Boris says road and rail improvements crucial to area

Boris Johnson said turning the A5 into a dual carriageway and reconnecting Oswestry to the rail network were major priorities when he visited the town last night to support the Conservative candidate at the forthcoming North Shropshire by-election.

Mr Johnson said: "We need to look at dualing the A5 from Montford Bridge to Oswestry.

"I'm very pleased we are reversing the damage caused by the Beeching cuts, and looking at getting the Gobowen-Oswestry railway line reopened.

"I believe very strongly that transport infrastructure can make a huge difference to people when it comes to job opportunities, and helping North Shropshire achieve its massive potential."

Mr Johnson visited Day Lewis pharmacy at English Walls, where Conservative candidate Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst was giving patients their Covid booster jabs.

Mr Johnson spoke of his sadness at the death of Sandra Francis from Oswestry, who died after waiting almost 40 minutes for an ambulance after suffering cardiac arrest.

He accepted that there were problems with ambulance response times, and said the main cause of this was ambulances spending too long waiting at hospitals as a result of increased patient numbers.

Mr Johnson said there was no easy solution to this problem, but said investment in hospitals and social care would reduce turn-round times at hospitals, freeing up ambulances for more emergencies.

"Because of Covid, over the last 18 months we have had hospitals really back up, the amount of ambulance arrivals at hospitals are running at 92 per cent capacity or more.

"It is going to take major investment to fix this crisis, and that is why we are putting £36 billion in.

"There are also many people who don't need to be in hospital, but the right care isn't there, there are 10,000 cases of delayed discharge. That is why we are reforming social care."

Mr Johnson said he hoped more would be known about the new Omicron coronavirus variant by the end of next week.

But he said he hoped Christmas would go ahead as normally as possible, and that that children should remain in schools.

"We are not telling people to cancel their Christmas parties," he said.

"What we are saying is that they should follow the guidance.

"I strongly believe that kids should be in schools, and that Christmas should go ahead as normally as possible.

"What we are trying to do is cope with the Omicron variant and that means having some tough measures at the borders and also some measures to make sure that people isolate if they come into contact with an Omicron case.

"Plus we're also toughening up on the masks, that's a balanced and proportionate approach to take with Omicron while we get to the bottom of the exact risk that is poses.

"But whatever the risk Omicron may pose or may not pose, the booster is everywhere and always going to be your vaccination's best level of protection."