PIERS Morgan accused ministers of “putting money above lives” this morning as the Government insisted it is fine for construction workers to carry on going to work during the coronavirus outbreak.
A huge row has erupted as builders were told to go in as usual on crowded trains – but ordered to stay two metres apart.
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Last night the Government insisted that if people could not work from home – including all builders on sites – they could carry on going in as long as they were safe.
However, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon have both said they should be staying home too like most of the country.
The Mayor said this morning: “You can’t keep a safe distance on sites so the virus will spread and more people will die.
“I’ve repeatedly asked Ministers to ban non-essential work. Scotland already has – as has TfL. We need action today.”
Daily footage shows builders and other workers being forced to cram into trains and Tubes to get to work.
And this morning up to 1,000 workers at the meat producer Moy Park, Portadown, walked out over safety concerns.
The Mayor this morning said he can’t put more trains on because a third of TfL’s staff has gone off sick during the pandemic.
But this morning ministers insisted the building work would contain vital maintenance that simply had to be done.
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick was taken apart by the Good Morning Britain host.
He said: “We have to keep essential services and the economy moving forward.
“We need to ensure that services are delivered and the critical infrastructure of the country is maintained.”
But Piers yelled back: “You’re putting money above lives, aren’t you?
“How are you going to feel with a policy that is opposite against country like France if the UK death rate explodes because you didn’t lock down the country properly?
How are you going to feel with a policy that is opposite against country like France if the UK death rate explodes because you didn’t lock down the country properly?
Piers Morgan
“Will you feel responsible as a government for that?”
Mr Jenrick argued that everyone was following the expert advice – which was led by medical experts.
“We believe we’re taking the judgments at the right moments,” he added.
And he stressed that essential works included making sure buildings were safe, installing boilers, and making sure dangerous cladding was ripped off buildings had to be done.
But ANY firm that can’t make sure people are two metres apart at all times should close down, he said.
Some firms have already done so.
“In construction a number of employers have decided they cant follow the Public Health England guidance and choosing and shut down their sites,” he told the BBC.
“That is the right thing to do.”
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The sector contributes £117bn with 2.4million jobs – which is around seven per cent of all jobs in the UK.
There are also major building projects that are still under way including the construction of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station – Britain’s first nuclear plant in decades – HS2 and Crossrail.
Thousands of workers report to these sites with 4,000 at Hinkley, making it the country’s biggest construction project.
Ms Sturgeon has demanded all building sites in Scotland close after workmen were pictured crammed into a portacabin.
Photos showed construction staff huddled in the tiny room as they continued work at £70m university building in Edinburgh yesterday.
A source said: “This is a Balfour Beatty daily briefing of over 20 to 30 men in the one room
“There’s not a mask on any of them.
“Even the cleaner has been sent home so no-one is there at the moment to clean the toilets or canteen areas.”
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