Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Tory MP wears mask in supermarket but not Commons as he doesn’t trust public to get tested

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown says he asked for ‘lighter touch’ in response to pandemic

Emily Goddard
Saturday 18 September 2021 20:51 EDT
Comments
The government advises people to wear face coverings in crowded places
The government advises people to wear face coverings in crowded places (PA)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A Tory MP has said he wears a mask in supermarkets but not in the House of Commons because he does not trust non-politicians to get tested for Covid.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the treasurer of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs, said he wore a mask in the chamber when it was compulsory to do so but wouldn’t again unless government guidelines changed forcing their use.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s The Week in Westminster on Saturday, Sir Geoffrey said he’d consistently asked for “a lighter touch” in response to the pandemic and would be reluctant to see another lockdown.

But he said he wears a mask in supermarkets, and not in the Commons, adding: “I would trust my colleagues that at the moment they felt ill, they would go in for a [Covid] test, whereas I wouldn’t be so sure with everybody in the supermarket.”

Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, who was also on the programme and said she does wear a mask, said it was wrong to suggest the public would not get tested for Covid.

“My experience is that people are doing the right thing,” she said. “We’re all equally vulnerable, and we all play our part.”

Sir Geoffrey replied that it only takes one person not to get tested.

“The odd MP has been the only one in other situations,” Ms Moran said. “We haven’t been immune.”

Mask wearing is no longer compulsory in England, but the government advises people to continue to wear face coverings in crowded and enclosed spaces.

Earlier this week, Boris Johnson refused to rule out the reintroduction of restrictions as he laid out his winter pandemic plans.

The prime minister’s “Plan B” could see mandatory face masks, Covid passports and guidance to work from home brought back in the case of an upsurge in cases, admissions and deaths.

The announcement came as the government’s scientific advisors warned ministers that hospital admissions could soon rise beyond the peak seen at the start of 2021 to as many as 7,000 a day without introducing fresh measures.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in