Boris Johnson faces fury over ‘ludicrous’ restrictions on funerals in England
by Harriet Line, Mailonline:
Boris Johnson faced fresh fury last night over ‘ludicrous’ restrictions on funerals in England as Scotland prepared to raise its limit on mourners from 20 to 50.
The cap north of the border will be lifted next week, but the Government insisted that rules in England limiting attendances to 30 mourners will not shift for two more months.
The funeral restrictions have been branded ‘inhumane’ and ‘overly cautious’. Even those who can pay their respects are unable to console anyone outside their household – highlighted by the Queen sitting alone at Prince Philip‘s funeral last Saturday.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon‘s announcement that 50 mourners will be able to attend funerals and wakes from next Monday sparked anger among MPs. Senior Tory Sir John Hayes, chairman of the parliamentary group for funerals and bereavement, said the Government should take a ‘long, hard look’ at rules in England.
He stressed: ‘It would be unacceptable if people on one side of the border could attend funerals and on the other side of the border they couldn’t.
‘We need consistency. What about people from England attending a funeral in Scotland? Or people from Scotland attending a funeral in Cumbria or Northumberland?’
He said it was ‘invidious’ that grieving families have to choose who can attend a funeral and called for sensitivity for mourners while remaining cautious over Covid risks. Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said England must ‘make at least the same changes if not more’ than Scotland.
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