimise health and economic outcomes.”
A Treasury spokesperson said: “The PM has said that we’ll set out a clear roadmap out of the current restrictions with dates later in February.
“Throughout this crisis, we have done all we can to support jobs and livelihoods, spending over £280 billion in response to the pandemic.
“We acknowledge that it has not been possible to support everyone in the way they might want, but we continue to keep our schemes under review and will set out the next stage of economic support at Budget.”