London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Last minute scramble to leave London as capital faces tier 4 lockdown tomorrow

Last minute scramble to leave London as capital faces tier 4 lockdown tomorrow

Scenes of commuters rushing to leave London have been called ‘utterly predictable’, as the capital given just eight hours notice before being plunged into lockdown.

Video footage on social media shows huge queues at St Pancras station as people rushed to catch the train to Leeds, potentially joining family members and loved ones for Christmas, while they still could.

At 4pm this afternoon Boris Johnson held a Downing Street press conference, declaring tougher tier four restrictions – broadly the same as November’s lockdown – in London, and much of the South East and East of England from midnight tonight.

Plans allowing five day festive bubbles for three households have been scrapped in these hotspots and have been stripped back to just Christmas Day in tiers one, two and three. People have also been advised to avoid travel and to stay as local as possible.

When asked by the media what he would say to someone who has their bags packed to see family and loved ones for Christmas, England’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said: ‘If you’ve packed your bag for Christmas, unpack it.’

But with the Prime Minister sticking to his guns and defending his Christmas bubble plans between late November and this afternoon, many people will have already made up their minds regardless of the Downing Street’s last minute change of heart.


St Pancras Station was packed to the rafters this evening


People wait on the concourse at London’s Paddington Station


It comes after Professor Christ Whitty said ‘If you’ve packed your bag for Christmas, unpack it’


As commuters scrambled to get to other towns and cities across the country, making social distancing impossible, people took to social media to voice their concerns.

Blogger and University of Glasgow law student Ben McKinlay tweeted: ‘What an utterly predictable disaster.’

Sharing a video from the scene, journalist Harriet Clugston said: ‘Last train out of Saigon. Queue at St Pancras as we wait to board the Leeds bound train.

‘Everyone of course has suitcases. People have tried to secure social distancing by placing on seats but being asked to remove them by other passengers as the train is so full.


London will enter tier 4 tomorrow, having been given just eight hours notice


People wait on the concourse at Paddington Station


‘To make matters worse, we’ve been told this train will be taken out of service at Derby.

‘We will all get off and board a new train, no doubt mixing the virus amongst ourselves as we reorganise with new seat partners. Maximum damage guaranteed.’

Another woman, who did not wish to be named, said she and her partner had made the ‘split decision’ to take their young son to her parents’ home on the coast.

She said: ‘We just made the decision to leave based on the fact that my parents said come, and we couldn’t bear the thought of no fresh air and a toddler going rogue round a small flat for the foreseeable.


Commuters queue up at Euston Station in a last minute rush out of the capital


People have been advised not to travel in or out of tier four areas


‘We also really just felt we wanted to get the baby somewhere a bit safer with a garden, though we know a lot of people won’t have that luxury.

‘The grandparents are just desperately happy they’ll see their grandson.

‘We obviously worry about taking something down to them, but they seem happy to take the risk.’

Izzy, 22, from Bristol, said that she wanted ‘the security of being home for Christmas’ and that her parents had come to collect her before the restrictions came into effect.

She added: ‘I have a slight nervousness that they might block the roads or something stopping me going home.

‘I’m moving out of my flat so I need my dad to come and get me and he feels more comfortable doing it before Tier 4 kicks in.’

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×