AN MP has branded new coronavirus restrictions as "authoritarian" and demanded the publication of a full cost-benefit analysis of the impact of the tiers decision on the health and the economy of each area.

Steve Baker MP, deputy chair of the Covid Recovery Group (CRG), has questioned the necessity of the new restrictions.

He said: "The authoritarianism at work today is truly appalling. But is it necessary and proportionate to the threat from this disease?

"The Government must publish its analysis of the impact interventions are likely to have on controlling Covid, as well as the non-Covid health impact and the impact on society, people’s livelihoods and businesses.

"I am open to supporting measures where it can clearly be demonstrated that the government intervention will save more lives than it costs - as long as this data and analysis is published in full and in time ahead of any votes in Parliament, so that MPs and the public have a chance to scrutinise it.

"In this context, crucially, there are fundamental methodological issues with epidemiological modelling. Last month I released a report by senior software engineer Mike Hearn. Today we presented it to Minister of State for Health, Edward Argar. We are making the report and slides available now.

"The work shows, as we saw recently with projections relating to deaths and hospital capacity, that these models are wrong time and time again. How much longer can we go on with this rubbish determining the course of all our lives?

"We must have change, and that change must include ending narrow monopoly expert advice to government.

"In complex, contested fields with huge impact like this pandemic, expert scientific opinion must be provided by competitive, multi-disciplinary expert groups, with devil’s advocate challenge, and government must publish in full for review all those models which guide public policy."