John Swinney slams 'reckless' Tory councillor who claims coronavirus pandemic ended in June

A Conservative politician is facing calls to resign after it emerged he said the Covid-19 outbreak is over.
Deputy First Minister John SwinneyDeputy First Minister John Swinney
Deputy First Minister John Swinney

A Perthshire councillor who claimed coronavirus ended in June is facing calls to resign and his actions branded as ‘reckless’ by Deputy First Minister, John Swinney.

Conservative councillor David Illingworth, who represents the Almond and Earn ward, tweeted that the epidemic peaked on April 9 and finished at the end of June despite case numbers rising.

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The comments came as Mr Illingworth shared a piece from The Spectator magazine calling on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to overturn Scotland’s new six-person coronavirus restrictions.

Mr Illingworth posted it was ‘time to stop panicking and get back to living life to the full’.

The councillor quickly faced a backlash from members of the public and other politicians. John Swinney, the Deputy First Minister, branded the statement as ‘recklessness at its worst’.

The Courier, who first reported the story, said Perth city centre councillor Eric Drysdale (SNP) hit back at Mr Illingworth. He said: “What an incredibly irresponsible message for an elected councillor to put out on social media. Try telling that to the 439 confirmed cases in Tayside alone since the end of June.

“At a time when cases are on the rise again across the UK, this is a disgraceful tweet. Resign now.”

Mr Illingworth came under fire earlier in the summer for a tweet which compared the transmission of Covid-19 to that of HIV.

The row comes on the day new six-person, two-household coronavirus restrictions on social gatherings came into force in Scotland.

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