MP admits almost collapsing in Commons chamber due to long Covid

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Shadow health minister Andrew Gwynne revealed he still suffers with some of the symptoms of long Covid, despite catching the virus “107 weeks and four days ago”. However, Mr Gwynne stressed “reasonable adjustments” should not only be made for members of Parliament and urged the Government to do more when it comes to workplace protections for long Covid. He said: “When I first returned to the House in person after the summer recess, I found that I couldn’t bob in the chamber without becoming incredibly fatigued, and that that would trigger my brain fog and after almost collapsing during a ministerial statement on Afghanistan, where I had been bobbing for almost an hour I arranged for a meeting with the Speaker, on the basis that I can’t do my job.” The Commons Speaker advised Mr Gwynne to simply hold his order paper up instead of having to stand. “They don’t want anyone with long Covid to go through the same.” DUP MP for Strangford Jim Shannon spoke about the past difficulties with convincing doctors of ME, adding: “The understanding of what ME was about was not really known at that stage, so we had incredible battles to fight to get the evidential base to prove that someone had ME.” Business minister Paul Scully told MPs the Government’s starting position is that long Covid should be “treated the same as any other long-term health condition” as it is important to have a “single consistent and clear approach to managing health in the workplace”.