Covid-19 Update Debate

Full Debate: Read Full Debate
Department: Cabinet Office

Covid-19 Update

Mark Jenkinson Excerpts
Wednesday 19th January 2022

(2 years, 2 months ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Boris Johnson Portrait The Prime Minister
- Parliament Live - Hansard - - - Excerpts

“Vote Conservative,” obviously. “But get boosted now”—that is what I would say.

Mark Jenkinson Portrait Mark Jenkinson (Workington) (Con)
- Parliament Live - Hansard - -

I thank my right hon. Friend for standing firm immediately before Christmas in the face of much pressure from the Opposition for further restrictions to effectively cancel Christmas. It is due to his instincts that we are the freest country in the western world and leading the way in showing the rest of the world how to live with covid. Throughout the pandemic we have had masks in schools in Cumbria, even when the guidance did not recommend them, to no effect on case rates when kids started mixing again, as proven by the Leader of the Opposition, the right hon. and learned Member for Holborn and St Pancras (Keir Starmer), who has been struck by covid a number of times, despite allegedly wearing his mask. Can my right hon. Friend confirm that the guidance will go further by removing the option of masks for schools completely?

Boris Johnson Portrait The Prime Minister
- Parliament Live - Hansard - - - Excerpts

I thank my hon. Friend, who is a fantastic campaigner for Workington and for liberty. He is absolutely right in what he says about masks in education. I am delighted they are going. We need to work together to ensure we have a way of living with covid that ensures they never, ever come back.