AN MP who lost several relatives during the pandemic has lashed out at Boris Johnson and his ministers for failing to condemn and sack Dominic Cummings after his infamous Barnard Castle trip.
Tan Dhesi, Labour MP for Slough, told of how he lost his uncle and grandmother during the pandemic and was unable to be with either of them, or carry his grandmother’s coffin due to Covid restrictions.
He said: “My grandmother, whom I love dearly, was lying on her hospital deathbed, and none of us were allowed to be there to comfort her in her final moments, I couldn't even carry her coffin on my shoulders.
“I also had to endure the agony of watching alone, online, the funeral of my uncle, my fun-loving uncle, and we were not there to comfort my brother-in-law’s father who somehow contracted COVID in a Slough care home, during his final moments…all this because we followed government guidance.”
The MP continued: “Having experienced painful personal sacrifice, like many others, imagine our collective disgust when, in order to curry favour with a prime minister she provides us with the sycophantic, spineless, hypocritical government ministers lining up to defend the indefensible, saying ‘It's time to move on’, with some even having the gall to tell us they too go for a long drive when they need to get their eyesight tested.
“What an absolute disgrace and they should be ashamed of themselves.”
He asked when the Prime Minister was going to apologise for not sacking Dominic Cummings, which he claimed would have restored public trust in the government and shown that it was “not one rule for him and his elite chums, and another for the rest of us plebs”.
Mr Johnson replied nobody could know how Mr Dhesi let unless they too had experienced such losses during the pandemic, but added: “I take his criticisms most sincerely, of the government, and everything that we have done.
“All I can say is we have tried throughout this pandemic to minimise human suffering and to minimise loss of life…
“As I said before when he asked me to apologise, I do.
“I apologise for the suffering that the people of this country have endured. And what I can say is that nothing I can say or do can take back the lost lives, the loss of time spent with loved ones that he describes and I'm deeply, deeply sorry for that.”
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