LONDON 15 Jul (ANA) - Ministers faced a backlash from Conservative Party members and a senior MP over Boris Johnson's move to make face masks mandatory in shops in England.

 

Some grassroots members cut up their membership cards, while former minister Sir Desmond Swayne challenged Health Secretary Matt Hancock about the issue in the Commons.

 

The hashtag #NoMasks and the word "muzzles" were both trending on Twitter on Tuesday morning, while several people posted pictures of chopped-up cards or cancelled registrations.

 

Many said the order – which will come into effect from July 24 and carries a maximum fine of £100 for non-compliance – is incompatible with their libertarian values.

 

Others claimed there is insufficient evidence to suggest that the measure has meaningful health benefits.

 

Dominey Jenner, 42, a stay-at-home mother and former teacher from Wimbledon, south-west London, told the PA news agency that she had been "quite sceptical about the lockdown" but said the face mask rules are the "final straw".

 

"If you look at the statistics regarding the cases and the death rate, which is plummeting... why now you would bring in mandatory face masks?" she said.

 

"The other strand for me is the libertarian strand. I think people should be trusted, I think we should be given a choice.

 

"I'm really angry at how the Government has invoked fear in its population to control people – I think that is the wrong way to manage a population and to govern."(ANA)

FA/ANA/15 July 2020-------