It beggars belief that when we were unable to visit dying relatives, or even spend Christmas with our loved ones, there were boozy parties going on in the heart of government last year.
There is a clear need to strengthen protections and legislate to tackle violence against women. I wrote to the Government and urged it to step up its actions in tackling violence against women and girls. Click the pdf link below to read the response I received.
New measures came into effect this week to slow the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. Face masks are once again mandatory in shops and on public transport, all international arrivals must take a PCR test, and any anyone in contact with a suspected Omicron case must self-isolate. The Government gave MPs a chance to vote on these measures, but this was only after they had been introduced.
© Gary Manhine
I received my booster jab from Spring Pharmacy in Hoxton. It was quick, painless, and easy.
The new Omicron variant means it is vital we do everything we can to stay protected. Please book your booster jab as soon as you can. Book a vaccine appointment here.
Concerning news today about the emergence of a new COVID-19 variant of concern. It's been named the Nu variant and it's first been identified in South Africa and other nearby countries. It has prompted the Government to reintroduce flight bans from South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. See here for further details.
Concerning news about the new Omicron COVID variant.
I asked the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care whether there are any early indications about this variant’s impact on children.
See my full question and his response above.
Read my Monthly Report for November 2021 here
I called out the Government for essentially sacrificing Northern Ireland on the altar of Brexit.
I’ll keep pressing the Government to reach a sustainable solution.
See here to watch a recording of the debate in full.
It’s been a sleazy couple of weeks with the Government defending the indefensible – MPs using their position to lobby Parliament or the Government on behalf of paying clients. This is completely unacceptable and I joined my Labour colleagues in voting to rule this out completely. But the Government’s majority meant this initiative was defeated. The Government, instead, tabled a loosely-worded motion that will see this issue kicked further into the long grass. It means the next time this issue will be revisited is in February.
Hackney is at the sharp end of the housing crisis, with high rents and many in insecure temporary accommodation. ‘Affordable housing’ set as 80% of private rents is not affordable for people in Hackney in temporary accommodation or overcrowded housing.