Jim Shannon couldn’t hold back the tears, in the House of Commons, as he questioned a Tory minister on parties at Downing Street, during a national lockdown.
The DUP politician was overcome with emotion after revealing his mother-in-law died alone during the pandemic.
He told the Commons: ‘In Northern Ireland we reached the milestone of 3,000 deaths due to Covid just last week.
‘Including my mother-in-law, who died alone.’
Afzal Khan, Labour MP for Manchester Gorton, spoke of marking a “solemn Eid” at the time of the alleged Downing Street parties – as his “lovely mum” died of Covid in March 2020.
He said: “She died alone in hospital while I sat in the car outside, trying to be as close to her as I could.”
However, Boris Johnson decided not to appear to answer the urgent question about the alleged party.
Angela Rayner said: ‘It is incredibly disappointing, but not unsurprising, that the Prime Minister of whom I asked this question is not here today despite not having any official engagements.
‘I think his absence speaks volumes as does his smirks on the media, the public have already drawn their own conclusions. He can run but he can’t hide.’
Labour former minister Dame Angela Eagle joked: “Perhaps it would be faster if Sue Gray were to investigate the days there weren’t parties.”
Watch
Covid fines
Hundreds of fines for breaking Covid laws were handed out by police in the week of the Downing Street garden party during England’s first lockdown.
Scotland Yard has said it is in contact with the Cabinet Office about the May 20 2020 allegations at Number 10.
There were 807 fixed penalty notices issued for breaches of Covid rules in England and Wales in the week between May 15 and May 21 2020, the latest data from the National Police Chiefs’ Council shows.
According to the figures, a total of 118,963 fines were processed by police between March 27 2020 and December 16 2021.
Coronavirus rules had changed a week before the party as the Government warned it was considering tougher enforcement measures for anyone flouting the rules.
Lockdown fines rose to £100 in England on May 13 2020 and could be issued to anyone believed to be breaching restrictions on movement amid the coronavirus outbreak.
While anyone found breaking the law would have had their first fine lowered to £50 if paid within 14 days, the penalty doubled for each repeat offence, up to a maximum of £3,200.
Existing legislation known as the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020 was updated to reflect the changes.
At the same time the Government published a 50-page document setting out its Covid-19 recovery strategy for England which said it was “examining more stringent enforcement measures for non-compliance”.
The document said the higher fines “reflect the increased risk to others of breaking the rules as people are returning to work and school”.
Laws in force at the time still required people to have a reasonable excuse to leave their home, such as to buy food and medical supplies, and limited other exceptions such as attending a funeral, court, or legal proceedings and to “escape a risk of harm”.
Changes in the law also allowed people to collect orders from shops and other businesses which had been permitted to stay open or go to waste and recycling centres.
According to the legislation, people could only meet one other person from outside their own household at a time in a public space or for exercise.
Government ministers urged people not to visit relatives and friends in their own homes or gardens.
Guidance issued at the time said people would be able to spend time outdoors, other than just for exercise, as long as they were not meeting more than one person from outside their household, while observing social distancing measures by keeping two metres apart.
Related: PM party: The two-minute clip that should ’cause outrage across the country’
