Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage says she wears face covering made by her son

AN MP has shown off a face covering designed by her son after ministers were criticised for not being spotted in public wearing masks.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage said she wears a mask ‘all the time’ as the government came under pressure to answer why more senior figures had not been seen wearing coverings.

Ms Dinenage, when asked if she had worn a covering since the coronavirus pandemic started, said she regularly wore face masks made by her son and that she had posted an image of herself wearing it on social media.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

To mark face masks being made mandatory on public transport last month, the Tory MP tweeted a picture of herself on June 5 while wearing a cloth covering.

Caroline Dinenage wears a face covering designed by her son Ed. Picture: Caroline DinenageCaroline Dinenage wears a face covering designed by her son Ed. Picture: Caroline Dinenage
Caroline Dinenage wears a face covering designed by her son Ed. Picture: Caroline Dinenage

Ms Dinenage told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘I wear mine all the time. I have a fashion design student as a son who has run me up a few on his sewing machine and I wear them all the time.

‘A lot of us are out there wearing them as we go about our daily lives.’

Ms Dinenage said ‘you’d have to ask the prime minister and the chancellor’ when questioned why neither of the highest ranking ministers had been photographed wearing a covering in public.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She said ‘lots of my colleagues’ had taken to wearing a face covering, adding: ‘If the scientific evidence proves that it (the guidance on masks) definitely is something that needs to change, then of course we will.’

Caroline Dinenage, Gosport MP and culture minister, has called on Britain to begin recovering after the coronavirus crisis. Photo: Habibur RahmanCaroline Dinenage, Gosport MP and culture minister, has called on Britain to begin recovering after the coronavirus crisis. Photo: Habibur Rahman
Caroline Dinenage, Gosport MP and culture minister, has called on Britain to begin recovering after the coronavirus crisis. Photo: Habibur Rahman

Ms Dinenage showed The News a photo of the covering designed by her son Ed.

It comes as Ms Dinenage, a culture minister, insisted Britain must now turn its gaze to recovering its crippled leisure industry following the coronavirus crisis.

She said it was critical people were allowed to do the activities they ‘love and enjoy’ which were ‘really good’ for their physical and mental health.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Tory minister was speaking out following the government’s latest easing of lockdown measures, which will see gyms, swimming pools and other leisure facilities opening after months in hibernation.

Gym owners have been preparing to re-open for weeks. Pictured is ex-navy PTI Sean Cole from SC Vital Fitness in Drayton
Picture: Sarah Standing (230620-334)Gym owners have been preparing to re-open for weeks. Pictured is ex-navy PTI Sean Cole from SC Vital Fitness in Drayton
Picture: Sarah Standing (230620-334)
Gym owners have been preparing to re-open for weeks. Pictured is ex-navy PTI Sean Cole from SC Vital Fitness in Drayton Picture: Sarah Standing (230620-334)

Speaking on BBC Breakfast yesterday, the MP said: ‘Swimming pools won’t be re-opening until July 25 so we have still got plenty of time to put in place the mitigations to make sure that people feel safe being able to do it and to balance that with the public health risks of not re-opening things.’

But virologists have raised their concerns about the measures, claiming infectious coronavirus particles can linger in the air for up to three hours indoors, prompting fresh safety fears.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Seeking to reassure the public, Ms Dinenage insisted the government was taking advice from Sage, the UK’s top scientific body

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this story. The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on our advertisers and thus our revenues.

The News is more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism. You can subscribe here for unlimited access to Portsmouth news and information online.

Every subscription helps us continue providing trusted, local journalism and campaign on your behalf for our city.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.