A devastated woman who saw her brother for the last time at their mum's funeral says she wishes she could have given him a hug - but didn't because she was following the rules.
Cassie Garbutt could not embrace grief-stricken sibling Glen Southern as they bade farewell to mother Brenda, 72, who died from Covid without her family at her side.
Just weeks later, in June 2020, dad-of-six Glen, 46, from Blackpool, tragically took his own life.
Heartbroken Cassie, 45, says shameless Prime Minister Boris Johnson must go following the "partygate" scandal.
She told The Mirror: "I just wish I'd hugged my brother, I have to live with the fact that I didn't because I followed the rules.
"I have nightmares about the fact that my mum died on a Covid ward where everyone was in masks and there was no one with her, she died alone.
"I can't imagine what my brother was going through and they were partying through it.
"I don't believe a word Boris Johnson says, he doesn't care about others, he just cares about himself."
Neither Cassie nor Glen were able to visit their mother during her final days at Blackpool Victoria Hospital after she was admitted from her care home with Covid-19.
It had a devastating impact on Glen, his sister said.
"My brother was a big lovely character, he was crying and he said 'what if I'd given it to her?'" she recalled.
"He was upset that she was in hospital and we couldn't see her. He phoned in the morning to say she had just gone and he was crying on the phone."
On the day of the funeral, on April 20, 2020, Cassie drove from her home in York and sat alone, with only six family members allowed to attend.
After the service she returned home, and would never see Glen again.
Exactly two months later, he took his own life at the premises of the utility business he ran.
"If my mum hadn't died, I'm convinced that my brother would still be here," Cassie said.
Revelations about numerous parties at Downing Street while the rest of the country was following strict Covid rules have infuriated Cassie.
Last week the shameless Prime Minister repeatedly refused to stand down despite Whitehall enforcer Sue Gray blaming a failure of leadership for a string of Downing Street parties.
She said: "They were having a party while my brother was in the deepest, darkest hole.
"They should have standards, but they seem to think it's just one rule for them. It's ridiculous what they've got away with.
"They don't care about others, they just care about themselves."
The Samaritans is available 24/7 if you need to talk. You can contact them for free by calling 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or head to the website to find your nearest branch. You matter.
