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Checking in on local businesses in Thames Ditton
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First, I want to pay tribute to councillor Dorothy Mitchell, who sadly passed away last week. Dorothy was a very kind and tenacious person, and I will never forget her support, candid advice and wonderful wit. My thoughts and prayers are with her family.
In my local work this month, I’ve focused on supporting businesses to bounce back from the pandemic, particularly since non-essential retail re-opened on 12 April. As part of this, I’ve been:
- Checking in on small businesses on Thames Ditton High Street, hearing about the innovative measures that people like Cecilia at La Fontana (an Italian café and deli) have taken to adapt to the restrictions.
Elsewhere this month, I helped out with Meals on Wheels in Cobham, and had another successful virtual Q&A session with residents.
Finally, local elections are taking place next week, on 6 May. In Elmbridge, residents will be voting for councillors on Elmbridge Borough Council and Surrey County Council, as well as for Surrey’s Police and Crime Commissioner. You can find more information about the elections here, and about the brilliant Conservative candidates - who I'll be supporting, and I hope you will be voting for - here, here and here.
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Elmbridge vaccination update:
69,636 residents
vaccinated with at least 1 dose
(As of 25 April)
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Visiting the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin mosque in Brunei-Darussalam (Photo credit - Number 10 Flickr account, under a Creative Commons license)
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In my role as Foreign Secretary this month, I travelled to South East Asia, visiting Indonesia and Brunei-Darussalam. This was my fourth visit to South East Asia as Foreign Secretary, which really sets out the growing importance of this region and the wider Indo-Pacific.
In Jakarta, Indonesia, I met the President, Foreign Minister and Health Minister, discussing our growing trade partnership and international collaboration in pandemic preparedness. In Brunei-Darussalam I had meetings around trade, climate, and security issues, and had the opportunity to visit the beautiful Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin mosque (pictured above). Joining a ministerial dialogue between the UK and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), I also explored ASEAN Dialogue Partner status for the UK.
Elsewhere this month:
- I announced the UK’s first sanctions under our new Global Anti-Corruption regime. These sanctions target 22 individuals involved in notorious corruption cases in Russia, South Africa, South Sudan and Latin America. They stop these individuals from entering and channelling money through the UK.
- I spoke to several of my counterparts around the world – including the Czech Foreign Minister, to express the UK’s solidarity with the Czech Republic against Russia’s dangerous actions there, and the Indian External Affairs Minister, to discuss our cooperation on tackling Coronavirus and the support the UK is providing India with its challenges at the moment.
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Earlier this month, The Queen announced the very sad news of the death of the Duke of Edinburgh. Prince Philip lived a life of duty and service, representing the United Kingdom across the Commonwealth and around the world. I particularly remember his visit to Reeds School in Cobham, and the wonderful ease with which he engaged with the pupils. He will be profoundly missed.
On Coronavirus, the vaccination programme has continued to proceed apace. Over 69,000 local residents have now received at least one vaccine dose. At the national level, over 34 million people have received a vaccine, and a quarter of UK adults have received two doses. This is a huge achievement, and I urge all residents to get vaccinated when you are called.
In other good news this month:
- Several forecasters upgraded their predictions of the UK’s economic growth. The Financial Times reported that the average forecast is for 5.4% growth in 2021 – with one bank even predicting growth of 7.8%.
- The government launched a new, 95% mortgage guarantee scheme. This government-backed mortgage scheme will help first-time buyers or current homeowners secure a mortgage with a deposit of just 5%.
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