Worthing and Shoreham MP slams mixed messaging as he votes against Covid-19 tier system

In the House of Commons on Tuesday (December 1), the East Worthing and Shoreham MP questioned how he could look his constituents in the eye and explain why they were in tier 2 despite Worthing having the lowest infection rate in the country.

Worthing’s rate of 28 positive cases per 100,000 people is surrounded by low infection rates on all sides, with Adur recording a rate of 45, Arun 55, Brighton and Hove 57 and Horsham 67.

Mr Loughton also pointed to Worthing Hospital having only four Covid-19 patients – down from eight the week before – and a falling infection rate, yet it emerged from lockdown in a stricter tier than when it entered.

“I will have to look in the eye my pub owners, restaurants owners and those in other hospitality industries, on which we rely greatly in coastal constituencies such as mine,” he said on Tuesday evening.

“How can I justify that having a Scotch egg represents a substantial meal? Why is it safer for someone to have a Scotch egg with their drink than to have a quiet pint with their mate down at the pub?

“Frankly, after having waited for two weeks for a change of tier – it probably will not happen, because the chief medical officer suggested last week that it would not happen – it will be too late.

“This is the busiest time of the year, and an industry already on its knees desperately needs to try to get its trade back over the coming weeks. I have given up trying to explain to my constituents why cabinet ministers are saying that it is safe to play charades at Christmas, but it is very dangerous to play board games.”

Mr Loughton said people had ‘behaved themselves and made great sacrifices’ but were still being penalised and demanded to see the evidence and rationale behind the new tier system.

He said a document published by the Government was a ‘cut and paste job’ from the Office of Budget Responsibility that stated the ‘bleeding obvious’.

“Nobody is suggesting no regulation, but we want proportionate regulation, and it may mean better, tougher regulation in some parts of the country,” he said.

“We need logical, consistent, proportionate and fair regulations for people to have the confidence to follow them. These are not, and they will not follow them, and then it will undermine everything.”

Mr Loughton voted against the new tier system, which came into force on Wednesday.

Worthing West MP, Sir Peter Bottomley, voted in favour.