Dear Constituent,

 

Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, has made a statement following the decision to reinstate local Covid restrictions in Stockport.

Ministers have just announced that the borough of Stockport will be brought back within the Greater Manchester local Covid restrictions again. This is three weeks after the local restrictions were lifted in the borough.

The local measures means the new rule of 6 no-longer applies in Stockport: residents cannot socially mix inside, and people must stick solely within their household or social bubble when visiting pubs, cafes and restaurants.

Commenting, Reddish MP Andrew Gwynne said:

“I urged caution when the restrictions were lifted across Stockport three weeks ago. Whilst nobody wants these additional restrictions on their lives, public health considerations must be paramount.

 

“In the last three weeks COVID in the area has rocketed from green to amber to red alert and the rates are still rising.

 

“The schools returning was always going to be a test as to what would happen with Coronavirus and sadly the virus is spreading across all areas of Stockport and across all age groups.

 

“Whether the reimposition of local measures will help stem the tide remains to be seen but it’s imperative everyone does their bit to halt the spread and especially to prevent it impacting on the elderly and vulnerable, where hospitalisation and death is a higher risk.”

The local measures can be read here in full: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/greater-manchester-local-restrictions

 

Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, is encouraging constituents to sign up to the NHS Covid-19 vaccine research registry, which aims to identify an effective vaccine that can be made available to the UK public earlier.

The registry has been developed as part of the UK Government’s Vaccine Taskforce, in partnership with the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), NHS Digital, and the Northern Ireland, Scottish and Welsh Governments.

There are a number of vaccines being identified and safety-tested at the moment, but only large scale trials can give scientists the information needed about how effective they are.

The NIHR working with the NHS aims to recruit over half a million people onto the registry, which will allow people to be put in touch with the vaccine trials in the coming months.

Researchers are looking for people from all backgrounds, ages and parts of the UK, including both people with or without existing health conditions, to take part in vaccine studies, to make sure that any vaccines developed will work for everyone.

So far, 1475 people in Stockport and 720 people in Tameside have signed up to the registry.

Andrew Gwynne said:

“Many people want to help the NHS in the fight against this virus, but are unsure how.

 

“This is a great way to help out. We urgently need a vaccine so that our lives can go back towards normality and this is a great way to help these efforts.

 

“Thank you very much to all of those who have already signed up.”

John Nother, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Chief Digital Officer, said:

“This new online service will be a vital tool in the fight against this disease as large scale vaccine studies get underway within the UK.

 

“The new system will enable researchers to quickly identify and match suitable and willing volunteers to appropriate vaccine trials. In doing so, it will bring enormous benefits, not only to the NHS and health researchers – but to everyone living in the UK.

 

“Signing up and giving your permission to be contacted means you may be amongst the first to find out about opportunities to take part in trials and the latest, cutting-edge COVID-19 vaccines.

 

“There is no obligation to join in any study, if you are contacted. But by taking part, you could help researchers find a vaccine to protect us all more quickly – which in turn could help the NHS and save lives.”

Find out more, including how to sign up here.

 

Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, has joined other MPs in writing in an open letter to the Business Secretary to call for an end to the practice of ‘fire and rehire’.

The letter, co-ordinated by Gavin Newlands MP, urges Business Secretary Alok Sharma to adopt Newlands’ Employment (Dismissal and Re-employment) Bill on behalf of the Government or to introduce some alternative form of it.

The Bill would prevent employers from forcing workers to sign up to wage cuts and inferior conditions under threat of dismissal.

Hundreds of thousands of workers have been on the receiving end of these tactics, including employees of companies such as British Airways and Centrica.

Without backing from the Government, the Bill is unlikely to be considered by Parliament.

Andrew Gwynne said:

“It is deplorable that some businesses are using the ongoing crisis to push their workers into accepting inferior pay and employment conditions.

 

“I fully recognise that businesses are going through a very difficult period – and the Government should do what it can to support them through this – but the tactic of firing and rehiring is absolutely unacceptable.

 

“The Government needs to act urgently to address this scandal and adopting this legislation is the quickest and easiest route to ending this practice once and for all.”