London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 21, 2025

MPs should set example with masks in battle against Covid, says Javid

Health secretary rejects calls for ‘plan B’ measures despite predicting infections could hit 100,000 a day

Politicians have a responsibility to set an example in the battle against Covid, including wearing masks in crowded spaces, Sajid Javid has suggested as he predicted new infections could hit a record 100,000 a day.

With the government under mounting pressure to impose measures to control the virus, Javid warned “this pandemic is not over” and insisted he would do “what it takes” to protect the health service. But he said: “We don’t believe that the pressures currently faced by the NHS are unsustainable.”

Javid urged millions of eligible people to come forward for booster jabs, saying this was key for people being able to “keep their freedoms”, but declined to say how high infection or hospitalisation rates would need to reach before measures are reimposed.

He was pressed on the risks of mixed messages, with most Conservative MPs declining to wear masks in the House of Commons or in packed cabinet meetings, and the business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, encouraging the public to book Christmas parties.


Javid conceded that this was an issue. “I think that is a very fair point. As I say, we’ve all got our role to play in this,” he told a Downing Street press conference alongside Jenny Harries, head of the new UK Health Security Agency, and Stephen Powis, medical director of NHS England.

Javid said: “We, the people standing on this stage, we play … our public roles as secretary state, as someone from the NHS, as the head of UKHSA. But we also have a role to play in setting an example as private individuals as well, and I think that’s a very fair point, and I’m sure a lot of people will have heard you.”

Previously, ministers have brushed aside concerns about mask-less Tory MPs crammed into the Commons chamber, a compact arena with limited ventilation, saying it is within guidelines as the MPs are colleagues.

Javid struck an overall sombre tone at the conference, repeatedly stressing the virus has not gone away despite the absence of any formal restrictions on daily life in England.

On Wednesday more than 49,000 new Covid cases were reported in the UK, alongside 179 deaths, and Javid repeated a warning made this summer that daily infection rates “could yet go as high as 100,000”.

“We must all remember that this virus will be with us for the long term, and that it remains a threat,” he said. “A threat to our loved ones and a threat to the progress that we’ve made in getting our nation closer to normal life.”

The British Medical Association said on Wednesday it was “categorically” now time to activate plan B, which would see a return to coronavirus measures in England.

Britain’s largest doctors’ union added that it was “incredibly concerning” and “wilfully negligent” of the government to refuse to take further action to tackle the crisis.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA council chair, accused ministers of taking their “foot off the brake” by giving millions of Britons the false impression that “the pandemic is behind us”.

“Only last week two select committees found the UK was an international outlier when it came to public health policy during this crisis,” he added. “We are rapidly approaching a position where, yet again, the government is delaying for too long, and equivocating over taking action.

“This is the time to learn the lessons of the past and act fast, or else we will face far more extreme measures later.”

On Tuesday, the NHS Confederation said the government must immediately press ahead with its “plan B” for containing the virus or risk derailing efforts to tackle the backlog of 5 million patients.

Matthew Taylor, its chief executive, said Javid’s warnings of up to 100,000 cases a day emphasised the need for action. “The message from health leaders is clear – it is better to act now, rather than regret it later.”

Javid said he had great respect for the NHS Confederation, which represents healthcare providers, but said he would not be moving to plan B “at this time”.

He underlined the fact that ministers would be “staying vigilant, preparing for all eventualities” however, and said that fresh restrictions might need to be imposed if people do not behave cautiously.

If Javid’s warning of 100,000 cases a day came to pass, that would be higher than at any stage during the pandemic. The highest recorded daily figure for reported cases was 68,053 on 8 January.

The health secretary previously suggested cases could hit 100,000 in the summer, when infections rose sharply as restrictions were lifted – but they went on to peak above 60,000 in July before falling away.

He said the government would be redoubling its efforts to administer booster jabs to the over-50s and the clinically vulnerable. The NHS has already administered 4m top-up doses but Javid urged others to come forward.

“We’ve got the jabs: we just need the arms to put them in,” he said, calling it a “national mission” to roll out the vaccine. He urged people to come forward for their booster vaccine dose, “not just to save lives, but to keep your freedoms too”.

Asked about problems with the current rollout of vaccinations, with charities representing immunocompromised people saying only about 40% have so far received news of their third jab, Javid also accepted there had been issues.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
×