Rasen MP opts for wintry swim start to day

Market Rasen and Caistor MP Sir Edward Leigh gave an insight into his routine when speaking in the House of Commons this week.

The father of six, who turned 70 in July, revealed on a winter’s morning he liked to start his day by ‘swimming the Serpentine and then going to Mass’.

Sir Edward was speaking following the Prime Minister’s Covid update to MPs on Monday of this week and subsequent question session led by the Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock.

He began his comments by saying he hoped the Secretary of State wouldn’t think him ‘too eccentric’.

He went on to question if ‘under any tier or indeed under any future lockdown we will never return to the abolition of healthy outdoor sports or going to religious services ‘.

He continued: “There has never been a shred of evidence that they cause any problem.”

A Roman Catholic, Sir Edward went on to inform his fellow MPs: “By the way, it is the first time in 800 years that people have been prevented from going to church in this country, since the country was put under an interdict by a medieval pope , so we do want reassurance of that.”

He also asked for more reassurance on Christmas carols.

He said: “ We don’t want it to be just a holy night, but we don’t want it to be a silent night either.”