Please can someone pass this thread to the @Conservatives - I have not had a reply from my local MP to my previous (Ian Liddell-Grainger). Thanks Twitter friends:

Dear Sir/Madam

Small Business Catastrophe...

1/14

I’m writing to let you know that thanks to the ill-advised “Rule of 6” I am being forced to shut down my business. We are "collateral damage' in a feeble attempt to curb “raves” and help the dim-witted, woke, two-tier police force to understand simple enforcement rules.

2/14

We run a large holiday let in West Somerset (“rural” “deprived”) that sleeps 16-20 people.We were booked every weekend between last Friday and all over Xmas and New Year with an income of around £35,000.

3/14

We have 9 part-time staff (one on payroll the rest are cleaners), all with young families, who do 4-6 hours on a Monday and Friday at £10-20 an hour. The Rule of 6 means that ALL of these booking will now have to be cancelled. As will all casual wages - obviously.

4/14

This is not a case of “adapting” to an Airbnb or Booking. com model; we cater specifically for extended family and friends’ groups celebrating decadal birthdays (esp 50s to 90s) or walking/cycling in the Quantocks.

5/14

We are invariably fully booked on weekends all year round and 6 months in advance.We bring 1000-1200 class A tourists into Somerset every year, throughout the year. Getting together in larger close-knit groups is not a trivial matter & not something anyone does through LM. com

Not only do we still have high direct running costs & refunding of 3 months bookings pending, other businesses who in turn rely on us for will be going under; local wood supplies, private catering, restaurants, window cleaning, laundry and LPG services to name but a few.

7/14

My wife and I are natural conservatives but watched with horror as Mrs May attempted a botched Brexit. We voted for and were delighted by Boris’ win late last year. However, the handling of the pandemic is so poor that the Labour Party agrees with every measure.

8/14

We find it very hard to believe that Matt Hancock doesn’t understand the bigger picture on ave age of “covid” deaths in UK (82) or have any perspective on the actual threat to non-comorbid under 60s (307), normal monthly deaths in UK (50,000), normal flu season deaths (200 a day)

Furthermore, it is clear that Matt Hancock does not understand statistics, False Positives (at least 80%) and much more besides. How is it that we are ruled by a small cabal of lockdown/vaccine fanatics? (Gove, Cummings, Whitty, Hancock)

10/14

We cast envious glances at Sweden and the application of common sense.
100 years of pandemic science and medicine show that lockdowns don’t work – they actually make things worse.
How is it that China has decided it doesn’t need a vaccine?

11/14

1.Urgent Repeal the Rule of 6 immediately – or make an exception for large staycation venues (we have the same profile as people who attend weddings & receptions and funerals & wakes)

12/14

2.If you cannot do 1 above, then for those of us who have lost 100% of our business income (at no notice!), announce a second grant scheme – the previous scheme for Mar-Jul was a large crumb of comfort even though we didn’t qualify for the top rate.

13/14

I’m afraid that if you continue on the current course and make no concessions or recompense, or even acknowledgement, then I cannot see how, having wrecked our business and made many of those around us much poorer, we might bring ourselves to ever vote Conservative again.

14/14