DEAR Sir/Madam,

In February 2021, my mother-in-law died in a care home. My wife had not been allowed to visit during the three months preceding her death due to Lockdown and Covid Restrictions. This also included her father who was not allowed to visit his wife of over 40 years.

Earlier that same month, my family and I were given three hours notice that our loved one was at the end of life and since we were all in various different places around the country, and my mother-in-law’s care home was in Oxford, we were granted little time to get there and say goodbye. We did arrive - just in time! Other family members did not. We followed the rules, as did the carehome. ‘Following the rules’ also meant our youngest daughter aged nine couldn’t see her grandma one last time. No opportunity to hold her hand, or kiss her cheek.

Three weeks later we followed the rules again with a sparsely attended funeral and no wake.

Perhaps Mr Johnson and the police would like to issue me a speeding fine for exceeding the limit on the M4 as I raced to Oxford for my wife to hold her mother’s hand for 10 minutes before the end?

We are now approaching the first anniversary of my mother-in-law’s death. During that year family members have struggled with guilt and regret which stems from those last few months before her death when visiting was forbidden. The pain continues, but still we are following your rules Mr Johnson. Wearing masks, keeping our distance and sanitising our hands. What was on the Government’s hands during Lockdown?

Did Mr Hancock consider the impact of his rule-setting whilst caught snogging his mistress on camera? And, Mr Cummings, whilst you took an illegal drive to check your eyesight, my family had no option but to rely on phone calls to the care home, which were rarely answered due to staffing issues and workloads.

This shower of Conservative hypocrites has been caught out...

Anyone trying to white-wash over the government’s actions during those difficult times with comments such as “Boris is Boris” are out of touch not only with society, but also humanity.

Cllr Simon Nicholls

Comeytrowe and Bishops Hull