Weekly Update – Friday 14^th January 2022

Number 10’s Lockdown Parties

I know from the number of people that have taken the time to contact me this week that you all share my anger at the way in which Boris Johnson and his team have completely disregarded the lockdown rules which we were all abiding by to safeguard public health. We have all made sacrifices over the difficult past couple of years, but in particular I can only imagine the hurt and anger caused by this news for those who were unable to spend precious last moments with loved ones before they sadly passed away due to strict restrictions in hospitals and other settings.

While I know many of us have long seen Boris Johnson as a charlatan who has little concern for the truth and is not fit to be Prime Minister, it’s now difficult to speak to anyone who thinks anything different. Even many of his own MPs were notably reluctant to support him in Parliament this week, with some even calling for him to resign, and with more revelations coming out by the day surely his days in office must be numbered.

It’s clear that Boris Johnson has long since lost the confidence of the vast majority of the country and if he had any respect he would have already resigned. He is completely unable to command any authority as we continue to handle the impacts of COVID-19 and a cost of living crisis and he owes it to us all to take full responsibility for the lockdown parties himself and resign immediately.

Household Energy Bills

I know that many of you have contacted me with worries about the energy crisis, with more than 20 energy suppliers already having gone bust last year, and the likelihood of a huge increase in consumer prices. The Energy Price Gap has largely insulated customers from vastly increased bills thus far, but it is being predicted to rise by 46% in February by experts, which would set the price cap for those on a standard variable tariff at £1865 a year for the average household.

While this crisis is global, the Conservative government’s inaction has exacerbated the problem, and they do not appear to have a plan to deal with the strain that this price rise could have on households’ finances. The Government has slashed the amount of gas storage while  in office which has left the domestic energy market more vulnerable to disruption in the global market, and these increased prices will only add to the wider cost of living crisis that we are living through.

This is why the Labour Party have put forward a policy to remove VAT on domestic energy bill for a year from April 2022, which could be paid for by a Windfall Tax on North Sea Oil and Gas, from companies that are making huge profits and are well able to shoulder extra taxation. The Labour Party put a vote to the Commons on this measure on Tuesday for which I voted in support of, but unfortunately the Conservatives voted it down. I fear that the Government’s inaction will only force many more families into debt to pay their bills.

Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Bill

This week I was pleased to take part in the Committee Stage of the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Private Members Bill, which Pauline Latham MP is sponsoring, and support it on its passage through Parliament. This bill will raise the minimum age for marriage and civil partnership to eighteen in England and Wales and make it illegal for a person to arrange the marriage of a person under the age of 18.

Currently, a person who is 16 or 17 may be married or form a civil partnership with parental, third-party or judicial consent. We must change the law to ensure that the scourge of child marriage is ended. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has recommended that the UK raise the minimum age of marriage to 18 and said that parental consent should not be enough to allow the marriage of those under 18 to go ahead.

The Bill will have its Third Reading on February 25^th and if all goes well should pass the house and continue its journey through Parliament in the House of Lords and subsequently hopefully pass into law. This would be a valuable piece of legislation that could benefit so many young people.

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Thank you for taking the time to read my latest update. If you have any issues that you would like to raise directly with me then please do email edmontonconstituency@parliament.uk. I’m always happy to help whenever possible.

Kind regards,

Kate Osamor MP