Letter to Cherilyn Mackrory, MP for Truro and Falmouth, about Dominic Cummings

Below is the text of the letter I sent yesterday to our Tory MP, Cherilyn Mackrory, in case it helps anyone to write their own letter.  (You can do so easily at https://www.writetothem.com/)

I don't think this is the greatest letter in the world, but I found it quite tough to work out what I wanted Cherilyn to do. There's no vote on anything coming up, and she hasn't done anything wrong herself, so I focused on how Boris Johnson's words have undermined her own efforts to keep her constituency safe. I hope it will help put pressure on the PM to sack Dominic Cummings.


Sunday 24 May 2020 

Dear Cherilyn Mackrory,

Since lockdown began, you have been asking holidaymakers and second homers to stay away from Truro and Falmouth, to avoid bringing the coronavirus here and risk putting extra pressure on our hospital at Treliske.

Just three days ago you tweeted to overnight campers:

My message to overnight campers in #Cornwall is this. This irresponsible & dangerous behaviour risks health & wellbeing of our coastal communities w/ a second peak of #Covid_19 - Go home now & come back later, when it is safe to do so #Truro #Falmouth https://t.co/jlgSjRNgNv

— Cherilyn Mackrory MP #StayAlert (@thisischerilyn) May 21, 2020

This evening we have heard from Prime Minister Boris Johnson that it is in fact perfectly permissible to travel hundreds of miles during lockdown, while knowingly infected with Covid-19, to visit relatives and stay in a second home.

There is now likely to be widespread confusion across the country about what travel is and isn't allowed during quarantine and lockdown.

There is also likely to be a feeling that if Dominic Cummings and his family can travel to a different county while infected with Covid-19, with no repercussions whatsoever, then there is nothing to stop anyone else doing the same.

The Prime Minister's words don't just completely undermine the work that you and Cornwall Council have done to keep people in this constituency safe during the coronavirus outbreak. They also create a serious risk that people will now feel free to travel to Cornwall, and in your own words "risk [the] health & wellbeing of our coastal communities w/ a second peak of #Covid_19".

As a constituent of yours I urge you to raise this issue with the Prime Minister and to let him know the risks his words and actions have created for your constituents, for Cornwall, and for our frontline NHS workers who are having to risk their own lives to battle the virus.

 Yours sincerely,

 Fiona Campbell-Howes