Sir Keir Starmer tells LBC the nation needs a 'vaccination centre on every high street'

5 January 2021, 10:56

Sir Keir Starmer calls for vaccination centres on every high street

Sir Keir Starmer has called for "immediate" action to get Covid-19 under control, saying there should be a testing centre on every high street.

The Labour leader appeared on Nick Ferrari's show to discuss the third coronavirus lockdown in England and the crisis.

It comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a third lockdown for England which came into effect immediately.

Sir Keir said more needs to be done to help stop the spread of coronavirus.

Speaking to Nick Ferrari on LBC at breakfast, he said: "I think the most immediate things that need to happen are that the NHS gets the support it needs to actually get to 200million a week as fast as possible and then working with the manufacturers to make sure the doses are available.

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"We probably need to go further than that, we need volunteers, we need a vaccination centre on every high street and I think we need to see politicians nationally and locally pulling together to say 'we will do whatever we can to make this work."

Sir Keir said he had many criticisms with of the Government, but he supports them and their policies, despite being the Opposition.

He told Nick Ferrari: "It is a race against time."

Sir Keir also expressed similar sentiments on ITV's Good Morning Britain, claiming the public did not want to hear Labour picking "quarrels with the Government".

He said: "I think, in a sense, what people this morning waking up want to hear from the Leader of the Opposition is not the quarrels with the Government, and there are many.

"I think what they want is we are in a serious situation now, the virus is out of control, my job is to put aside some of that and say we all have to make these restrictions work."

He added: "We have got to rally, we have got to support the Government, whatever we think about delay and dithering. We have got to support the Government, we have got to make these restrictions work."

He has called for a return to the "spirit of March", with more support for schools and businesses affected by the lockdown.

He backed calls for furlough to be made available for parents who are unable to work because their children's schools are closed.

"The general principle should be that where there are health restrictions there needs to be an economic package to support that," he said.

"Because of the decision last night for a national lockdown there is now a mismatch and that has got to be addressed - and that means for working parents."