MP opens up about depression struggle
A TORY MP who took a break from his duties last summer has talked about his battle with mental illness.
William Wragg, 35, has suffered depression for most of his adult life but only chose to go public about his struggles last year.
Explaining the decision, he said: “I wanted to hold myself accountable for getting better.
“And the only way I could see, at that time, in doing so was to make it clear what it was rather than it being some sort of secret that lurked away.”
Speaking to Gloria De Piero on GB News, he said: “I’m certainly not feeling as I did in August.
“I’m feeling genuinely much better, much more positive, much happier dare I say it.
“And I think, you know, the clouds or the black dog, it comes and goes throughout life.
“And I think the summer was a particularly acute period of it.”
Mr Wragg, MP for Hazel Grove in Greater Manchester, said he first suffered issues with his mental health while a university student but they became particularly intense last year.
He said: “Certainly through the time that I’ve been an MP there have been some tough spells, but nothing quite as affecting as it was over the course of the last summer.”
Mr Wragg described his depression as “a profound numbness to the world and people around me.
“And it’s entirely out of character because actually, despite the impression I may give to some people, I quite like other people by and large, and get on with most people, and enjoy the company of others. And generally, I’m enthusiastic about the things that I apply myself to.
“So, when that all sort of drains away from you, it’s very noticeable and certainly that was the state I had found myself in.”
During the interview he also accused supporters of Boris Johnson of using “unacceptable” tactics to bully colleagues last year, when the former prime minister was coming under pressure to stand down.
He said Tory MPS seen as disloyal to Mr Johnson were threatened with funding cuts for projects in their constituencies. Mr Wragg added: “There was a cultural problem at the time, with some in government, that they thought they could overtly control the voting behaviour of MPS by – directly or implicitly – threatening to withdraw projects and funding from their constituencies, which I don’t think is acceptable.”
He said attempts to pressure MPS were nothing new, but added: “Just because it’s always happened doesn’t mean it’s the right and healthy thing for our democracy.”
The full interview is broadcast on GB News today from 6pm