By Ben Kerrigan-
A Conservative MP vowed to stage a protest of defiance against a never ending cycle of lockdowns and restrictions, as he told the Commons that the extended powers until September, would be extended again.
In an unusual House of Commons speech, Charles Walker, MP for Broxbourne, said he will be cutting about London with a pint of milk in his hand, to somehow represent the “slide into authoritarianism” that he believes the life – and NHS – saving lockdown has characterised.
He told Mps that another extension of the powers in September is inevitable, u
He made the unusual speech before MPs voted on Government plans to extend emergency coronavirus legislation to October, months after the roadmap is due to end on June 21.
Speaking ahead of the vote, Walker said “as sure as eggs are eggs” that MPs will be asked to renew legislation again at the end of September.
“It is inevitable and anyone who thinks it is not inevitable is deluding themselves,” he said. “But I am not here to talk about eggs – I am here to talk about milk.”
He then went on: “In the remaining days of this lockdown, I am going to allow myself an act of defiance.
“For the next few days I am going to walk around London with a pint of milk on my person, because that pint will represent my protest.”
“I am going to protest about the price of milk,” he said. “Now I’m not sure whether I think the price is too high or the price is too low. I shall come to that decision later. But for the next few days I am going to walk around London with a pint of milk on my person because that pint will represent my protest.
“And there may be others who will choose too to walk around London with a pint of milk on their person as well. Perhaps as we walk past each other in the street our eyes might meet. We might even stop for a chat. But I [will be] thinking to myself, and I will continue to think to myself: what will their pint of milk represent? What will their protest be?
“Perhaps they will be protesting the roaring back of a mental health demon brought on by lockdown. Perhaps they’ll be protesting a renewed battle with anorexia, with depression, with anxiety, with addiction. Perhaps with their pint of milk they will be protesting the lack of agency in their life, not being able to make a meaningful decision.
“Maybe a loss of career, or job, or business. Maybe they will be protesting this country’s slide into authoritarianism or perhaps they’ll be protesting the fact that we allow unelected officials to have lecterns at No.10 to lecture us how to live our lives.”
Walker said the milk was of “symbolic importance” to him.
He told the Commons: “There might even be people with their pint of milk quietly protesting that the route out of lockdown is too slow, or perhaps even too fast. You see, the point is these people can project what they like, what concern they have, onto their pint of milk.
“Now my protest as I said will be about none of those things. It will simply be about the price of milk and, as I said, for the next few days I will have that pint on me. It will be of symbolic importance to me and at the end of the day it will be warm, it will have suppurated, and I can choose whether to drink it or pour it away because it’ll be robbed of its refreshing elegance by the time it’s been in my pocket for 12 hours.
“And if I pour it away, that might cause people some concern, but it doesn’t matter because it’s my pint of milk and it’s my protest, and I’m not seeking people’s acclaim, endorsement or support in my protest.”