Over the past few days I have been contacted by constituents raising issues surrounding the conduct of the Prime Minister’s Chief Adviser. I have never met the gentleman. Since I was first elected to parliament in 1983 there have been controversies about any number of special advisers, but none quite like the present controversy. We are in the middle of a national crisis, as indeed is the rest of the world. The British people have come together to fight and defeat an invisible enemy, which coronavirus is. I am only too well aware of the enormous sacrifices which we have all been asked to make. The full efforts of our nation, and most certainly our Government, should be focussed on ensuring that we get through this crisis as quickly as we possibly can. The present controversy is a complete distraction from those efforts, and I am totally dissatisfied with the way in which the issue is being handled. There needs to be immediate action, and without going into the arguments for and against the Chief Adviser’s position, he should be suspended from his office whilst a full and thorough independent investigation is held. This message is primarily for my constituents, but I have copied it to both the Prime Minister and the Chief Whip. For those of you who have written to me, and shared particular family issues and challenges, I want to assure each and every one of you that you will get a reply just as soon as I am able. In the meantime, I and my team are prioritising urgent constituency issues triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.

Sir David Amess MP