Newspaper column 24 February 2021 - The Road to Recovery

On Monday, the Prime Minister laid out the roadmap as we look to come out of lockdown. With the success of the vaccination programme, where we have vaccinated one third of our population, including all those most vulnerable to the virus, we are in a position to look to a summer free from restrictions.

In his statement to Parliament the Prime Minister set out the four measures that will be used to test our progress: the continued roll out of the vaccine, the reduction of those needing to be hospitalised and deaths from COVID, that the infection rate does not cause further pressure on the NHS and that new variants of the virus do not undermine the effectiveness of the vaccines.

Taking these measures, we will now enter a three month process of gradually unlocking our society and economy. There will be four steps in this process, and each will be assessed over a five week period before we move onto the next phase.

Phase one will begin on 8^th March when we will see all school children and college students return to the classroom. This will be supported by twice weekly testing of all secondary and college pupils.

At this time, we will also we able to meet one other person from outside our household outside for leisure, rather than just exercise as we are currently limited to. Also, care home residents will be able to nominate one named person to visit them – I know this will be very welcomed by many.

As part of Step one, we will go further and make further changes which will take effect on 29 March, when schools go on Easter holidays. It will become possible to meet in limited numbers outdoors, where the risk is lower. The Rule of Six will return outdoors, including in private gardens, and outdoor meetings of two households will also be permitted on the same basis, so that families in different circumstances can meet.

Outdoor sports facilities – such as tennis and basketball courts, and open-air swimming pools – will be able to reopen and formally organised outdoor sports will resume, subject to guidance.

From this point, 29 March, the legal requirement to ‘stay at home’ will be lifted, although we should all remain cautious and limit our travel as much as we can.

Step two will begin, subject to the four tests, on 12 April. At this time non-essential retail will reopen, as will personal care including hairdressers and nail salons. Indoor leisure facilities such as gyms will re-open, as will holiday-lets, but only for use by individuals or household groups.

We will begin to re-open our pubs and restaurants outdoors, there will be no curfew or limitations around a substantial meal.

We will aim to begin step three on 17 May when most restrictions on meetings outdoors will be lifted, subject to a limit of thirty people. And this is the point when we will be able to see our friends and family indoors - subject to the Rule of Six or the meeting of two households. We will also reopen pubs and restaurants indoors along with cinemas and children’s play areas, hotels, hostels, and B&Bs. Theatres and concert halls will be able to open their doors, and sporting events will be able to welcome spectators.

The final step will begin no earlier than 21 June. With appropriate mitigations, we will aim to remove all legal limits on social contact, and on weddings and other life events. We will re-open everything, including nightclubs.

I am aware that there will be those on both sides of this matter who will feel unhappy with this plan. Some will feel it is too cautious and slow, while others will feel concerned we are moving too quickly. I believe it is a sensible and measured plan that provides a timeframe for everyone to work to.

I remain concerned at the impact this gradual approach will have on some of our local businesses and I will continue to push for further financial support for those businesses who will not be able to open without major restrictions for many weeks to come.

 

Newspaper column 10 February 2021 - Space ambitions and university students

I hope you are all well as we continue through the lockdown.

While we have all been limited with our movements due to the Covid restrictions, I have still been able to contribute to debates in Parliament by speaking virtually in the Chamber via video link. While this will never be a real substitute for the cut and thrust of debate in Parliament, it still allows me to take part, raising issues on behalf of constituents and championing causes for Mid-Cornwall, whilst being able to look at the beautiful Cornish coast from my window!

In the past week I have been able to ask questions of Ministers and take part in debates in Parliament about the future of airspace, our space industry, and also on support for university students during the pandemic.

I welcome the Government’s ambition to have 10% of the global space industry in the UK. It is right that, particularly post-Brexit, we aim to be a significant player in this increasingly important global sector. However, in order to achieve that aim, we will need to have a launch capability here in the UK. We lead the world in the design and manufacture of satellites—particularly small satellites—but we currently then ship them to the other side of the world for launch. Having our own launch capability in the UK will not only be important in an ever more uncertain world but will reduce costs and the environmental impact.

Cornwall is ready to play a major part in this through Spaceport Cornwall, which will be one of the world’s first horizontal launch sites for satellites. With the successful first satellite launch of our partners Virgin Orbit last month, we are now in a position to launch satellites from Cornwall next year that will bring much-needed well-paid jobs to Cornwall and attract business investment, which in turn will aid the Government’s levelling-up agenda in one of the poorest parts of the UK. It will also help to inspire our young people to pursue qualifications in STEM subjects and open up career opportunities in electronics and engineering.

The thing we need now is for the regulations to be put in place. Horizontal launch, which is basically little different from a large passenger jet taking off, until it reaches altitude for rocket launch, should not be bogged down by unnecessary regulations that are required only to cover vertical launch. I therefore asked the Minister to look carefully at the regulations to ensure that they differentiate between launch mechanisms and are fit for horizontal launch so that Spaceport Cornwall can lift off as soon as possible.

I also questioned the Minister on behalf of university students from Mid-Cornwall. I have been contacted by many students and their families who are concerned that they are still being made to pay their rent in full for their university accommodation despite not actually being at University or able to attend lessons in person due to the pandemic.

While it is welcome that some universities and accommodation providers are providing partial rebates to students, too many still are not. I asked the Minister join me in urging all those accommodation providers to show some flexibility and provide a partial rent rebate wherever possible, and was pleased to hear them agree with me and urge all providers of university accommodation to give a partial refund for this period in which students cannot all access their accommodation.

These are just two of the contributions I have made to Parliament in the past week. There are always issues to be raised on behalf of the communities I have the honour to represent and it is good that even in these difficult times, I am able to do so and fulfil my role as MP on your behalf.

Remember although I office is closed all of my staff and I are working from home. We are currently assisting several hundred local residents every week with a wide range of issues, both COVID related and wider issues such as housing, benefits, health and employment matters. If there is anything you feel we may be able to help you with please do not hesitate to get in touch – email: office@stevedouble.org.uk or call 01726 839279

 

 

Newspaper column 3 February 2021 - Good news with vaccine rollout

 

Last week saw more progress with the vaccination as the latest figures, released on Thursday showed that 74,192 COVID-19 vaccines have now been given in Cornwall, with 78.9% of people over 80 now having received their first jab. In Cornwall every care home where it is possible to deliver the vaccine safely has now received it.

Nationally 5 in 6 people over that age 80 have now had the vaccine, along with 2 in 3 people aged between 75-79. On Saturday 598,000 people received the vaccine across the UK, a new daily record. In Cornwall we are seeing delivery of the vaccines ramping up in a similar way.

With the mass vaccination centre opening at Stithians Showground last week, and another one opened at the Royal Cornwall Showground this week, these figures will continue to accelerate as more supply of the vaccines becomes available.

I hear good news stories every day from people who have had the vaccine and continue to be impressed by the commitment shown by all involved in the vaccine rollout. One such story, that gained national publicity at the weekend is the impressive efforts by St Austell Healthcare, who administered an additional 1,000 vaccines within 24 hours of being notified on an unscheduled delivery, clearly pulling out all the stops to make sure the people who need it most get the vaccine.

In more positive news, on Thursday, Novavax published phase 3 trial data from its UK study for its COVID-19 vaccine, showing it to be 89.3% effective in preventing coronavirus in participants, as well as being effective against the new UK variant.

This is the vaccine trial that I participated in, although I don’t yet know whether I received the actual vaccine or a placebo, so I am pleased to have contributed in a small way to this good news.

Thanks to the work of the government’s Vaccines Taskforce, the UK has secured 60 million doses of Novavax’s vaccine to be delivered in the second half of this year, if approved for use by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, who will assess whether the vaccine meets robust standards of safety, effectiveness and quality.

This is all good news, but I couldn’t finish my column without touching on some of the negativity from the end of last week concerning the EU and its appalling behaviour around the handling of the exporting of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine. Make no mistake about it, one major success of Brexit so far has been that the UK has been able to get its own vaccine rollout up and running quickly and in doing so start vaccinating people in greater numbers than members of the EU.

This was thrown into the spotlight last week when the EU became angry that Britain was getting its UK-made contracted supplies from AstraZeneca while it was yet to begin. In retaliation the EU announced it was introducing export controls on coronavirus vaccines made inside the EU to try to protect its supplies, including threats to put checks on the Northern Ireland border to prevent vaccines produced in the EU from reaching the UK. The Brexit deal ensures there are no obstacles to trade between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

 

Their decision united many people, including The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, in condemning their actions, and forced a quick u turn from the EU – which was very welcome.

The UK-Ireland border was one of the most difficult problems to overcome in the recently agreed Brexit deal, following the UK's departure from the EU. During the negotiations the EU lectured us about the importance of respecting the detail of the arrangement and respecting the Good Friday Agreement; how peace in Northern Ireland was at stake. Yet the impression the EU gave last week is that those concerns can be quickly disregarded, if the EU feels its interests are at stake.

I was pleased that the Prime Minister rose above this and calmly addressed this issue which forced a u turn from the EU. Whilst we all understand the importance of addressing this pandemic at a global scale, we cannot allow the EU to ride roughshod over contracts and agreements in place simply to cover their bad handling of the situation. The UK has done more than any other country to use our resources to support the global effort and I am sure we will continue to do so, but not at the expense of our own citizens.

Newspaper column 20 January 2021 - G7 announcement

This past weekend saw the Prime Minister announce that Cornwall will be the venue for the G7 Summit that the UK is hosting later this year.

The G7 (or Group of Seven) is an organisation made up of the world's seven largest so-called advanced economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Attendees of the summit include the G7 nations' heads of government plus the president of the European Commission and the president of the European Council. The Leaders of Australia, South Korea and India will also be invited to this year’s G7.

In past years the G7 has taken action to strengthen the global economy, save 27 million lives from Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria and supported the education of millions of children in the poorest countries. In 2016 its members led the way in helping secure the historic Paris Climate Agreement to limit global emissions.

As well as the annual gathering of leaders, G7 ministers meet to discuss shared challenges in areas such as global economics, health, technology foreign policy and national security.

As the presidency holder, the UK will direct the agenda for the G7 in 2021, choosing to focus on issues that matter and will help the UK and the world build back better from coronavirus.

The Presidency is a unique opportunity for the UK to lead the international recovery effort from the COVID-19 crisis. We will create an agenda for the Presidency that tackles the biggest issues facing the world, building a global coalition that delivers economic opportunities and growth, while also protecting our planet.

Bringing such an important international event to Cornwall is an incredible opportunity for our Duchy. This is something that Prime Minister first discussed with us as local MPs back in April 2020, so there has been a huge degree of planning and preparation gone into it already to ensure it goes as well as it can possibly go.

This is likely to be the first global in-person event of this kind since the pandemic and I am very grateful to the Prime Minister for choosing to host this event in our Duchy, which shows we are very much at the heart of the government’s levelling up agenda.

It will really put Cornwall front and centre at a pivotal moment in the world’s history and will be an incredible opportunity to showcase all Cornwall has to offer the world, not only our stunning natural beauty, but also our unique heritage and culture, our world class food and drink and our world leading creativity and innovation.

For a start, Visit Cornwall estimates that the Summit will bring over £50m of economic growth to Cornwall - £24m during the event itself, and over £26m of future growth in the international tourist market over the next five years. A real opportunity and a big boost for our economy at the time we need it most.

I look forward to doing all I can to ensure that Cornwall shines at this historic event and that the heads of state who visit return to their countries at its conclusion having seen what a wonderful place Cornwall is to live, work and grow up in.

Newspaper column 6 January 2021 - The Brexit Trade Deal

Let me begin by wishing everyone a Happy New Year. Whilst I am sure we are all aware that we have some huge challenges to get through in the coming months, with the rollout of the new vaccine we know that we can see an end to the current situation. I have every faith that as we emerge from this crisis, we will see a return to more normal times in the coming months and we can begin to rebuild from the effects we have all felt from this pandemic. In the meantime, it is vital everyone plays their part and keeps to the restrictions in place.

Of course, we began this year with the historic deal with the EU as we left the transition phase of Brexit on 1^st January. This new arrangement sets our future relationship on trade and cooperation with the EU for the years ahead.

Against all the odds, and despite being told by political opponents it could not be achieved, the Prime Minister was able to reach an agreement on Christmas Eve and the legislation required was then passed by Parliament on 30^th December. It was always likely that these negotiations would be pushed to the wire and so it proved. Huge credit must go to Boris Johnson for sticking to the deadline and not extending the transition period as many were calling for him to do. I had always stated I thought a deal would be agreed but we needed to be prepared to go to the deadline with a willingness to walk away in order to get a deal that was acceptable.

Of course, the deal we reached isn’t perfect. Compromises had to be made by both sides. But crucially the agreement recognises the UK as an independent country, free from the jurisdiction of the EU courts and regulations and re-establishes our sovereignty. Our laws will now once again be made by the UK Parliament, directly elected by the people of this country who can be held to account for their decisions. This was always in my view the heart of the vote to leave the EU and I am delighted, after four and half years of struggle, to deliver on this democratic decision.

Even the most ardent Eurosceptics have accepted that this agreement delivers on the key elements needed to restore our national sovereignty. I was pleased to vote to pass this deal in Parliament in order for us to be able to leave the single market, customs union and all EU regulation from 1^st January. We can now make decisions on our own laws and regulations that suit our own country rather than 27 other nations.

It is pleasing to see that the government has already used this new freedom to implement decisions we have been held back from taking by EU laws. We immediately scrapped VAT on female sanitary products, the so called Tampon Tax. This is something we have wanted to do for more than two years and while the EU were discussing allowing this they hadn’t taken action to do so. It is good to see the government implement this decision at the first opportunity.

One area where I acknowledge we did not get everything we had hoped for was on fisheries. I share the disappointment of many of our local fishermen with the immediate changes to fishing quotas and access to our 12 mile waters.

It is clear that fisheries was one of the main areas of contention in reaching agreement with the EU. Although compromises had to be made, I am pleased that the Prime Minister held out on the unreasonable demands of the EU for us to continue to allow EU vessels unrestricted access to our waters indefinitely. We are now out of the Common Fisheries Policy and have control of our waters.

What was agreed is a big step in the right directions in a 25% uplift in quota for our fleet while laying out a clear path after a 5 ½ year adjustment period for us to take back more quota. Additionally, the government has agreed to an initial £100m fund to invest in our fishing industry to enable them to gear up to be ready to handle more quota in the future.

It is important to consider in this that we will now control access to waters out to our 12 mile limit. While we have agreed to allow EU boats some access it will be on our terms. It will be by way of license which we will issue and we will be able to set the regulations and restrictions on these vessels. So although ideally we would not have allowed EU boats access at all, it is important to understand the access allowed is under our terms.

The first sign of this is that we have immediately banned pulse fishing (a method of fishing that uses electric pulses to stun fish to make them easier to catch). This is again something we have wanted to ban for some time, but was not allowed under current EU regulations. From 1^st January we have taken steps to prevent EU boats from using pulse fishing in our waters. This is an important step and shows this government is prepared to use the new powers we have.

 

 

 

  

Newspaper column 16 December 2020 - COVID-19 and Brexit updates

 

This week sees the beginning of the roll out of the COVID-19 vaccine via GP surgeries, which marks another important step forward in our fight against the virus, hopefully paving the way for a return to normality next year.

This week we also have the first review of the Tier system. In Cornwall, thanks to everyone being sensible and continuing to follow the guidelines, our COVID-19 numbers are continuing to drop and remain far below the national average, so I have every hope that we will remain in Tier One following the review.

As well as the continuing developments on COVID-19, Brexit is back in the headlines as the negotiations for our post-Brexit future Trade Deal continue.

It is important to note that this is not the Withdrawal Agreement, which the Prime Minister referenced as being ‘oven ready’ and able to be agreed during the 2019 General Election campaign. The Withdrawal Agreement was indeed passed by Parliament in January, which has resulted in us leaving the EU earlier this year.

This has been deliberately misrepresented by some politicians, including the Leader of the Opposition, who have tried to say that the Trade Deal is the same as the Withdrawal Agreement. This is clearly incorrect.

The Trade Deal with the EU needs to be concluded before the end of our transition period away from the EU on 31 December.

The EU’s negotiating team has been determined to make these negotiations as difficult as possible. It seems quite clear that they are concerned that a truly free and independent UK would be highly competitive and are therefore seeking to tie us into their regulations indefinitely – the so call ‘level playing field’ conditions.

For rather obvious reasons, the EU also wants to retain access to our fishing waters. Under current rules, EU vessels have guaranteed access to our waters. And the EU quota system has been weighted unacceptably against our fishing fleets. For example, France takes 84 percent of the quota for cod in the English Channel while the UK is allowed only 9 percent.

This is clearly unacceptable to fishermen in fishing ports like Mevagissey or Newquay, and any outcome will need to recognise our nation’s sovereignty and restore our fishing fleet’s rightful place in our waters.

I am pleased that our Prime Minister has not backed down on these red lines and has remained clear that, as has always been the case, the Government will walk away without a deal if expectations are not met.

All we are seeking is a reasonable trade agreement that benefits both the UK and the EU by allowing free trade between us without tariffs or quotas. After all we are the EU’s biggest customer, with whom they enjoy a £95billion export market. Initially the EU offered the UK a free trade deal, along the lines that they had agreed with Canada, subject to agreement being reached on arrangements for the Irish border. Once we had reached agreement on this they then withdrew their offer of a ‘Canada style’ deal.

It is not unreasonable for the UK to seek similar terms to that which the EU has agreed with Canada. The EU do not demand Canada follow their rules and standards. As the UK has been a member of the EU and paid billions into their coffers it would seem reasonable for us to be granted terms at least an a par with Canada.

As I write this it has been agreed that negotiations will now continue even though there appears to still be areas of serious disagreement. But I believe the Prime Minister is right to make every effort to find a deal, whilst keeping to the principle that any deal must respect the independence and sovereignty of the UK outside the EU.

My own position remains, as it has always been that if we can secure a trade deal with the EU, then so be it, but if a no deal is agreed the we will trade on World Trade Organisation terms. I would rather that than compromise on our sovereignty, and make no mistake about it, whilst a no deal outcome would present challenges, we can overcome them and we still have a bright future as an outward looking nation, away from the EU.

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Newspaper column 2 December 2020

Last week was another fast moving and significant week in politics.

We had the Autumn Financial Statement from the Chancellor on Wednesday where he laid out the government’s spending plans for the coming financial year. I was pleased to see that we will continue to provide additional support for our public services, with more money announced for the NHS, schools, local government and further investment in our transport infrastructure.

Part of this announcement was the confirmation of development funding for improving railway links within Cornwall through a new Cornish Metro that would provide a direct connection between Newquay and Falmouth. The new service would run from Newquay through Par, St Austell, Truro and onto Falmouth. This would be an exciting opportunity to connect two of Cornwall’s main tourist centres and provide an economic boost for all the communities along the route as well as better connections for local residents.

There is still some way to go in order to make these proposals a reality but the award of this funding is an important step. It shows that the government recognises the potential of this route and the funding will enable more details plans to now be produced to take it to the next level.

As well as the spending review, the big news last week was the announcement of the new tiered system for the next phase of our fight against the Coronavirus. The new tiers had been well trialled but the big news on Thursday was confirmation that Cornwall will be returning to the lowest level of restrictions in Tier 1. Along with the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight, Cornwall will be one of only three areas of England in Tier 1 and the only one on the mainland.

This is clearly very welcome news for us locally, and particularly for local hospitality businesses who will be able to reopen under the lowest level of restrictions in the important period running up to Christmas.

As welcome as this news is, it really does need to be understood by us all that there is no room for complacency. Before we entered the national restrictions at the start of November Cornwall was in Tier 1. But at that time we were seeing the number of cases increase. This has now been brought back under control which does show that the restrictions worked and this was the right action to take. However, the tier we are in will now be reviewed regularly and if it is necessary this can be changed in order to keep the spread of the virus under control. Therefore, it is vital that everyone keeps to the rules, follows the guidance and behaves responsibly to ensure we can remain in Tier one.

With Cornwall being the only place in mainland England in Tier 1 I do understand the concerns many have raised with me concerning the potential of people from other areas of the country coming to stay Cornwall in the coming weeks. I appreciate the concern this may cause to some people.

I do think there are a number of key points that we need to consider to keep this matter in context. Firstly the government has been clear that people who are living in the very highest risk areas, Tier 3, should not travel outside of their area. It is also clear that those living in Tier 2, whilst they are permitted to travel, are legally required to keep to the Tier 2 rules whilst they are here.

It is also worth noting that despite having literally millions of visitors in Cornwall since the lockdown was lifted in July, this has not contributed to a rise in cases. In fact whilst the biggest number of visitors were here in the summer, the number of cases continued to fall. The increase we saw in the autumn was primarily linked to workplace setting, including those travelling to places such as Plymouth for work. There is no evidence that tourists have had an impact on the number of cases in our Duchy.

Providing those who may come stick to the rules, keep within their household groups or bubbles and behave responsibly, which the vast majority do, there is no real cause for concern.

I appreciate the coming weeks will continue to be challenging for us all. But we can see the light at the end of all this as we make further progress on seeing a vaccine that is safe and effective being available. So my plea is, despite whatever our frustrations and concerns, let us all continue to do our bit to keep ourselves, and those around us safe, whilst enjoying the relaxation in the rules here in Cornwall.