Already in Hackney, we’ve had pubs selling takeaway alcohol. This has caused scenes of havoc in places like London Fields with mounds of rubbish, urination and defecation.
Hackney Council is on the case but the Government must get a grip and address the practicalities around the easing of restrictions.
The Government must also understand the cost to local taxpayers of the clean up and stewarding. The extra cost needs to be paid by the Government to protect already stretched local services.
Like many constituents I was shocked and saddened by the scenes of police brutality in the United States. That is why I joined Dawn Butler MP in calling for the Government to suspend the export of rubber bullets, tear gas and other equipment to the US.
I unequivocally condemn the killing of George Floyd and the ugly scenes in the US since. President Trump is stoking a divide his country along racial lines and we must have no truck with this.
This week the Public Accounts Committee discovered that the Government never considered the economic effects of a pandemic during its 2016 pandemic preparations. It explains the many gaps in support, including for the forgotten freelancers, and why it is lurching from crisis to crisis.
I welcome Marcus Rashford’s excellent campaign shaming the Government into a U-turn so that vulnerable children do not go hungry over the summer.
I share the anger of many of my constituents who wrote to me about the sad case of Belly Mujinga. Belly was a transport worker who died from COVID-19 after being spat at whilst at work. I am clear no one should be in fear of assault for simply going to work.
I wrote to the Department for Transport to press the Government over the lack of PPE provided to transport workers. See the Department for Transport's response above.
I share the anger of many of my constituents who wrote to me about the sad case of Belly Mujinga. Belly was a transport worker who died from COVID-19 after being spat at whilst at work. I am clear no one should be in fear of assault for simply going to work.
I wrote to the British Transport Police (BTP) to press them on why they failed to pass the case on to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). I welcome its decision to invite the CPS to conduct an independent review of the available evidence. You can read the full response to my letter above.
I’ve been raising concerns about the gaps in Government support for freelancers and the self-employed for months. Instead of just “reflecting” on these concerns, the Government needs to step up and act now.
I’ll keep pressing the Government on this.
I’m continuing to receive an unprecedented number of emails supporting Black Lives Matter. Thank you. We need to turn this anger into action and I look forward to working with you on how to create lasting and meaningful change.
This is a difficult time for many people living in Hackney. However, there is support available to you. This is a quick changing situation and I will keep the below links updated. Please remember my office remains open so please email meg.hillier.mp@parliament.uk if you need any assistance.
Government information: For all information and guidance released by the Government about Coronavirus (COVID-19), please see here; https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
The Government needs to step up and radically improve the test, track and trace system.
Hackney Council is a pioneer borough piloting localised tracking and tracing, but it is not getting the data it needs from the central system. If someone is tracked as having been close to an infected person, all Hackney gets is information that they live somewhere in the borough.
This is not good enough. We can’t return to any safe sense of normality until the Government gets this right.
The Government is failing vulnerable children with no proper plan for schools and pupils.
There's no catch-up plan. It beggars belief that there was no planning in place. The Education Secretary is asleep on the job.
The Government cannot just give up on supporting vulnerable children and their families in the middle of a crisis. I’ll keep pressing the for support for all pupils. We cannot risk a lost generation.