Nick Ferrari challenges Nadhim Zahawi over 2 women fined for country walk
11 January 2021, 09:11 | Updated: 11 January 2021, 09:13
Nick Ferrari challenges Zahawi over Covid rule enforcement
Nick Ferrari scrutinised vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi after two women were fined by police for going on a country walk with peppermint tea.
Two women, Jessica Allen and Eliza Moore, were on a country walk five miles from their home when they were stopped by Derbyshire Police and fined £200 each.
They said that officers surrounded their cars and were told the peppermint teas they had brought along were "classed as a picnic."
The weekend also saw a woman arrested and handcuffed for "sitting on a bench", however the police have since said that this was "staged" by anti-lockdown protesters, and the footage, which went viral, was not representative of events.
Nick asked whether Mr Zahawi agreed with the police's "tough" approach towards enforcing Covid regulations.
"They've got to make those decisions, I don't know, I wasn't privy to that moment when they made that decision," Mr Zahawi said, branding it "unfair" for Nick to expect him to answer the question.
Read more: Nadhim Zahawi tells LBC the Government 'doesn't want to introduce tougher lockdown measures'
Nick Ferrari questions Zahawi over potential tighter restrictions
Nick pushed him to answer: "Two women going for a walk in Derbyshire with cups of peppermint tea having driven fives miles to meet each other?"
"The two people rule is absolutely in place as long as people are exercising, we don't want to change that exemption, we don't want to make it tougher." the minister responded.
Nick said, "Two cups of peppermint tea classed as a picnic. That's why they were done."
"I hear you, and you're absolutely right," Mr Zahawi said, "all I can say is the police are having to deal with a very difficult situation. Many many thousands of interactions every single day, they are trying to explain but they will absolutely fine people if people simply won't listen."
Mr Zahawi urged people to stay at home as the new variant especially "loves social interaction."
