Boris Johnson is facing increasing pressure to stop non-essential construction workers heading to building sites despite the UK’s coronavirus lockdown.

So-far, the government has ruled that construction workers can continue so long as they observe social distancing guidelines, which includes being more than two metres apart from one another. However, pictures from across the country have shown the rules are not easily put into practice on-site.

MPs from across the political spectrum are now calling for new rules to be put in place so that workers are no longer put at risk and public transport, which has been scaled back during the pandemic, is not overwhelmed.

Johnson is likely to be quizzed about the continuation of construction work during today’s Prime Minister’s Questions, which will take place at 12pm in the House of Commons.

Former Cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith told BBC’s Newsnight: ‘I think the balance is where we should delete some of those construction workers from going to work and focus only on the emergency requirements.’

While Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, reprimanded the government for making decisions based on ‘economic reasons’.

He said: ‘When you’re in the middle of a global pandemic, health reasons alone really should be guiding all decision-making.’

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell further noted that the UK will not ‘beat the pandemic’ with ‘half measures’.

He said: ‘Telling people to lock themselves in for three weeks but then saying they can mix with numbers of other workers on construction sites is irresponsible, dangerous and self-defeating.’

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has also made his position on continued construction work clear and told the Prime Minister during an emergency meeting that the sites should be closed.

Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, he said: ‘My view is no [they should not be open], and I made that point quite forcibly at yesterday’s Cobra, I made that point quite clearly to the Prime Minister. According to the Government’s advice the answer is yes.’

The UK death toll from Covid-19 currently stands at 424, after a further 89 people died – the biggest daily rise in numbers the country has seen so-far.

There are now 8,077 confirmed cases of the virus in the nation, up 1,427 from 6,650 on Monday.

In a briefing on Tuesday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock attempted to clarify the guidance for construction workers. He said people should work from home ‘where possible’, and called on employers to ensure their staff were ‘two metres apart’.

He continued: ‘The principles of what we are trying to achieve is to keep people apart to slow the spread. ‘The more people follow the rules, the faster we will all get through this.’

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