Dear John,

This week saw Covid-19 rates in Birmingham drop to some of their lowest in many months. For Birmingham, the overall seven-day case rate between 3rd - 9th April is now 26.8 cases per 100,000 population. This is compared to 46.6 per 100,000 just last week. 
 
However, the highest case rates are now in secondary school children and with the opening of much awaited services such as retail, gyms, hairdressers, nail salons and outdoor hospitality, we need to be mindful that the rate could increase again if we don’t observe social distancing measures. Therefore, testing for everyone who is regularly going to school or work is so important. I’ve ordered my free at home test kits so that my family and friends can have greater piece of mind as we cautiously continue on the roadmap out of lockdown.

You can order your free pack of seven rapid covid test once a week from the link below. 

With four days left until the deadline to register to vote in England, I’m urging young people to register to vote by post and have their voices heard ahead of the elections on May 6th.   
 
Just 7% of 18–25-year-olds have registered for a postal vote in the West Midlands. This is the lowest rate in the country. When compared to those aged over 65, the rate jumps to 23% and with less than half of 18-25-year-olds voting at the 2019 General Election, turnout among young people is expected to be historically low at the May elections amid the pandemic.   
 
In our constituency alone, there are three universities, with collectively more than 55,000 students. Even with this large student population and Birmingham having one of the youngest populations in Europe, the West Midlands still has the lowest voter registration of young people by post than anywhere else in the country. After the devastating year that many students and young people have had, it’s imperative that they make their voices heard.  
 
Given that it is also unlikely that young people are not expected to be vaccinated ahead of the May polls, sign-up for the postal vote is critical. That is why I’m urging as many people as possible to get involved and have their say.  
 
Voter registration closes on Monday 19 April and registering for a postal vote closes at 5pm on 20 April 2021. 

Even before the Pandemic began, it’s now widely accepted that actions of successive Conservative governments have risked the country by placing it in a weakened state.   
 
A decade worth of cuts across the NHS, to our Public Health teams, to our Police Forces and to our Local Authorities have stripped away our capability and resilience to be able to deal with the threat that Covid has brought. This is what has led to us to having the worst death rate in Europe.   
 
While the country has gone through incredible hardship, businesses have had to close and people have suffered, Tory donors, former PM’s and the neighbour of Matt Hancock have all seemed to reap the benefits. Friends of the Conservative Party have never had it so good when it comes to taxpayers' cash.   
 
The Greensill scandal which, has embroiled not just the former PM David Cameron but the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak MP and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock MP, is just the latest in a year’s worth of headlines about Tory cronyism and companies being awarded contracts without following protocol and proper due diligence. 
 
My biggest question is, why aren’t others in their Party holding these Ministers to account? Yesterday, the Chancellor didn't even have the nerve to attend parliament and answer simple questions and avoiding any level of scrutiny. 
 
The Tories have wasted billions of pounds across government during the pandemic. From failed tracing apps to useless PPE, the Government has made the wrong decisions throughout the crisis.  
 
Now, it’s time that they are held to account and made to explain their actions. Over the last week we’ve heard more and more details about how ministers have possibly broken ministerial codes. We need to make sure that lessons are learnt, rules are strengthened and everything about the Greensill scandal is out in the open with a proper Parliamentary inquiry.  

The pandemic has clearly taken an immense toll on our health services but standards have been slipping for a long time. New NHS England figures show that in February, nearly 4.7 million people were waiting for routine operations and surgeries and 388,000 people have been waiting more than a year. 
  
In Birmingham, we've been disproportionately impacted by Covid and the picture here for treatment is even worse. In cancer care, the operational standard is for 96% of patients to receive their first treatment in 31 days from when a decision has been made. For Birmingham and Solihull NHS CCG, this hasn't been reached since June 2019 and has consistently been under 90% since May 2020. 
  
On 3rd March, I wrote to Matt Hancock expressing my concerns about this NHS backlog. After receiving no response, it seems like the Government is avoiding answering these questions. So, I wrote again today demanding answers.  

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh 
 
I want to wish a very happy Vaisakhi and Sikh Heritage Month to my many wonderful Sikh constituents, and everyone who is celebrating across the UK and around the world. 
 
Vaisakhi is a celebration of the creation of the Khalsa by the 10th Guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji.  
 
It’s a time for us to reflect on the devotion of the Panj Pyare, the five beloved ones, and the values on which the Khalsa Panth was founded — the defence of freedom, equality, and the betterment of all. 
 
Even as we have not always been able to be together and worship in our usual ways this year, I know Sikhs across the country have rallied to provide many incredible acts of selfless service, or sewa, in their communities. 
 
I hope that after a difficult year, you’ll be able to visit your Gurdwara, celebrate safely with your families and join some of the many virtual Vaisakhi events taking place this week. One Vaisakhi celebration that I would like to welcome you all to join is the international Sikh community event with the Sikh Federation. We’ll have Punjabi and English speakers from across the globe, including the Jathedar of the Akal Takht from Amritsar. 
 
Join us this Saturday from 3pm – 6pm on Zoom (Meeting ID: 818 3373 8451): https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81833738451  
 
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh