'Things will still be tough' says Luton North MP on tier 2 restrictions

MP Sarah Owen said: "I know people in Luton will be relieved that we haven't been moved up to tier three and that some restrictions will be eased next week after this tough autumn and winter lockdown, but tier two means that things will still be tough for families and businesses as we head towards Christmas.

"From December 2, this will mean no meeting indoors with those you don’t live with (or are bubbling with), the rule of six will apply outdoors, and businesses need to continue operating in a Covid-secure way if not shut by law.

"Life is still far from normal though, so I will continue fighting for all the support I can get for Luton's workers, businesses and for people to live safely.

"We need a fair deal to save aviation jobs, certainty for businesses to help them avoid laying off staff, and the proper financial support that was promised to councils to protect local services at the start of the pandemic.

"The hard work isn't over for us yet. We've seen in Liverpool that rapid, efficient mass testing on a local level - with proper buy in from local decision makers - has dragged cases down and they've gone from tier three to tier two. We've seen that it works.

"The government now needs to stop dithering, get on with it and roll this out across the country."