Dominic Raab has warned that unless “everyone plays by the rules” the UK may need to enter a second national lockdown by Christmas.
Dominic Raab said Britain could “get through” winter without a return to a national lockdown if “everyone plays by the rules”, but warned “more intrusive” measures could soon be implemented if Covid-19 infections continue to surge.
His warning follows a plea from Prime Minister Boris Johnson who urged Britons to “summon the discipline, and the resolve, and the spirit of togetherness that will carry us through”.
In a televised speech, the first of its kind since the first lockdown was announced in March, Mr Johnson said Britain will “get through this winter together” if new coronavirus restrictions are followed.
New rules in England include a 10pm curfew for pubs, a tightening of the rule of six and fresh advice for people to return to working from home.
Foreign Secretary Raab said a second national lockdown could be needed to control the spread of coronavirus if the latest measures do not work.
“We can avoid having to go even further with further measures or indeed a national lockdown, which is the risk if we don’t take action now,” he told ITV News.
He told Sky News: “We’ve always said we’ve got a sort of repository of measures in the arsenal to take. I don’t think we would speculate about what further could be done.
“But the reality is they will be more intrusive or we could end up in a national lockdown. That is what we want to avoid.”
