South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay has announced he will not stand in the forthcoming General Election due to the continued medical appointments and procedures that he continues to face.
On Wednesday (May 22) he returned to Parliament after eight months, having had his arms up to the elbows and legs up to the knees amputated due to an extreme case of septic shock.
The dad-of-one received a standing ovation from colleagues as he attended Parliament for PMQs. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was “in awe of (Mr Mackinlay’s) incredible resilience” while Labour leader Keir Starmer paid tribute to his “courage and determination” and “deep sense of service.”
The 57-year-old went into septic shock on September 28 last year and, in an interview with GB News, spoke of how the sepsis caused his organs to fail and, as blood clots formed, his limbs turned black.
Initially taken to Medway Maritime Hospital at the insistence of wife Kati, he was given just a five per cent chance of survival after his condition worsened dramatically and his body went blue from the shock.
In October Mr Mackinlay was moved to St Thomas Hospital in London and on December 1 he had an operation to remove all four limbs.
Speaking to GB News the MP said the limbs were “almost leather, like plastic” as he described “the complete death of my hands and also my feet.”
At Medway Maritime Hospital a do not resuscitate order had been discussed for the father-of-one.
He told GB News: “The price I am going to pay for living is serious disability but we will get over it.”
He added: “The Grim Reaper let me survive but he has taken payment in four limbs, that’s the way it is.”
The sepsis also caused tissue damage to Mr Mackinlay’s gums, face and ear which, he says, will require plastic surgery in the future.
After Christmas Mr Mackinlay was moved to a surgical ward that specialises in limb loss and by the end of January artificial legs had been cast.
In February he left the ward under his own steam, using the prosthetic legs and a frame.
The artificial arms from the NHS are, however, very basic and the MP will now pay some £100,000 for ‘bionic’ prosthetics through a private company.
Mr Mackinlay had said he would stand at the next General Election for the East Thanet constituency as the ‘bionic MP’ but this was prior to the announcement, also on Wednesday, by PM Rishi Sunak that the country will go to the polls on July 4.
Today, Mr Mackinlay said: “The snap election announcement has caused me 36 hours of intense soul searching.
“Whilst my heart tells me to stand again, there being so much unfinished business across local regeneration and national issues which are important to me, my head knows this to be impossible at this time.
“It would be difficult to withstand the rigours of an all-out election campaign, a campaign that I’d always wish to lead from the front. Thereafter, upon being re-elected it would be difficult for me to sustain 70 to 80 hour working weeks which were the norm prior to my illness.
“I had hoped to phase my return to the House of Commons over the coming months as my abilities improved. Since leaving in-patient rehabilitation a month ago my life now revolves around various medical appointments.
“I face numerous future operations as a result of the serious sepsis that I suffered which very nearly took my life. I have only just started the prosthetic journey and I have weekly physiotherapy and occupational therapy sessions.
“I had the most memorable appearance of my time as an MP at this week’s PMQs: it was emotional and the experience quite surreal. I shall never forget it. I had expected it to be the start of my return. It will, however, be remembered as my last hurrah.
“I will now campaign to raise awareness for, and particularly the early recognition of, the onset of sepsis. If this results in the saving of one life or the prevention of the type of disablement that I have suffered it will be a worthwhile campaign. I will also do all that I can to ensure that multiple limb loss amputees get the right prosthetics at the right time to ensure that lives can return to as close to normality as possible.
“To be elected to the House of Commons is a rare privilege of life. I thank my South Thanet constituents for placing their trust in me across three General Elections.”
Mr Mackinlay was first elected to the South Thanet constituency in 2015 where he stood against UKIP leader Nigel Farage and comedian Al Murray, among others including the bizarre Nation of Oog candidate.
In 2019 he took the South Thanet seat with more than 56% of the vote. He polled 27,084 votes, some 10,587 ahead of nearest competitor Rebecca Gordon Nesbitt who gained 16,497 votes.
The announcement will leave the Conservatives with little time to announce a new parliamentary hopeful for the East Thanet ward.
