Dear Friend, 

I hope you and your families are well during these trying times. 

It's been a very eventful last couple of weeks - the country has come together numerous times, to honour the brave workers who have tragically lost their lives on the frontline, for the 100th birthday of Captain Tom Moore who has captivated the nation, as well as celebrating those keeping our country moving and their fantastic contributions to our society. Today is May Day- a day to do just that. 

This week we saw the Prime Minister return to Number 10 to signal that the UK was 'past the peak' of the virus - we heard nothing on the appalling mistakes make so far and not a word on PPE or testing.

Undoubtedly the country's sacrifice is starting to pay off, but the Prime Minister should be unequivocal with the UK public- he should have stated that we are past the 'first peak' but there is every possibility that there could be a second and a third wave of the virus, particularly if we don't step up with our global cooperation to mitigate against the virus in developing nations. We must also see a clear exit strategy as is the case with Wales and Scotland, to ensure the country are a part of those vital conversations for the next phase.

It's also been an interesting couple of weeks getting to grips with the new virtual Parliament and continuing the important work scrutinising the government on their COVID-19 response and the impact on businesses, families and livelihoods. 

Here's a little bit about what's been happening in Parliament and Cardiff North over the last couple of weeks, which you can also see on our new and improved website at www.annamcmorrin.co.uk

As ever, if you would like to get in touch with me please contact [email protected].

With very best wishes, 

This week marked my last week as a member of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee member due to my new Shadow Ministerial brief. I used the evidence sessions as an opportunity to raise important questions of how so many individuals are falling through the coronavirus cracks in terms of government support schemes and what support will need to remain to ensure businesses do not find themselves in a cliff-edge situation. 

Impact on creative industries:

It was great to virtually join Doctors Without Borders to discuss the serious challenges they currently face. COVID-19 knows no borders. It’s critical we see global leadership from the UK Government in the fight against the virus, expanding humanitarian aid and mitigating the impact of the outbreak for the most vulnerable communities overseas.

Its refugees and those in conflict zones who’ll bear the brunt of a second wave of this virus with little access to healthcare. The time is now for bold, coordinated diplomacy.

The COVID-19 outbreak has caused such devastation and uncertainty and for many families Universal Credit may be their only lifeline. I am very pleased MAXIMUS UK has  supported my calls to safely redeploy staff in their Gabalfa centre to help support the country with the significant backlog of Universal Credit applications. 

This week marks Fashion Revolution Week. I've teamed up with the Climate Ambassadors of Birchgrove WI who, to mark its importance, were due to host an event to raise awareness of the harms of fast fashion. 

📢 A message from Birchgrove WI:

"This week ‘Fashion Revolution Week’ would have seen members from Birchgrove WI attend a sustainable fashion event ‘Who Made My Clothes’ organised by the WI Climate Action sub group. It was proving to be a popular event before we sadly had to cancel due to Coronavirus.

The philosophy of ‘Make do and Mend’ has been important to the WI throughout its history but many of the skills have been lost through the generations, the event had planned not only to highlight the damage of fast fashion on the environment but to hold a swap shop and an upcycling workshop to show how you can revamp an existing wardrobe or charity shop finds without having to buy new.

We have rescheduled the event for October 29th 7.30 pm at St Thomas’s Church Hall, 104 Pantbach Rd CF14 1UE, tickets will be available on the door." 

Many thanks for the fantastic work of Birchgrove WI in highlighting the damage fast fashion can do to the environment. I look forward to the rescheduled event and continuing to work with the WI on these important issues.