PRIME Minister Boris Johnson set out how he planned to balance the nation’s health and get the economy going as MPs questioned him over the way forward in a Zoom conference call.

Tatton MP Esther McVey, along with colleagues, attended the meeting to discuss the roadmap as set out by the PM and to put forward questions and concerns raised by constituents.

Ms McVey said: “The most important thing is that we protect lives and do everything we can to beat this virus by following the scientific advice on public health.

“Everyone has made huge sacrifices in the fight against Covid-19, and this year will have been the worst many of us have ever lived through with so many changes to our freedoms and way of life and heart-breaking numbers of people losing their lives to a virus a year ago no-one had heard of.

“I listened to the Prime Minister as he explained the discussions behind the scenes on what should open and then we raised concerns voiced by constituents.

“I’ve spoken to teachers, dentists, farmers, business owners and many others over the past couple of months, all who have different concerns about the impact of Covid-19 and when things will return to some sort of normal.

“While we cannot meet in person, meetings such as these on Zoom are a great opportunity to discuss these issues of vital importance to our constituents.

“I will continue raising the issues with individual departments to get the answers we need, but it is vital the Prime Minister also knows the concerns so he can raise them with his scientific advisers as they plan how best to balance the health of our country with getting the economy going.”

The MPs also discussed support packages being offered by Government to businesses and industries hit hardest by the virus.