**
------------------------------------------------------------

GOOD AFTERNOON and welcome to my South West Surrey update No.185. It was a bumper Select Committee week as not only did I give evidence to the Select Committee inquiry into Iranian hostage taking but chaired two sessions of my own - on body image and General Practice. Inflation also reached 9% and the Northern Ireland Protocol is back. Quite a week.

WHAT’S GOING ON IN WESTMINSTER

INFLATION HITS 40 YEAR HIGH The true scale of the cost of living crisis was revealed yesterday as the ONS published the latest inflation figures ([link removed]) showing it had jumped to 9%. It is good to see the Business Secretary taking action against petrol stations who aren’t passing on the full 5p duty cut to consumers ([link removed]) but there is no hiding the risks of inflation at this level - both to family budgets already under pressure and because of the risk of inflationary expectations leading to a spiral. It is an incredibly difficult balancing act for the Chancellor because he has to make sure any additional help he gives is not itself inflationary, which may be why he is suggesting more help will have to wait until the autumn. ([link removed]) The politics of that will be challenging to say the least, but he is right to focus on getting businesses investing because the
root problem we have is not just high inflation but low growth as I talked about on the Sophie Raworth show on Sunday ([link removed]) .

NORTHERN IRELAND The government has announced its intention to introduce legislation to make changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol ([link removed]) . Cue lots of criticism for wanting to tear up an agreement we have only just signed but it takes two to tango and as I say in my Herald article this week ([link removed]) I really do think the EU needs to show actual flexibility rather than just pay lip service to it. There is a political crisis in Northern Ireland and with all the support Britain is giving to European security in Ukraine, Finland and Sweden it doesn’t seem too much to ask.

NAZANIN INQUIRY The Foreign Affairs Select Committee is holding an inquiry into the government’s approach to state level hostage situations ([link removed]) and I gave evidence about my sadly unsuccessful efforts as Foreign Secretary to secure the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and other hostages taken by Iran. You can watch my full evidence here ([link removed]) starting at 15:51:00 but in summary I argued that progress was grindingly slow and took far too long to resolve ([link removed]) . I finished by suggesting that we need concerted action to stamp out hostage taking from countries which share our democratic values - as we have seen successfully in Ukraine. I would like a version of NATO’s article 5: if you take a hostage from one of our countries we will treat it as
if you have taken one from all of our countries. I hope the inquiry can get to the bottom of why, even after most parts of government seemed aligned on the need to settle the historic debt with Iran - which ultimately secured Nazanin and Anoosheh’s release - it still took years for this to actually happen. On a happier note I was lucky enough to meet Anoosheh for the first time this week ([link removed]) - he’s an amazing man and it was a real honour.

BRING BACK FAMILY DOCTORS! I have long been convinced we need to get back to the old system of everyone having their own family doctor but we had some fascinating evidence to support this at yesterday’s Health and Social Care Select Committee session ([link removed]) . We heard from two amazing GPs working in surgeries where the majority of patients are looked after by the same doctor and the benefits to the patient and the staff were incredible ([link removed]) . We also heard from Professor Steinar Hunskår of the University of Bergen who carried out a study on the benefits last year. He found that patients were 25% less likely to die if they are cared for by the same GP over a long period of time! ([link removed]) His study also found reduced costs for the system as a whole as
patients were less likely to present at hospital and more likely to better manage any long-term conditions they have. Alongside resolving the workforce crisis (which is obviously linked to our ability to deliver this) I’ll continue pushing for this as one of the two biggest things we could do right now to improve the quality and safety of NHS care.

ZERO IS HERE The serialisation of my new book Zero: eliminating unnecessary deaths in a post-pandemic NHS started at the weekend in the Times. The Sunday Times had a good summary ([link removed]) and some extracts which you can read here ([link removed]) . The reviews have also started to land and so far it has received 4 stars from Isobel Hardman ([link removed]) , 3 stars from Philip Johnston ([link removed]) and a thoughtful write up from Paul Goodman ([link removed]) . I hesitate to over-plug it in a constituency email but the profits
are all going to my NHS patient safety charity so I hope you will forgive me this once!

COVID UPDATE Case numbers continue to head significantly in the right direction with the ONS finding that 1 in 45 people in England had the virus ([link removed]) in the week ending 7th May compared to 1 in 35 in the previous week. As of 10am the Covid dashboard shows that we have had a total of 22,203,799 positive cases of COVID-19 with 177,410 confirmed deaths in the UK. There have been 41,964 confirmed cases in Waverley and sadly 330 confirmed deaths, with an estimated 119 active cases in Waverley. In the last 7 days cases are down 38%, deaths down 35% and hospitalisations down 17%.

None the less that key number is 0300 200 1008 for anyone with pandemic related difficulties. Also please check out my full list of local groups ([link removed]) working to support vulnerable residents.

WHAT’S GOING ON IN SOUTH WEST SURREY

SURGERY STORIES My first call this week was to a lady from Ockford Ridge about closure orders given with respect to antisocial behaviour or houses taken over as a drug den, known as 'cuckooing.' The person who lives there is supposed to be protected as no one else is allowed into the house. The issue is that - in the case of this lady's daughter - there was no mental health support for the person left in the property and no enforcement from the police. The result was a tragedy with her daughter dying from a methadone overdose. I will raise the issue of how closure orders work with policing minister Kit Malthouse and what lessons can be learned from our local Borough Commander Sam Adcock. As with so many families involved with NHS tragedies the only thing this lady wants is confidence that lessons will be learned and the tragedy will not be repeated.

The second call was with a Haslemere resident whose neighbour was killed last year pulling out of her house onto the Grayswood Road. She wants the 30 mph limit to be extended to where you actually enter Haslemere - and I agree. She has raised with Surrey Highways but has been told the 40 limit is a buffer zone. I think our mentality on speed limits is changing: vast swathes of London (including all of Westminster) have moved to 20 mph limits because rather than seeing car speed as a trade off between motorists and pedestrians authorities have realised that all motorists are themselves pedestrians. I will raise it with Surrey Highways. Then I spoke to a Farnham resident who is doing a postgraduate degree in modern British history and wanted to ask about the role of the Whips. We had a fascinating discussion about the pros and cons of the system we have.#constituencycalls
([link removed]*NK-R)

UKRAINE UPDATE As of Monday 16th May at 10.00am, the Home Office online Foundry portal shows that 1,067 (1,015 last Monday) Surrey sponsor households are matched with 2,888 (2,706 last Monday) Ukrainian guests under the Homes for Ukraine scheme ([link removed]) , although this does not necessarily reflect the actual numbers of guests that will arrive. Extensive partnership work continues across the County on supporting sponsors and guests with practical, day-to-day issues (e.g. 581 subsistence payment cards have been issued to date to guests under the Homes for Ukraine scheme). Current issues raised by community organisations working with Ukrainian guests include; encouraging registration with GPs at the earliest opportunity, recognising that children often speak more English than their parents and are often doing most of the paperwork, engaging guests as informal translators, a preference for face-to-face English classes (which are over-subscribed) and
access to NHS Dentists. In addition to supporting guests, increasing attention is turning to supporting sponsors over the longer term - for example, click here ([link removed]) to access a free course designed to help sponsors help their refugees.

GODALMING GRAFFITI If, like me, you’ve noticed pink and green Extinction Rebellion neon markings across town, please report them ([link removed]) to Waverley Borough Council for removal. I don’t see how concern for the environment is consistent with spoiling it and I am pleased Waverley are - finally - taking some action after I contacted them.

AND FINALLY Please do throw your support behind local Covid Hero Meredith Leston, who this weekend is bravely attempting the 3 peaks challenge ([link removed]) to raise money for Long Covid Kids ([link removed]) (whilst suffering with Long Covid herself). Great endeavour! Meredith’s Go Fund Me page is linked here. ([link removed])

As always, if you know anyone (a friend or neighbour perhaps?) who might like to receive this email, please do forward it on. Anyone can sign up here ([link removed]) to receive them and can unsubscribe at any time.

If you don't want to receive this email, please unsubscribe from the mailing list on the box below or let me know on
[email protected]

This email and any attachments to it (the 'Email') are intended for a specific recipient(s) and its contents may be confidential, privileged and/or otherwise protected by law. If you are not the intended recipient or have received this Email in error, please notify the sender immediately by telephone or email, and delete it from your records. You must not disclose, distribute, copy or otherwise use this Email. Please note that email is not a secure form of communication and that the Conservative Party ('the Party') is not responsible for loss arising from viruses contained in this Email nor any loss arising from its receipt or use. Any opinion expressed in this Email is not necessarily that of the Party and may be personal to the sender.

Promoted by Sean Donovan-Smith on behalf of Jeremy Hunt MP and South West Surrey Conservatives, all at 2 Royal Parade, Tilford Road, Hindhead, Surrey GU26 6TD.

============================================================

This email was sent to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
why did I get this? ([link removed]) unsubscribe from this list ([link removed]) update subscription preferences ([link removed])
South West Surrey Conservative Association . 2 Royal Parade, Tilford Road . Hindhead . Surrey, GU26 6TD . United Kingdom