Over 16 million people – around one in four – are now living under local restrictions, but infection rates are still going up and there is widespread confusion about the rules amongst the population, most of whom want to do the right thing to protect themselves and others around them.
Viewers of Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday were left gobsmacked, following Boris Johnson’s ludicrous assertion that everyone in this country understands the new Covid-19 rules and restrictions, put in place in recent days. He couldn’t be further from the truth.
Only the day before, the PM himself was forced to apologise for providing the wrong information on new North East measures put in place this week. And a few hours before that, the Government Minister put up for the morning news round admitted that she too wasn’t across the detail, and even stated that despite her Ministerial position, she didn’t represent the people of the North East.
As an MP, my inbox has been packed with queries from constituents and employers who are rightly baffled by the knee-jerk announcements of rule changes from Government Ministers. Johnson’s own Conservative council leaders are outraged, complaining that the rules are too complicated. The Government’s lack of clear messaging has hampered efforts from the start, but it is becoming an increasingly serious issue as the cases once again mount up.
But it isn’t just the messaging that is problematic, it’s the way this Government implements its decisions that adds to the chaos. So, it was disappointing that the Government yet again failed to provide advanced warning of the new restrictions to local leaders, causing frustration to many local people and businesses, and leaving tens of thousands of workers in our region uncertain about their jobs.
The House of Commons Speaker has also been uncharacteristically critical of the Government, who are increasingly introducing new restrictive laws with little notice and minimal time for MPs to debate them in the Chamber. I fear the Speaker’s claim that the Government is in contempt of Parliament will fall on deaf ears with the Johnson/Cummings Downing Street rabble, who seem to hold everyone else in contempt.
Reducing economic support at the same time as introducing new restrictions adds to the toxic cocktail. The furlough scheme has ended, and businesses are trying their best to do the right thing. But Chancellor Rishi Sunak has made a political choice, deciding that jobs in sectors such as hospitality and events aren’t worth saving. In this region alone we’re talking about up to 80,000 further job losses before Christmas. Without further interventions from him, the fallout this winter could be catastrophic.
In our region, councils and Labour MPs are working together to ask for the right resources and enough funding to protect the economy and support local businesses that will be impacted by the restrictions. This will allow us to respond to the pandemic, whilst also protecting people’s livelihoods.
Our councils were right to demand increased protective measures. Coronavirus cases in my own borough of Gateshead continue to rise, and over the last two weeks we have seen an increase in the numbers of hospital admissions, with a rise too in the average age of those testing positive. Doing nothing simply isn’t an option. Our councils were also right to ask for the test and trace system to be under local control. The privatised model is clearly dysfunctional.
Local track and trace data shows that 80 per cent of Covid cases are due to households mixing in a range of settings, so we need to act now through restrictions to reduce the spread. The more we can reduce contact with people outside our households or support bubbles, the sooner we will bring the virus under control.
The one ray of sunshine in all of this was our recent victory on informal childcare. I raised the issue in the House, along with other Labour colleagues. Following pressure from MPs, parents and employers, I’m pleased the Government finally U-turned on its decision to stop grandparents, family members and friends providing childcare for workers. This served as just another example of a Government increasingly out of touch with its people.
