Javid: I’ll wear mask for Budget (but will others follow him?)

THE Health Secretary has said he will wear a face mask in the Commons for the Autumn Budget, putting pressure on Tory colleagues to do likewise.

Sajid Javid insisted mask wearing is a ‘personal decision’ but he would put one on as the chamber will be ‘packed’ tomorrow.

He took No10 by surprise last week when he urged MPs to ‘set an example’ by ending their stance of not wearing masks in the Commons.

Yesterday he stopped short of reiterating the call, but said he will wear a mask when Chancellor Rishi Sunak sets out his spending plans.

‘If I’m in the chamber on Budget Day, given it will be packed, I will be, yes,’ Mr Javid told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

‘The guidelines are clear, it’s for people to make a personal decision on how they see the risk of them and those around them, and this is obviously a workplace setting, so it’s going to be a decision for them, but I can speak for myself.’ Very few MPs on the Conservative benches have worn masks in recent weeks, even when the chamber is busy.

Commons Leader Jacob ReesMogg has insisted Tories do not need to wear masks in Parliament because with their ‘convivial, fraternal spirit’ they know each other well.

Downing Street also declined to support Mr Javid’s call, instead pointing to current guidance saying masks should be worn by Britons in ‘crowded, enclosed spaces where they come into contact with people they do not normally meet’. Asked if Boris Johnson would wear a mask, his official spokesman said yesterday: ‘It is a matter for personal judgment whether individuals choose to wear masks.’

It came as Solicitor General Alex Chalk revealed he has tested positive for coronavirus and is now self-isolating.

He was seen without a mask at Prime Minister’s Questions last week. In a video message, he said: ‘I feel absolutely right as rain and symptom-free but I’m following the instructions, of course.’