The MP for Workington, Mark Jenkinson, has shared his thoughts after Tuesday evening’s votes on the move to Plan B.

Mr Jenkinson voted against the need for mandatory NHS jabs, Covid passes and face coverings on Tuesday night, being one of 99 Tory MPS to vote against their leader.

Discussing his reasons, Mr Jenkinson said: “The law is the law and I would expect everyone to abide by it. There has been word that this is a move to rebel against Boris Johnson but that is completely untrue. I am loyal to my Prime Minister, he helped me win my seat and I imagine he’ll be on hand to help me retain it in the next general election.”

On face coverings, Mark said: “I’ve been consistent with my thoughts on face coverings. For me, it’s not just about the non-pharmaceutical interventions that we’re considering but also the Covid and non-Covid harms. The material of the masks that most of us wear is weak. Germany has mandated medical-grade masks throughout the year, yet they are still suffering from more deaths than us.”

Moving on to Covid passes, Mr Jenkinson continued: “Vaccination does a marvellous job in protecting us from severe illness. I have been vaccinated twice and am certain it will prevent me from suffering from any bad illnesses. I have also had my booster jab and encourage everyone else to do so.

The vaccination does not stop transmission however. The Chief Medical Officer told MPs on a call that the impact on transmission was ‘minimal’. The expected outcome of a reduction in transmission doesn’t make sense and passes will not help. Scotland released a 70-page document proving that Covid passes do not work. If we want infection-free environments, the best thing to do is we must test.”

Finishing on mandatory vaccinations for NHS staff, Mark said: “Like face coverings, I have remained consistent with my views on NHS staff receiving a jab. I voted against mandatory vaccinations for NHS staff as I feel that it would not do enough to protect vulnerable patients. We have seen that people who have been vaccinated can still test positive for Covid and can pass on to others. These interventions are not expected to have an impact.”