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MY WEEKLY UPDATE
[3]
John, we were promised a new deal from the
Chancellor's mini-budget statement on Wednesday, but instead, all we got
was a meal deal.
Businesses are in trouble not because people want money off meals – but
because customers don’t have the confidence to return yet. Confidence
will only return when the government takes meaningful action to join up its
health response with its economic response. Getting Test, Track and Isolate
fully operational then should be a priority.
With 6,000 people claiming out of work benefits here in Birmingham
Edgbaston alone, a rise of over 50% since the start of the crisis, and
10,000 people on furlough anxious about the future as the scheme starts to
unwind, the statement needed to have a laser-like focus on jobs. Sadly,
this week's announcements failed to meet the scale of the challenge our
country faces.
Millions of jobs and livlihoods depend on the government getting the
response right. 12,000 job losses were announced in just two days last
week, and here in Birmingham, hundreds more jobs are at risk with the
announcement that John Lewis and Boots will be closing their stores
permanently. It's clear then that the government has not gone far or fast
enough to protect jobs and that the one size fits all approach is not
working.
The announcement also failed to provide anything for one of our region's
best performing sectors: manufacturing. Manufacturing output has dropped by
40% during lockdown here in the West Midlands and, without targeted
support, the sector will face further decline and job cuts for the tens of
thousands it employs.
You can read my reaction to Wednesday's statement by clicking below.
BIRMINGHAM LIVE ARTICLE [4]
THANK YOU LOCAL VOLUNTEER HEROES
It was a pleasure to catch up with some of our fantastic volunteers who
have been helping to support residents during lockdown.
Working with social enterprises, local residents and Edgbaston Labour Party
members have delivered over 2,000 food and dignity packs to vulnerable
residents in Edgbaston throughout this crisis - providing a much needed
lifelife for so many in our community.
Speaking with some of the volunteers earlier this week, they told me that
their experience shone a light on the inequalities and poverty still
present in our city.
Communities don't want to go back to business as usual after this pandemic.
Working together, unmet need in the community has been identified which
volunteers want to continue to address long after lockdown ends. It's
heartening to hear that so many people are keen to play their part as we
build back better from the pandemic.
PM TRIES TO SHIFT THE BLAME TO CARE HOMES
The Prime Minister started the week by trying to shift the blame for care
home deaths to care homes by saying that they failed to follow the
procedures.
It's not clear which procedures he was referring to, but throughout this
crisis, care homes in my constituency have told me they felt pressured to
take discharged patients who were either known to be Covid-19 positive, or
still awaiting test results, as per government guidance.
Given how inadequate and inconsistent government guidance was for care
homes, I can't help but think how much worse things could have been had
care homes followed all of the government's procedures. For example, their
irresponsible guidance given to care home staff on PPE [5].
PM BLAMES CAERE HOMES
ADD YOUR NAME TO KEEP HOSPITAL PARKING FREE FOR NHS WORKERS
We owe our NHS workers so much. We should be rewarding them for everything
they have done, not making it more expensive for them to go to work.
Removing free parking is no way to thank those who have risked their lives
during this crisis.
Do you agree? Add your name to our petition by clicking below to tell the
government to keep free hospital parking for NHS workers.
NHS PARKING PETITION [6]
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT NEWS
DID THE PRIME MINISTER MISLEAD PARLIAMENT?
Last month, the Prime Minister insisted that there had been a massive
consultation over a long period of time before he took the decision to axe
the Department for International Development (DfID).
The Secretary of State for DfID told the International Development
Committee that the ANNOUNCEMENT CAME FIRST TO PARLIAMENT [7].
Either the Prime Minister misled parliament or the Secretary of State
misled the committee.
Watch me ask the minister who misled whom in yesterday's DfID Estimates Day
debate.
DFID DEBATE [8]
HUNGER LINKED TO COVID-19 COULD KILL MORE THAN DISEASE ITSELF
Yesterday, Oxfam released a report which warned that more people could die
from hunger linked to Covid-19 than the disease itself.
Even before this pandemic, billions of people were facing unnecessary
hunger, preventable deaths and extreme poverty.
Covid-19 has worsened inequalities around the world and pushed millions
more into hunger.
We simply cannot overcome the challenges we face without global cooperation
to provide humanitarian support now and to tackle the root causes behind
the lack of access to nutritious food.
OXFAN REPORT [9]
© 2020 Printed from an email sent by Preet Kaur Gill. Promoted by A.J Webb
on behalf of Preet Kaur Gill, both at 56 Wentworth Road, B17 9TA.
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