Weekly Update – 11th September 2020

This is a concerning and difficult time for many as COVID-19 cases continue to rise again. I’m in touch Enfield Council and our local NHS trust on a regular basis, who are preparing as best they can for a potential second wave of COVID.
Over the last week I have received a lot of emails from constituents who have had COVID symptoms but have been unable to get testing. As I’m sure most of you have seen, this is a problem on a national level and sadly the Government have failed to prepare for what was an inevitable rise in demand for tests after children returned to school and restrictions were relaxed.
I’ve written to the Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock to ask that he explains to people in Edmonton why they can’t get a test. Many of you have been put in an impossible position by the Government, having been asked to go back to work and behave as normal. The Government has failed to keep to their side of the bargain by having in place a functioning track and trace system.
I know that Enfield Council are working to fill gaps in the Government’s failed scheme where possible but the Government also needs to prioritise fixing this problem as a matter of urgency.

I voted against breaking international law
On Tuesday I voted against the Government’s Internal Market Bill. The Bill would break International Law and make it more likely that we leave the transition period without a deal in January.
Boris Johnson told voters last December that he has an ‘oven ready’ Brexit deal. Not only has that deal failed to materialise but the PM is now saying that the agreement he negotiated and signed himself contains serious problems that could break up our country. That is a monumental admission of failure.
The Internal Market Bill is not about leave or remain however. It is about standing up to a Government and a Prime Minister who believe they are above the law. They broke the law last year when they unlawfully prorogued parliament and now they are intent on breaking International Law in an attempt to push this country towards a no deal Brexit. By doing so, the Government threatens to ruin our reputation abroad, undermine the devolution settlement and push us ever closer to a disastrous no deal Brexit.

I’m calling on Priti Patel to reopen a safe route to the UK for refugees
This week I wrote to the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, asking that she un-pauses the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme and guarantees it’s future. The Government paused the scheme in March citing ‘safety’ concerns as a result of COVID but has since failed to restart the scheme, despite the organisations that run it confirming there is no longer any reason the scheme cannot be restarted in a COVID secure way.
Pausing the scheme has meant that refugees have far fewer safe and legal routes to claim asylum in this country and inevitably dangerous channel crossings have subsequently increased. The scheme is a vital route to safety for thousands of refugees and it would be unacceptable were the Home Secretary to use this pandemic as cover for cutting off that route.
COVID has uprooted and changed our lives but it hasn’t ended the conflicts and the persecution which forces thousands to seek safety in our country. We have a moral obligation to provide that safety and now would be the worst possible moment for us to turn inwards and wash our hands of that duty.

Unemployment is increasing in Edmonton – The Chancellor needs to act now
Sadly, latest figures show that the number of people in Edmonton claiming unemployment benefits like Universal Credit continue to rise above the national average. This is deeply concerning and shows that this economic crisis, like the last, may worsen existing inequality between regions of the country and within communities. I’m determined to do whatever I can to prevent vulnerable people paying for this crisis like they paid for the 2008 recession.
The Chancellor needs to do more to ensure the economy doesn’t just recover but recovers in a way that addresses the underlying inequalities which have grown under this Conservative Government. Last week, I wrote to the Chancellor asking him to do that and to extend the furlough scheme where necessary. So far, the Chancellor and the Government as a whole are ignoring the Labour party’s pleas on this issue and look set to follow through with ending the furlough scheme in October. If that happens it will cause unnecessary pain and worsen the current economic crisis. My hope is that we see another U-Turn before that happens.
——————————-
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