Coronavirus: Derbyshire MP sorry for 'get a life' sick pay tweet Published duration 17 March Related Topics Coronavirus pandemic

image copyright UK Parliament image caption Pauline Latham said she was "in a state of distress" at the time of the tweet

An MP has apologised after telling a constituent who asked her about statutory sick pay to "get a life".

Mid Derbyshire's Conservative MP Pauline Latham responded to a constituent who had asked if £94 a week was enough to live on.

Ms Latham has said that at the time she tweeted her reply she was "in a state of distress".

She added this was because she could not bring her brother home from Spain because of coronavirus.

The MP wrote : "I must apologise for the Tweet to a constituent over the weekend.

"At the time, I was in Spain in a state of distress having just visited my brother who is suffering from acute dementia.

"Very sadly, we could not bring him home to the UK because of coronavirus.

"At this time of stress, I received a Tweet from what I perceived to be a keyboard warrior and it pushed me over the edge. I am very sorry I reacted so hastily."

The constituent has since acknowledged Ms Latham's apology, saying he was sorry to hear about her brother.

He tweeted: "I understand now that she was distressed - I get that - but I think perhaps she should not have answered at all in the circumstances."

In another tweet, he added "we all need to pull together" and "we need our MPs to pull out all the stops".

People can receive £94.25 a week of statutory sick pay if they are too ill to work, paid up to 28 weeks.

Self-employed workers are not eligible, but casual or agency workers are.

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Related Topics Coronavirus pandemic