Peterborough MP calls on Boris Johnson to consider mental health ‘suffering’ when ending Covid restrictions

Conservative Paul Bristow told the Prime Minister in Parliament today (Wednesday) that the country’s mental health is “suffering”.

He also referenced a virtual mental health summit which he attended where several city school pupils described problems they and their friends were struggling with during the coronavirus pandemic, and which saw promises of action to address current flaws in local mental health provision.

Addressing Mr Johnson at Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Bristow asked: “My constituents recognise the need for lockdown but are increasingly concerned about their mental health. Many of them asked me to raise this today.

“On Monday, over 20 Peterborough school children told me how it was affecting them. They’d organised their own mental health summit with me and the local CCG (clinical commissioning group).

“Does the Prime Minister agree that the country’s mental health is suffering and should be a factor in deciding when to end specific restrictions?”

The Prime Minister responded: “I know the stress that people are under, not just school pupils and he is right to raise that, but particularly NHS workers during this current wave of the pandemic.

“It has been really gruelling the last few weeks and months and we are investing hugely in mental health support - another £13.3 billion in 2019, and a further £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24.

“That will support 380,000 adults and 345,000 children.”

Mr Bristow had asked residents for question ideas after finding out he would be able to query the Prime Minister at PMQs.

He tweeted a graph showing that the most popular subjects were health/mental health and vaccinations.