MP FOR the New Forest West, Sir Desmond Swayne, said the government-imposed lockdown is using legislation created to control the movement of infected people to control the movement of “everyone”.

Speaking to Save Our Rights UK, Sir Desmond said he was “appalled” at the “diminution in our liberties”.

He said: “People always assumed it’s the coronavirus act 2019, it isn’t, it’s the 1984 public health act, which was for the control of the movement of infected persons.

“But this legislation has been used to control the movement of us all. We are now told who we may meet, when we may meet them, interference in family life, it is truly shocking.

“What I find absolutely appalling about this is that we’re told that, actually far from being appalled at all this, the British people really thirst for even more rigorous controls on their liberty.”

Sir Desmond admitted there was a risk of the NHS being overwhelmed, but said the risk has to been set against the “certainty” of “huge economic damage”.

“I don’t diminish that risk and the unpleasantness of it,” he continued. “It seems to be a manageable risk.

“That risk would be temporary, as against the certainty of the damage to our economy and our livelihoods.

“The one proven thing lockdowns do is they make us all poorer and they make poor people, much poorer.”

Sir Desmond said his constituents, specifically the elderly, had conatcted him saying they wanted the choice to be lockded down when there were suggestions the elderly should shield while everyone else was allowed out.

He added: "The quality of life is important. What sort of life is it if we're all imprisoned?

"Some how that form of life is presumed to be better than the risk of infection."