Over the past few days I have been contacted by constituents raising issues surrounding the conduct of the Prime Minister’s chief adviser.
We are in the middle of the greatest challenge since the Second World War, as indeed is the rest of the world, and the British people have truly come together to fight and defeat this invisible enemy. I recognise that this has meant significant sacrifices being made by people across Fylde and I am enormously grateful to the British public for their efforts.
There is still some way to go in overcoming COVID-19 and the full efforts of all of us, and most certainly our Government, should be focussed on ensuring that we get through this crisis as quickly as possible.
I am incredibly disappointed that this adviser - who I do not know and have not met – took decisions, albeit ones he felt were within the rules and appropriate for his circumstances, which have led to widespread feeling that some people are not bound by the guidance issued by Government. I appreciate your strength of feeling at his apparent actions, given all of our adherence to the rules. I also thank you for keeping to those rules.
I have expressed my belief to Government that those who create the rules, or even advisers who assist in this process, should be equally bound by them. I have also passed on the strong and varied feelings of Fylde residents.
It is quite clear that the situation is a complete distraction from all of the efforts to get through the pandemic. In Fylde, this has meant my team and I have been required to devote a significant amount of time and energy away from constituents who require assistance in helping them access testing, pastoral care, personal financial support and business support, to responding to emails about this situation.
As the MP for Fylde, I must prioritise my time to support those constituents who require my assistance at such a difficult time, as well as representing their views.
For the large number of constituents who have written to me on this issue, and who have included specific personal circumstances, please be assured that I will endeavour to respond in due course, however this may take some time as my team and I balance that task with our ongoing work and urgent coronavirus-related issues.