The continued fallout from the Prime Minister’s unacceptable behaviour during lockdown means he’s taking his eye off the ball on the issues that matter to Hackney: an increase in the cost of living, wages not keeping up with prices, and rising energy bills. It is clear the Government has no plan for how to support people. I’ll keep pressing the Government to step up and address these issues. I’ve also called for the Prime Minister to take responsibility for his actions during lockdown and resign.
 
I challenged government ministers about the deal signed off by the Government that will see private hospitals receive a guaranteed minimum income of between £75 million to £90 million a month to supposedly support the NHS in the event of a surge in COVID-19 admissions. However this is an up-front payment without anything being delivered. If the extra capacity is required, the cost could increase by up to £175 million a month. After nearly two years of dealing with COVID-19, it is astounding the Government couldn’t negotiate a better deal. See here to watch my question in full. 
 
The Public Accounts Committee published a report today on the underpayment of the state pension (see here for the report and here for a summary). These errors date as far back as 1985 with the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) estimating it has underpaid 134,000 pensioners, mostly women, over £1 billion of their state pension entitlement. It is a shameful shambles and the Government needs to set out the step changes it will make to ensure it is fixed.
 
And two important bills passed its House of Commons stages this week. The Elections Bill, which will see photographic identification required to vote at future elections, and the Building Safety Bill, which still leaves lots of questions and unresolved issues for leaseholders trapped in buildings with unsafe cladding. See my round-up for further details.