The road map out of lockdown must put those hit hardest first - don't squander the sacrifices says Liberal Democrats Leader

After the Prime Minister's announcement on the roadmap out of lockdown, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey MP said:

"Millions of people across the country have made untold sacrifices in the past year. People have been isolated from their families, hundreds of thousands of businesses have been shuttered and our precious freedoms have been curtailed.

"As we begin to recover the Prime Minister must put people hit hardest by this pandemic first: the most vulnerable people in our communities, small businesses and the self-employed.

"It is deeply concerning that the Prime Minister has failed to set out plans for a functioning test, trace and isolate system - particularly a failure to support people enough to stay at home if they are asked to self-isolate.

"This time, Prime Minister must not squander the months of sacrifice by millions of people and businesses across the country, as he did so recklessly last year."