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Leicester’s mayor has criticised the Government for taking a “sledgehammer approach” to the city’s lockdown after Matt Hancock announced only a partial relaxation of the measures imposed more than two weeks ago. The Health Secretary told MPs on Thursday afternoon that restrictions on schools and nurseries would be lifted from July 24, while councils would be given local powers to close non-essential shops where necessary. But pubs and restaurants will remain closed, and restrictions on non-essential travel and only having social gatherings of up to six people will remain in force, pending another review in a fortnight.

Speaking to LBC, Sir Peter said: “It was a political decision that took us into a lockdown in the first place.

“The Home Secretary announced it over the weekend before Public Health England said lockdown wasn’t needed.

“I think that we needed to know what we now know about exactly where the virus is in this city and those areas needed our attention. Not a city-wide lockdown.

“Had we known then we would have done what they’re doing in Blackburn, as an example, is focusing on those areas and driving out the virus.

“If we had known that in good time we would have never needed the lockdown.

“But once they had made the lockdown then there was a political decision to let out the areas with the Tory MPs and to keep the rest of us in.

“Actually what you needed to do from what the data tells us is focus on the 10 percent of the city where the virus is prevalent and where the people in that area have the greatest risk.”

Sir Peter went on to admit he doesn’t know the political affiliations of the areas which are at greater risk.

Mr Hancock also announced changes to the lockdown boundary, with the restrictions only applying to the city of Leicester and the borough of Oadby and Wigston from July 24.

Sir Peter, who previously claimed that data provided to city officials highlighted that only 10 percent of Leicester had shown higher transmission rates, said he was “bitterly disappointed” by the announcement.

He added: “I am not surprised by this decision but remain extremely frustrated that a sledgehammer approach is being taken to deal with an issue in a very small part of the city.

“Now that we finally have the very detailed data we have been calling for over the past few months, we can take targeted local action to get the virus under control, without the need for the force of law or a full city lockdown.

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“We have already showed the Government what can be achieved when they work with local councils on the ground, by helping them to set up the biggest testing operation in the country which is now responsible for more than 10 percent of all testing in England.

“If the Government allowed us to focus on the 10% of the city where infection rates are higher, we are more than capable of doing what is needed.”

In a statement to the House of Commons, Mr Hancock said the latest data showed that the seven-day infection rate in Leicester was now 119 cases per 100,000 people, down from 135 when the local lockdown was announced on June 29.

But he added that Covid-19 rates in the city “still remain well above the national average and the average for surrounding areas”.

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