One rule for them ...

[TheLadyAnneNeville]

Well, we have a Communities Secretary who has stood on podium at the 5pm Press Brief and urged us to Stay Home, Protect the NHS and Save Lives. He has been found to have visited his parents in Shropshire (an 80+ mile round trip) to take them some groceries. The man, Robert Jenrick, has demonstrated the “it doesn’t apply to me/I’m different” attitude that will see BBQ’s/parties/picnics happening up and down the UK, this weekend.

How are people to get the message above when those in Govt. don’t get it? It’s the “Ive visited hospitals today and shaken hands with COVID19 patents” from Boris. And look where that got him.

And we ordinary folk are being vilified for not shopping essential items only. Police waiting to rummage through our shopping baskets to check we haven’t put contraband in there alongside the bread and milk. I don’t get it.

I’ve struck to the rules ridgidly. Haven’t shopped for a week now but will need to go to Boots tomorrow to collect DH’s diabetic meds. What’s the point if Mr Jenrick just “nips” to visit mum and dad?

If he was delivering shopping and essentials to his parents that is allowed, as long as he maintained social distancing. My DH is doing the same for his mother.

Maybe his parents had no one else to take them groceries and they couldn’t get a delivery slot. Are they supposed to starve because their son lives 80 miles away?

He took essential foods and medicines to his self isolating parents. He didn't go to a holiday home, or picnic in the park or go canoeing in the Lake District.

It's allowed. Use some common sense.

@goldpartyhat... and no one, not a single person, voluntary or otherwise could assist in this delivery. Mr Jenrick is only 38 yrs old. I am assuming his parents, though self isolating for their own reasons, are not in the position of my 90 yr old registered blind, deaf and recently bereaved aunt whom we have arranged food/medication delivery for? We cannot even speak to her on the phone because she is very deaf, having worked in a box factory all her working life.

No. This isn’t on. I’d love to have visited an elderly friend of my mums’ before she recently died. Wasn’t allowed.

We’re being fed bullshit.

I’m still wondering why Matt Hancock didn’t answer the question about visiting his second home on the updates last Sunday. A reporter asked him what he thought about the Scottish minister who had been caught out visiting her second home and if he had done it and he answered the first bit and then wrapped the questions and answers up so quickly without answering the whole question. I am really surprised no one has picked up on it (or maybe they have and he is squeaky clean so it’s a non story?). If he had nothing to hide, why did he not just say that?

Britain voted for a lot of Eton toff Tory hooray henrys who are just behaving like they normally do. Why is anyone surprised that they are lying, entitled hypocrites. But hey they GOT BREXIT DONE..

Please don't use poor behaviour by some government figures as an excuse to ignore the rules. Whatever you think about their behaviour, it's our collective behaviour that counts.

I suggest the Communities Secretary used some sense, common or otherwise. Eighty miles? No one else to deliver? We’re fucked then because it won’t be long before every Tom Dick and Harry are driving up and down the country to make deliveries. Oh, wait, we’d face “stop and basket search” ... maybe not.

How gullible are we?

There are probably plenty of people who could have helped, what's the difference between volunteers doing it, which would have been a much more convoluted process, or their son, whom I imagine would be more familiar with their preferences and medical needs?

I'm no fans of the Govt but there really are more pertinent issues we could be taking umbrage with.

I think that many people are doing this and ' justifying' it with flimsy excuses.

Is there not a community pharmacy that could have delivered essential meds for the Jenrick's?

Personally I would not want an individual from the cabinet visiting me at the moment as the likelihood is they have coronavirus based on their recent statistics.

Hypocrites imo

@Jaxhog, yes I agree. That’s why I’m doing my very best to abide by the rules. But actually, I think they should be renamed “guidelines” because you cannot have one rule for one and another for some bloke who wants to visit his parents.

I simply do not believe that there was no one else to assist Mr Jenrick in the way that we are all expected to find for ourselves and our own loved ones. Even my elderly neighbour has her food delivered by the local church volunteer service. I know, because I offered to get her anything she needed.

I’m also struggling to get my mum to understand the rules. She has popped round with what I consider inessential items three times so far this week and has been out in her car at least every other day since lockdown started (ran out of cat food, so nipped to the shop, needed some stamps, so popped to the newsagents, dad needed a prescription collecting, out she goes - all kind of valid reasons, but could be condensed to one trip a week). How can I try to educate her on ‘non essential journeys’ when those making the rules are driving 80 miles a week to deliver shopping?

@chickedeee... precisely. Knowing I have a disabled adult son and a husband in the “at risk” group, my local Boots offered to deliver.

I say again, bullshit we’re being fed here and I object. Strongly. There was no hesitation from the govt. press office when he was found to have flouted the rules. Immediately it was put out “he was delivering essentials”.

@Maryann1975. Exactly. Those telling us what we can and cannot do for our own good and the country’s survival can’t just do as they please.

I was stopped last week by the police in my car, literally half a mile from my home, on my way to Morrison’s. It was fine. I demonstrated my shopping bags on the passenger seat next to me and on I went. And yet, as I saw people being waved down to stop, I felt very nervous. We’re not used to being asked where we’re going by the authorities on a Friday morning when we just need some shopping essentials.

Perhaps I’ll ask my nephew to drive over from Derbyshire (100 mile round trip) with bread and milk because frankly, I felt so bloody stressed being asked by a stern faced officer where I was going that I just couldn’t wait to get home.

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/09/cabinet-minister-robert-jenrick-visited-his-parents-during-covid-19-lockdown

This article says the local community have been supporting Jenrick’s parents with shopping. So why did he need to make an eighty mile round trip?

It also suggests he is travelling between Westminster for work, and Hereford to be with his wife and children.

My partner lives 40 miles away and we won’t see each other for the duration of the lock down, however long it is. It’s hard. Jenrick’s behaviour pisses me off.

I don't think he did anything wrong. We have an elderly family relative and have really struggled to get online deliveries, have phoned around local shops and nothing. It was causing a lot of additional stress for the relative and if it had been in anyway possible I would have driven the distance to get them groceries.

I'm sure I heard on R4 news that the local community claimed there were lots of people happy to help his parents.

A cynical excuse from this MP.

@Maryann1975 I noticed that he really did wrap it up ever so quick!

I did exactly this yesterday, and I still don’t think I did anything wrong. The police stopped me and I explained (including the distance to be covered) and they said “thanks, stay safe on you go”. There was no issue.

I drop it off, stand well back, have a 2 minute conversation to check they are ok and are remembering what tablets to take when.

They are my parents. Why should a volunteer have to shop/put themselves at risk over me? Shouldn’t their time be saved for people who have no other options? I have managed to get some deliveries, but there are gaps and in those gaps I will do it.

The Shadow Minister has said if this is what he was doing, it is fine.

@Maryann1975 agree - I was waiting for him to answer and when he didn't thought 'hmmmm...'.

As a cabinet minister he should be taking extra care to follow the rules. Is he really following 'the spirit of the law' as Dominic Raab put it? He has also left London for the family home since he can now WFH.

The law is the law is it not?

Are MP's above or beyond the law?

The rules are simple i do not accept or believe these 'explanations' (justifications)

But chickedeee, the rules allow for helping vulnerable people. Presumably you would allow me to drop off food/medicine for my parents if they lived next door. So what is the difference? At what point does the distance make it against the rules.

Let me just clarify a few points.

Jenrick and his wife (a city law firm partner) both live and work in London, where they own two properties. I have no doubt that their children go to school in London too.

They also own a second home country retreat in Herefordshire. His parents live 40 miles away from this second home.

His safe seat constituency is 130 + miles east of Herefordshire, in Newark, Nottinghamshire. Despite claiming in 2014 that he was going to move his family 'lock stock and barrel' to the area if elected, the taxpayer continues to fund the monthly £2k rent of a property in the upmarket constituency town of Southwell (a 20 minute drive from Newark and the mainline Station to London).

His constituents would be castigated for popping off to their holiday caravans/homes in Skegness, yet because his is a country pile, with a library to do his interviews from, he sees this as totally acceptable.

vera99

You mean like Sir Keir Starmer?