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Preparing fish and chips for residents at Whiteley Village.
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This month provided two valuable opportunities to say thank you to residents who have gone above and beyond during the pandemic. First, I marked Volunteers’ Week by visiting Whiteley Village in Walton, joining other volunteers to serve up and deliver fish and chips to the elderly residents. Next, during Carers Week, I had a good discussion with unpaid carers in Elmbridge.
Local volunteers and carers show incredible selflessness and dedication in what they do, and their work has been particularly important during the pandemic. It was a pleasure to be able to thank them for their efforts.
Elsewhere this month:
- The Cabinet of Conservative-run Surrey County Council approved the creation of a traveller transit site in Merstham, which will help to tackle local unauthorised encampments - an issue locally from Molesey to Cobham.
- The River Thames Scheme – a long-term plan to protect over 600 Elmbridge homes from flooding – moved one step closer to being built, as the Treasury approved the Outline Business Case for the scheme.
- I paid a visit to St Matthew’s Infant School in Downside, where I listened to excellent presentations from the pupils and received some wonderful artwork.
Finally, there are two important pieces of electoral news to share. First, the Cobham by-election, which is being held following the sad death of Councillor Dorothy Mitchell, will be held on Thursday next week, 1 July. I encourage residents to come out and vote for the Conservative candidate Corinne Sterry - a terrific local businesswoman.
Second, earlier this month the Boundary Commission for England published initial proposals for changes to constituency boundaries. There are some proposed changes to Esher and Walton, including moving Cobham & Downside ward into a new proposed constituency. You can read more about this, including how to feed in your views, through the link above.
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Elmbridge vaccination update:
94,956 residents have received 1 dose
65,951 residents have received 2 doses
(As of 23 June)
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Meeting with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phoc in Hanoi. (Photo credit - Number 10 Flickr account, under a Creative Commons license)
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Yesterday, I landed back in the UK after my fifth visit to South East Asia since becoming Foreign Secretary. During the three-day trip I spoke to key partners in Vietnam, Cambodia and Singapore, focusing on trade, defence and security. I was the first UK Foreign Secretary to visit Cambodia. The visit demonstrated the growing importance of the Indo-Pacific, as we set out in the Integrated Review earlier this year.
Elsewhere this month:
- I joined the Prime Minister to host G7 leaders in Cornwall, as part of the UK’s Presidency of the group. The summit delivered a gear change in international cooperation – to vaccinate the world by the end of 2022, accelerate emission reduction, and deliver 12 years of quality education to all girls. As part of the summit I met with President Biden and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, as well as other counterparts and partners from across the world. You can read more about the outcomes of the summit here.
- A few days before the G7, I travelled to the Middle East. In Saudi Arabia I met with HRH Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, HRH Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and others to discuss shared interests including trade, security and climate change. In Iraq, I reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to the country by signing the UK and Iraq’s Strategic Partnership, which will further deepen and strengthen our friendship. I also met commanders from the Global Coalition against Daesh and visited a great girls’ school in Baghdad.
- The UK announced further sanctions relating to Belarus and Myanmar. On Belarus, in parallel with our allies, we sanctioned regime figures in response to the detention of a journalist and his partner following the unlawful diversion of a Ryanair flight last month. On Myanmar, I announced new sanctions to restrict the military junta’s ability to profit from timber and pearl – key sources of revenue for the regime.
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The Prime Minister with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Downing Street, as the trade deal with Australia was agreed. (Photo credit - Number 10 Flickr account, under a Creative Commons license)
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Residents will be aware that “Step 4” of the Roadmap out of Coronavirus restrictions, which was due to go ahead on 21 June, has been delayed for up to four weeks after the rapid spread of the more transmissible “Delta” variant. The Roadmap has always been led by the data, and the four tests that the government set for easing restrictions had not been met. The delay will allow time for two vaccine doses to be offered to more people, providing the most effective protection.
Indeed, this month also brought a very significant milestone in the vaccination rollout. Since 18 June, all adults have been able to book their vaccinations, and I strongly urge all residents to do so. With cases having risen in Elmbridge and across Surrey recently, it’s important to remember what we can all do to keep Covid at bay:
- Test regularly;
- Get vaccinated;
- Hands-Face-Space-Fresh Air.
In other news this month:
- There were a number of very encouraging announcements from the Department for International Trade. The UK agreed a historic trade deal with Australia, and began negotiations to join a £9 trillion Pacific free trade area. We also secured a new trade deal with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
- Two reports from the professional services firm EY found that Britain remains the most attractive destination in Europe for financial services, and for foreign investors overall. New data also showed that foreign investment in the UK created more than 55,000 new jobs last year.
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