‘Highly irresponsible behaviour’ - Sammy Wilson pictured not wearing face-covering on public transport

The image of Mr. Wilson sitting on a London underground train was shared on social media on Thursday morning.

Individuals without face-coverings on public transport in London “could be denied travel, or receive a minimum £200 fine which will double each time you are caught not wearing a face covering, up to £6,400,” according to the Transport for London (TfL) website.

“No, I wore a mask before getting on the train, while on the train, in the airport and on the plane,” said Mr. Wilson to the Belfast Telegraph.

“I took a call and you can’t talk through a mask as you are muffled, so I took it off but put it on again soon after.”

In recent weeks, Mr. Wilson has publicly decried the wearing of face-coverings and has even described them as “muzzles”.

The East Antrim MP was accused of undermining Northern Ireland’s battle against COVID-19 at the beginning of August when he tweeted a photograph of himself posing without a face-covering while eating an ice-cream.

Alliance Party Mid and East Antrim Borough Councillor Danny Donnelly described the image of Mr. Wilson on the train as “highly irresponsible behaviour”.

“This is highly irresponsible behaviour from the East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson.

“Taking a phone call is not an excuse for breaking the law.

“I hope that he will reconsider his actions and show some respect for other people on the tube in future. #WearAMask,” tweeted Colr. Donnelly.