This Tory MP just criticised the public for being ‘too willing to stay at home' during lockdown

A Conservative MP has said people have been “a little too willing” to work from home in order to reduce the spread of coronavirus.

This is despite a barrage of government messaging telling people to “stay home, protect the NHS, save lives”.

Sir Graham Brady made the comments during a debate on the government’s Covid-19 regulations in the House of Commons on Monday.

Explaining the government’s messaging in staying home to reduce the pressure on the NHS, Brady said:

The public have been willing to assist. If anything, in some instances it may be that the public have been a little bit too willing to stay at home.

The senior Tory MP then claimed employers are “struggling” to get employees back into work:

I am sure I am not the only member who has heard from employers who are struggling to fulfil orders because it is difficult to get employees back from furlough. We all know how critical it is that they ought to be able to get their workers back so that we make sure that the jobs remain when the furlough period ends.

The Tory MP claiming people are “too willing” to stay home sparked backlash on social media, with many taking offence:

Many thought the Tory MP was out of touch with working people:

Sir Graham Brady is the chairman of the 1922 Committee – a Tory parliamentary group of backbenchers in the House of Commons.

At the of April, he was reportedly “at odds” with Boris Johnson over his desire to ease lockdown restrictions, after the PM urged people not to lose patience with the lockdown.

Sir Brady said:

If we allow economic damage to continue, that will cost jobs and also have a negative impact on the country's ability to pay for our important public services.

At the time of writing, the UK has recorded over 191,000 cases of Covid-19 and sadly 28,734 people have died.