Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called on the government to reveal its strategy for exiting the coronavirus lockdown this week.

In a letter to Dominic Raab, who is deputising for Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he recovers from COVID-19, Sir Keir said that although millions of Britons had stuck to the rules, they “need a sense of what comes next”.

The government is expected to announce an extension to the lockdown on Thursday.

Sir Keir said Labour would back such a move but the government should be more open about how and when it will end.

The government said talking about an exit before the virus had reached its peak risks confusing the public.

In a letter to Dominic Raab, who is deputising for Prime Minister Boris Johnson while he continues his recovery from coronavirus, Sir Keir offered Labour’s support for an extension.

But he said: “The question for Thursday therefore is no longer about whether the lockdown should be extended, but about what the government’s position is on how and when it can be eased in due course and on what criteria that decision will be taken.”

Millions of people had “played their part” and made sacrifices, he added, and “in return, the government needs to be open and transparent with the public about how it believes the lockdown will ease and eventually end”.

Sir Keir warned the “silent pressures” on communities across the UK “cannot be underestimated”, and said that to maintain morale and hope “people need a sense of what comes next”.

He urged Mr Raab to commit to setting out the criteria the government will use to inform how and when it intends to ease the lockdown.

And he called on the government to publish an exit strategy now or in the coming week; and to outline the sectors and core public services that are most likely to see restrictions eased.

A government source said: “Our strategy is focused on saving lives. We have been clear that all decisions will be guided by scientific advice and data.

“Talk of an exit strategy before we have reached the peak risks confusing the critical message that people need to stay at home in order to protect our NHS and save lives.”

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