Make mobile phones essential service, says former Edinburgh MP John Barrett

Mobiles sometimes older people’s only contact with outside world
John Barrett says phones are essentialJohn Barrett says phones are essential
John Barrett says phones are essential

A FORMER city MP is calling for mobile phone providers to be designated an essential service to ensure older people self-isolating during the coronavirus crisis are not stranded if their handset fails.

John Barrett, who was Lib Dem MP for Edinburgh West from 2001 until 2010, said his own phone packed in recently.

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“All the mobile phone shops are obviously shut. Fortunately my wife has a mobile phone and it’s not a massive problem.

”But I know a lot of older people whose only contact with the outside world is their mobile phone. If their mobile phone goes down as mine did it’s very difficult under the present circumstances.

“A lot of older people maybe don’t have computers.”

Mr Barrett said he had been able to order a new phone which had arrived through the post, but it still took him “hours” to transfer all his data and contacts from his old phone to the new one.

“Setting up a mobile phone is a real task,” he said.

And he argued with thousands of people self-isolating, mobile phones were essential.

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”Everything to do with the current lockdown is based on you being able to phone the NHS or your GP surgery and them being able to phone you back and give you advice.

”I think mobile phone services need to be included as an essential service.

”Essential workers are clearly doctors, nurses, and also supply workers, bus drivers and so on - but I think mobile phones are up there.”

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