Neil Hamilton, MS for Mid & West Wales and Leader of UKIP Wales, has slammed the First Minister for his continued ‘draconian measures’ to try and stop the spread of coronavirus.

Neil Hamilton, a member of the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs committee, has accused Mark Drakeford of taking a sledge hammer to crack a nut and criticised new lockdown measures announced for North Wales.

Speaking in ‘virtual plenary’ during a discussion on lockdown restrictions, yesterday he said:“Is it not inevitable when you relax restrictions that the risk of increasing infection is bound to occur? And, obviously, as we move towards winter, there’s a higher risk anyway of any respiratory infection being contracted by individuals.

It is overwhelmingly the case that where deaths from COVID are concerned they occur amongst older people. 40% of the deaths are people over 85; 30% in the age group of 75 to 84; and a further 15% in my age group, 65 to 74; whereas the overwhelming bulk of the infections takes place in younger people, and they’re nothing like as at risk.

“In fact, it’s calculated that somebody over the age of 85 is 1,000 times more likely to die of COVID than somebody who’s under 65.

“These regulations are not proportionate. They are not likely to be effective unless they’re continued indefinitely, and we carry on having lockdown after lockdown after lockdown if we don’t accept the inevitable: that until a vaccine is effective and widely distributed, the risk of infection must continue.”

Mr Hamilton, whose constituency also covers part of North Wales, said he was disappointed to hear about lockdown restrictions being announced for that area.

“My constituents in Gwynedd are not yet subject to these ‘draconian measures’ but I am under no illusions they may soon well be. There appears to be no logic applied to lockdowns.

“Of course we must all take precautions to stay safe but the continuing and extended restrictions are vastly in excess of anything which might be justified and the adverse effects outweigh any perceived advantage.   Approximately 33,000 people die in Wales every year. The country has been paralysed by focusing on the relatively few confirmed Covid-19 deaths to date.”