Politicians from all walks of life have sent their best wishes to Labor MP and shadow culture secretary Jo Stevens, who is being treated in hospital for coronavirus.
The Cardiff Central MP has been “sleeping with Covid for a while,” according to a statement from her team on New Years Eve.
Saturday they tweeted from his account: “#Jo asked us to let you know that she is being treated in hospital for Covid. Thanks for all your good wishes, we’ll give you an update when we can. “
The 54-year-old was elected in the 2015 election, winning the Labor Party seat from the Liberal Democrats. She was shadow secretary of state for Wales for a short time under Jeremy Corbyn.
She is the fourth known MP to be taken to hospital with Covid, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who ended up in intensive care in April. His Labor colleagues Yasmin Qureshi and Tony Lloyd were also admitted to hospital, with Lloyd spending 10 days on a ventilator in an induced coma.
Qureshi, MP for South East Bolton and shadow minister for international development, said she remained “anxious and worried” after being taken by ambulance to her local hospital in October. In an interview with The Guardian last month, she described the “unbearable pain” caused by coughing fits and pneumonia when the disease took hold.
The news of Stevens’ illness drew good wishes from across the House of Commons.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he wished Stevens a “speedy recovery”.
Labor leader Keir Starmer tweeted: “#Cure dear friend and colleague Jo soon.”
Mark Drakeford, Premier of Wales, said: “# All our thoughts and best wishes go to Jo for a speedy recovery. Thank you to Jo’s constituency team for continuing to support Cardiff Central voters during this difficult time.
In November, she wrote to Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden calling on the government to crack down on platforms that host “anti-vax” content.
During the pandemic, Stevens lobbied for more support for the cultural sector, which she said was in “utter desperation.”
She told MPs in October: “#In arts and culture, experienced, skilled and talented performers and the people who create, produce and make these economically successful events happen, are treated by the Treasury as if their work were just a hobby.
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