I WAS shocked to read Rossendale and Darwen MP Jake Berry’s defence of Boris Johnson. Unbelievably, Mr Berry praises Boris Johnson for “dismissing the evidence from the experts” and claims “He showed real bravery through Covid and it paid off”.

With over 175,000 Covid deaths in the UK, no rational person could claim that the Government’s handling of the Covid pandemic has been a success.

Mr Berry sadly refuses to condemn Boris Johnson for the illegal parties held in Downing Street, including two held the evening before the funeral of Prince Philip, for which Boris Johnson has had to apologise to the Queen. Yet Mr Berry accuses his Tory colleague David Davis of “misjudging the mood of the party” for calling for Johnson to go.

I would suggest that it is Jake Berry who is misjudging the mood of his constituents. People in Rossendale and Darwen obeyed the rules at great personal sacrifice to themselves and I think Jake Berry underestimates the public outrage at a Government and a Prime Minister flouting the rules that they themselves set.

If the allegations are true that MPs were being blackmailed into supporting the Prime Minister then I am expecting an influx of cash into Rossendale and Darwen in return for Mr Berry’s slavish devotion. I can think of no other explanation for his behaviour.

Mr Berry says: “Many of my constituents just want to forget about Covid”. I’m sure that everyone would like to forget about Covid but whilst it is still with us, and still a health risk, none of us can let our guard down and just pretend it isn’t happening. Personally, I would rather listen to the experts any day than listen to MPs with no scientific or medical background whatsoever.

Liz McInnes

Former Labour MP for Heywood & Middleton

Former NHS Clinical Scientist

Rossendale resident