Isle of Wight Conservative MP, Bob Seely, has set out his concerns to other MPs about the effects of another lockdown.
Speaking during a debate on Covid-19 in the House of Commons, Mr Seely said he was concerned about the impact of a second lockdown on children’s education and people’s mental health.
Loss of people’s liberties and freedom
He said he was also concerned about the loss of people’s liberties and freedom, the surge of unemployment, the increase in poverty and potential deaths and the collapse of government finance.
He said:
“We need to balance the risks of Covid with the balance of other risks.”
Mr Seely said he was concerned that the decisions being made by MPs were having a devastating effect on people’s livelihoods.
Ability to earn a living has been shattered
Addressing MPs in the House, he said,
“Not one of us is facing the same stress as the freelancers, the business people, the artists, musicians, pub and restaurant owners.
“I have many of those folks on the Isle of Wight whose lives are on hold and whose ability to earn a living has been shattered, despite the tiny risk to many of them.”
‘Keep calm and carry on’
Mr Seely said the government needed to develop a strategy for living with the virus rather than drifting in and out of lockdown and called on the government to give people a medium- and long-term sense of what the future is likely to hold. He suggested something akin to a ‘keep calm and carry on’ approach.
Mr Seely said he also wanted the government to do more to present data in a balanced way giving greater context. He called for the publication of more data including fatality rates and not just infection rates.
MPs will vote on the second lockdown on Wednesday.
News shared by the office of Isle of Wight Conservative MP, Robert Seely, in their own words. Ed
Image: © Parliament TV
