Newspaper column 31 March 2021 - The roadmap to recovery continues

This week we took another step on the roadmap out of lockdown. From Monday the instruction to stay at home was lifted and we are now able to leave home without the need for one of the permissible reasons. Also, we can now meet family and friends outdoors in groups of two households or up to six people and outdoor sports and activities can recommence.

I am sure like me, many people will very much welcome being able to see our family and friends, albeit outdoors. I will certainly be making the most of this to catch up with people I have not been able to meet for several weeks.

These deliberate and cautious steps are important to ensure we continue to win our battle against the virus. The Prime Minister is clear that he wants each step to be irreversible, and that this will be the last lockdown needed. So although I understand those who feel frustrated at the cautious approach being taken, particularly in the light of the very positive news of the reduction in infections, hospitalisations and deaths, I believe it is the right approach in ensuring this is a one way street now.

In other news there were a couple of very welcome announcements from the government last week. Firstly, in a review of a number of tax policies the government committed to close the loophole that allows holiday home-owners to avoid paying council tax or business rates. This is an issue I have been campaigning for action on for several years and I know something that many local people feel very strongly about. I am pleased we are now seeing action on this which will ensure in future, those owners which are not genuine business will not be able to avoid paying their fair share of the contribution to local services.

Also, the government announced a new policy to kerb the number of illegal immigrants coming to the UK, whilst ensuring those genuinely seeking asylum will be treated fairly and compassionately.

Again, this is an issue many people have contact me about, concerned at the number of people we have seen crossing the Channel in dinghies, and coming through other routes. Many of those coming were economic migrants and had paid people traffickers to get here.

I believe we need a system that enables people who legitimately need asylum to and be able to go through the legal system more quickly, while discouraging those who seek to abuse the system. It is inevitably a difficult balance to strike, but I certainly want the help we provide to be made available to those who need it most and not based on one someone’s ability to pay the trafficking gangs.

We also need to ensure that those we are legally seeking to deport, because they have come here illegally, are able to be returned without having our legal system clogged up with lawyers exploiting the current system.

The UK has always provided a safe refuge for those who need it and approach us through legitimate means, and we will continue to do so. But we also need a system that makes it difficult for those who seek to exploit vulnerable people and discourages people from making dangerous journeys. The proposals put forward by the Home Secretary strike this balance and address the key points that I know many people have been concerned about. I look forward to this legislation coming forward.

Newspaper column 24 March 2021 - The first anniversary of the first lockdown

This week marks the first anniversary of when our country first went into lockdown because of the Coronavirus pandemic. I am sure none of us expected, twelve months later, to still be living with the consequences of the pandemic and still have our lives so restricted.

It has been an incredibly challenging year for all of us in so many ways and this anniversary gives us a point in time to look back over the year. I am sure we will all look back with a wide range of feelings about all we have lived through.

I know many people want to take a moment to remember those who have been lost to this virus and pay our respects. Before I left for London on Monday morning, I took a moment to visit the local church where people have been tying ribbons to the railings and trees and laying flowers. In Parliament we held a minute’s silence to commemorate the anniversary of the lockdown and remember those who have died. It is important we remember that in the midst of all we have gone through so many families have sadly lost loved ones to this terrible virus.

But I am also sure many of us will also want to say thank you to all those who have worked to support and serve our communities through this year. Of course, top of that list will be our frontline NHS workers who have cared for and treated the sick, and our carer workers who have looked after the elderly and most vulnerable. There are so many others who have gone above and beyond, including our police, school teachers and staff, pre-school and nursey staff, delivery drivers, supermarket workers and local shop keepers as well as an army of volunteers.

As we mark the anniversary of the lockdown we can do so with a hope that the end is in sight. With the successful roll out of the vaccines we know the end to these measures will come soon.

Despite some of the current debate around the future supply of the vaccine, we have already vaccinated over half of all adults in the UK. Just last Saturday we vaccinated 844,000 people. This is an incredible effort by all involved. We should be very proud and thankful of the huge national team effort that has made this possible. Despite the recent question the government remains confident we will have enough supply of vaccine to meet our targets.

Next Monday we take the next step on the roadmap to lifting the restrictions. From Monday we will be allowed to get together with one other household or in groups of up to 6 from different households outdoors, including in gardens. I know I am looking forward to this to be able to see family and friends again. Let us hope the weather is kind to us to allow us to really enjoy meeting up with people.

But it is important we continue to remember that the restrictions that remain in place are there to keep us safe. We only have to look across the Channel to note what is going on in the rest of Europe to know this virus has not yet been defeated. The vaccine is the way to win this battle and we in the UK are ahead in the fight. It isn’t won yet, but victory is now in sight.

 

 

Column 17 March 2021 - The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill

The sad death of Sarah Everard, in London last week, has brought into sharp focus the safety of women in the UK. This was then followed by disturbing scenes on Saturday evening as Police sought to break up a gathering of people on Clapham Common.

I fully understand the concerns, and even anger, that many people have expressed at the scenes as reported, and there are certainly questions that need to be answered as to how the events unfolded. I am pleased that the Home Secretary has responded quickly and asked for an independent, lessons to be learned, report from the Inspectorate of Constabulary. It is right that we wait for this report before jumping to conclusions about the events of Saturday night.

The Police have a very difficult job at this time, as they seek to keep up safe in the middle of a pandemic. They have some incredibly difficult decisions to make every day. It is very easy for us, 250 miles away, to jump to conclusions based on pictures on social media. But I believe we should allow the full details of that night to be reported and then we can consider how they should be viewed and what lessons there are to be learnt.

We must also not allow these events to cause us to lose sight of the tragedy of Sarah Everard’s death. It is deeply concerning that too many women do not feel safe walking the streets of our country, particularly at night. I am pleased that the government already has plans in place to increase sentencing and provide greater safety for women in our country. But it is also right that we look again to ensure we are doing all we can to protect everyone in our country.

We also need to keep everything in perspective, particularly here in Cornwall, where we continue to have among the lowest crime figures in the country. We are fortunate to live where we do and we should never take for granted that relatively speaking, our streets are the safest in the country.

This week the government also introduced a new Bill into the House of Commons that seeks to strengthen the law in a number of important areas. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill is a major piece of legislation that covers a broad number of areas. One part of it particularly has caused concern in the media regarding the clauses that help the Police to be able to take action to prevent protests from unreasonably disrupting the lives of ordinary people.

I have witnessed for myself too many times in recent years when our capital city has been held to ransom by organisations determined to not just protest peacefully, but to cause the maximum damage and disruption to our economy and people’s lives.  

It is absolutely right that the Police have the powers they need to stop these type of protests from happening. This Bill does not remove our rights to peaceful protest as some are trying to make out. The powers in the Bill put into statute and clarify long established principles that the right to protest does not allow anyone the right to disrupt law abiding citizens from going about their business.

Some have tried to tie the measures in this Bill to the events on Saturday night. This is incorrect and those seeking to do so are, deliberately or through misunderstanding, misrepresenting the facts. The steps taken by the Police on Saturday were taken under the emergency powers they have been given to keep us safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bill going through Parliament has been many months in the making. It is not in any way connected to what happened at the weekend.

The right to peaceful demonstration in our country is a foundation of our democracy. I will always defend that right and all those who seek to exercise it. But what I will not accept is those who seek to destroy our democracy, damage private and public property, and the livelihoods of others in the name of protest. This Bill strikes the right balance and I am grateful that the government is bringing these measures forward.

Newspaper column 8 March - The Road to Recovery begins

On Monday we saw the first steps as part of the gradual easing of the lockdown as we begin the first stage of the Roadmap to Recovery.

As well as people now being able to meet with one person from another household, outdoors, for recreation or leisure purposes, schools and colleges have now reopened for all students.

The Government has always said that returning face-to-face education in schools and colleges is a national priority. The decision to restrict face-to-face attendance in education and wraparound childcare settings has been taken only when it has been absolutely necessary to control the virus and save lives. Being in face-to-face education is the best place for pupils and students and returning children and young people to face-to-face education is, therefore, the first step in easing this lockdown.

I hope everyone returning to school and college has been able to settle in and enjoy their return to face to face learning and particular thanks must go to all teachers and school staff who have welcomed them back, while also working throughout the pandemic virtually and face to face with vulnerable pupils and the children of keyworkers.

Also, from Monday, care homes are able to allow one visitor per resident to come, subject to some conditions, and have physical contact. I know this will be an important relaxation of the guidance for those families who have loved ones in care homes.

As we continue to see the number of cases fall and more people receive the vaccine, we know the end of this pandemic is in sight. It is still important we all keep to the rules and follow the guidance each step of the way to ensure this is the last lockdown we have to go through.

Another important part of our road to recovery from the pandemic was the Chancellor’s Spring Budget Statement last Wednesday, which delivered a wide range of support for people and businesses across Mid-Cornwall.

This is a Budget that delivers for Cornwall. The extension to the furlough and self-employment-income support schemes are welcome, along with particularly the raft of measures designed to further help our hospitality and tourism industries, which I have long-campaigned for, as we look to ease lockdown measures and re-open for what I hope will be a busy summer season.

Consumers will also join me in welcoming the continued freezes of fuel and alcohol duty, along with new incentives to help people buy their first homes, with government-back mortgages up to 95% of the purchase price, and the extension of the Stamp Duty Holiday, will help those who have been able to buy homes during the pandemic complete their purchases as planned.

There is much more to do, but I am proud to be part of this Conservative Government that is doing all it can to help Cornwall and our country recover and build back better.

As we begin to emerge from the lockdown my staff will at some point return to working from the office and I will recommence face to face surgeries. I will provide more detail in the coming weeks, but please be assured I continue to be available to any constituents who need help or advice by email, phone or video call if appropriate. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if we can help in any way – email: office@stevedouble.org.uk of call: 01726 829379.