SIR: Winchester MP Steve Brine is ever keen to take centre stage - and vicarious credit - when NHS photo opportunities present, as evidenced by the Royal Hampshire County Hospital ward photograph on the cover of the Hampshire Chronicle (October 14), irrespective of his true role in such. But what when it comes to taking responsibility, too?

As Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health 2017-19 - duties of which include prevention and intervention, major diseases, primary care and health protection and improvement - Steve had very real NHS and public health responsibilities, yet ones which he shirked.

These included failures to plan and prepare which - in part - were responsible for unnecessary deaths and suffering during the (continuing) Covid pandemic. A pandemic which has just been described by his own colleagues and peers (“Coronavirus: lessons learned to date” report) as "one of the worst public health failures in UK history." This by an all-MP group, overseen by two former Conservative ministers.

During Steve’s Health tenure, he would certainly have been aware of Exercise Cygnus - a 2016 government simulation of a pandemic outbreak. A report which showed great gaps in the UK’s pandemic readiness, as well as highlighting the need to stockpile PPE - four years before the pandemic struck.

So, why didn't Mr Brine address these issues - described in Cygnus as “major deficiencies in the machinery of government" during his tenure? Was he too busy on photoshoots, or his private lobby group work (Chronicle, October 31 2019) which show Steve derives additional lucrative income from private firms sourcing locum NHS staff (due to NHS underfunding), even though this eats into the time (up to 40 hours a month) that Steve is paid to work for us?

In his defence, perhaps Mr Brine is doing little more emulating what his currently absent leader, Boris Johnson, does in avoiding taking responsibility for UK Covid outcomes - and death rates? Death rates far worse than many other countries and outcomes that he could have ameliorated. But doesn't Winchester - and the UK - deserve better than Brine?

Nick Wray,

Fordington Avenue,

Fulflood,

Winchester