Tory MP forced to apologise after he ‘simply forgot’ to wear face mask in train

The photo received more than 15,500 likes and just under 5,000 re-tweets.

Kruger, who is part of the cohort that entered parliament for the first time in 2019, issued a statement, saying: “I boarded an almost empty carriage at Hungerford and quite simply forgot to put on my mask.

“When I got to Paddington I realised my mistake and covered up for the rest of my journey.”

He added: “If the person had reminded me rather than taking a photo and posting it on social media I would of course have put on my mask then and there.

“I do apologise for my mistake.”

The spotting comes after Kruger told his own constituents to wear a face mask in a Facebook post.

The former speech writer to then prime minister David Cameron wrote on September 7: “If, like me, you are already using the train, or are thinking of it, remember: you MUST wear a face covering unless you are exempt.”

Failure to wear a face covering in public can result in an on-the-spot fine of £100, doubling with every repeated offence to a maximum of £3,200.