New Forest MP claims Government scientists are 'scaremongering'
Desmond Swayne's been scathing in his attack of the Covid-19 response.
The MP for Fordingbridge spoke in Parliament to explain his disgust at some of the coronavirus measures put in place by the Prime Minister.
Mr Swayne went so far as to suggest that Boris Johnson had been 'abducted' and 'reprogrammed' by Government scientists.
He's claimed the economy's suffering while scientists squabble about the effectiveness of lockdown measures.
During his speech in the House of Commons, the New Forest West MP said:
"In terms of the United Kingdom's killers, (Covid-19) is 24th in the league, accounting for only 1.4% of us. As a consequence, I believe that the Government's policy has been disproportionate.
Mr Swayne is also critical of the lockdown measures being imposed by the Goverment, for the impact it's having on the economy and our daily lives:
"The crushing of enterprises, the destruction of livelihoods, the unemployment we're going to have to face now amongst young people - all as a consequence of an over-reaction.
"It has interfered in our private lives, and our family lives, telling us who we may meet, when we may meet them and what we must wear when we meet them. We have the cruelty of elderly people in care homes, disoriented, unable to see the faces of their loved ones and to receive a hug."
During the same debate in Parliament, Health Secretary Matt Hancock explained some of the reasons for the measures that are in place:
"It is the first duty of Government - of any Government - to keep people safe. In tackling this unprecedented pandemic, we must each of us seek to balance the cherished freedoms on which people thrive with that duty to keep people safe, balancing in each judgment the economic, social, educational and, of course, health needs on which our nation's future depends."