London Mayoral candidates are today split over Sadiq Khan’s call for a ‘circuit breaker’ national lockdown, as London faces Tier 2 rules from Friday.

With houshold mixing in the capital set to be banned, the Mayor wants ministers to implement a brief national lockdown over school half term.

The Government’s scientific advisors and Labour leader Keir Starmer have also called for blanket restrictions across the country.

Mr Khan’s Liberal Democrat and Green rivals have today also backed that appeal.

But Conservative Shaun Bailey branded the Mayor’s demands “incredibly irresponsible”.

“I fully support the Government’s decision to put London into Tier 2,” Mr Bailey said.

“It’s a sensible move that may help us avoid another lockdown while keeping Londoners safe.”

The Conservative candidate said London’s economy would be hammered by a second round of restrictions.

“Even though it’s right to keep all options on the table, we should do everything we can to avoid a second lockdown,” he said.

But newly selected Liberal Democrat candidate Luisa Porritt said a short national lockdown would help control the virus, and give ministers time to improve the test and trace system.

“The Government must get its act together so that we can get control of the virus and minimise restrictions as soon as possible,” she said.

“It is clear that testing capacity in London is not good enough and that the test and trace system itself is in a mess.

“Until this is fixed, people will continue to face lockdown as a result of Government incompetence.”

Green mayoral candidate and party co-leader Sian Berry said the rising infections in the City are “incredibly worrying”.

Ms Berry called on the Government to scrap the complicated cash support for workers living under struct rules, and opt instead for universal basic income – where everyone would get a baseline salary funded by the Treasury. 

“A short, effective lockdown combined with universal income support, where no one can fall through the cracks into destitution, is what our citizens need at this crucial time,” she said.

It comes as new figures revealed that Ealing is now London’s worst hit borough for coronavirus, with its rate of infection more than doubling in a week to 144 cases per 100,000 people.

Richmond on 138 per 100,000, Hackney on 134 per 100,000 and Redbridge on 131 per 100,000 were the next worst affected boroughs, with cases rising everywhere but the City of London.

All 33 local authorities in the capital will enter Tier 2 lockdown at midnight tomorrow.