Ashfield MP says without restrictions Covid pandemic would have been even worse

Our forefathers fought for our freedoms, many of them making the ultimate sacrifice and I take no pleasure in being part of a Parliament that has been responsible for introducing lockdowns and the tiered system.

However, I genuinely believe that the Government is doing its best under very difficult circumstances.

I have not always agreed with everything it has done.

But as an MP, I am fortunate enough to attend meetings and briefings on Covid and there is one meeting that always sticks in my mind.

At the very beginning I attended a meeting with MPs and the health secretary to discuss what action to take.

We were told that if we did nothing and let the virus rip then we would expect to see between 300,000 and 500,000 deaths.

Now, when you sit in a room listening to these statistics you can imagine there is a deafening silence and a sense of realisation hits you that you’re one of just a few hundred people who are responsible for decisions that will affect the whole country.

The best way for me to judge the current climate is by what comes in to the inbox every day.

And I can honestly say that a consistent 70 per cent of people support the actions taken by the Government so far.

Yes, they may not like it, none of us do, but they support it as they see no alternative.

I have kept in regular contact with schools, care homes and the NHS.

King’s Mill Hospital has repeatedly advised me that it supports the measures and it is on the front line.

I hear people say that the death rate is only 0.02 per cent.

Only? Each death is someone’s mum, dad, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, son, daughter and if 10 million people get infected, that would equate to 200,000 deaths and push the NHS and its staff to the limit, as well as increasing sickness levels amongst staff.

Small businesses have suffered terribly, and I do my best to get every single week to visit as many as possible to see if they need my help or just to lend an ear and listen to what they have to say.

I know behind every shop till there is someone with a mortgage, rent to pay and bills piling up.

Many of these people are friends and people I have known for years.

I am not some MP that has been parachuted in and has no affinity for the area.

I am born and bred here and feel the pain and will always do what I think is right for Ashfield.​​​​​​​

Lee Anderson is MP for Ashfield.