The Government’s track record of muddled messaging and confused guidance continues. Click here to see my latest statement.
Also the Public Accounts Committee called out the Government's reckless and negligent approach to social care. And good news for ISS key workers at Homerton Hospital.
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It's absolutely right that public health comes first but Government communication has been chaotic and this week particularly so. It's confusing for us all and will hit hard businesses that were expecting to reopen on the 1st August.
The Government needs to be clear and definite in its message when it makes a decision. It cannot announce a decision and then make up the details on the hoof.
What we've had is a PM who shifts from over-optimistic and ridiculous phrases like "we’ll beat this virus" to the more cautious tone of recent days.
A number of constituents contacted me calling for the Government to set up a food standards commission ahead of post-Brexit trade talks. I wrote to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and received this response from the Minister for the Department.
I’m pleased the Government has agreed, in principle, to a food standards commission. I will continue pressing the Government to keep its commitment to high food standards in any post-Brexit trade deal.
The Public Accounts Committee published a report this week calling out the Government for not considering, in its pandemic preparation exercises, that a pandemic would also have an economic impact. A competent government does not run a country on the hoof and it explains the many gaps in support in the Government's economic packages. I’ll continue standing up for the forgotten freelancers and self-employed. The Public Accounts Committee has called on the Government to write back by the 1 September with its plan for what it will do if there is a second spike.
The Public Accounts Committee published a report on the Government’s response and preparedness for the pandemic. I was astounded that the most senior civil servant (Permanent Secretary) at the Treasury, Tom Scholar, conceded that the economic implications of a pandemic were not considered during pandemic preparations in 2016.
Failure to plan is planning to fail. Read the full report here.
At today’s statement on the Windrush Lessons Learned review, I challenged the Home Secretary to remove the barriers for citizenship for young people who've been in the UK since childhood.
They are passionate about the country that is their home.
I’ll keep pressing the Government to learn the lessons from the Windrush scandal.
Better track and trace data means better outcomes in stopping the spread of COVID-19.
I’m pressing the Government so Hackney and Hackney Council gets the data it needs to keep us safe.
Good news this week as the Government listened to my concerns about late night drinking in streets and parks, and backtracked on some of its proposed easing of licensing restrictions. No off-premises sales will now be permitted after 11pm.
This should help tackle some of the antisocial behaviour we’ve been seeing most weekends in Hackney parks like London Fields.
A number of constituents contacted me to raise their concerns about Israel's plans to annex parts of the West Bank. I wrote to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and received this response from the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa.
I am pleased to see that the Government has condemned these actions. I believe the best way to end this conflict would be a two state solution.
Young Hackney – I want to hear your voice!
The English Speaking Union’s ‘Festival of Speaking’ is your chance to record a quick clip of you speaking about anything you are passionate about. You can also recite a poem or a play.
Click here to find out more and don’t forget to use the hashtags #esuhackney and #esufestivalofspeaking so I can hear what you have to say.