Munira Wilson, MP for Twickenham, has pressed Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on the ongoing problems preventing local residents from accessing Covid-19 tests.

Some are being asked to travel as far as Newquay and Aberdeen to access testing. Others have found that they are only able to access the local Twickenham testing site by pretending they live at an address in Scotland. Home testing kits have not been available for the last week.

Speaking in the House of Commons Munira Wilson said:

"I have been inundated with emails from doctors, teachers and parents unable to access the tests that they desperately need. Several of them have been advised that if they put an Aberdeen postcode into the system, they can get a test in Twickenham—and they have succeeded.

How on earth is a world-beating test and trace system functioning like this, and what is the Secretary of State doing to fix it? In the meantime, does he recommend that I tell constituents who desperately need a test to game the system in that way?"

Matt Hancock responded:

"No; in fact, it is incumbent on us all to take a responsible approach and tell our constituents that tests are available in large numbers, that the average distance travelled is 5.8 miles and that people should take this seriously and not game the system."

Following this exchange Munira Wilson said:

"We were promised a world-beating test and trace system but what we have at the moment is an utter shambles. It is unacceptable that local residents have been struggling to get tests for almost a week now. Some are being told to travel as far as Newquay or Aberdeen which is totally unfeasible.

"Worse, others are finding that if they put an Aberdeen postcode in the system, they can get a test in Twickenham. People should not be having to game the system to get the test that they desperately need.

"With kids back at school, there was always going to be additional pressure on testing capacity, but given the promises this government has made, few would have expected the system to buckle so quickly.

"This is having a huge impact on people locally. Schools are worried about staying open and are under immense pressure because their students and teachers cannot get access to tests. Local residents have been unable to get back to work. Healthcare workers have been self-isolating whilst they wait to access a test rather than getting back to the frontline.

"We need to hear the practical steps Ministers are taking to fix testing right now, not just ambitions for the future. People are counting on the Government to get this sorted to keep people safe from a second wave of this dreadful virus."

You can view the exchange HERE