Kate Osamor MP
Weekly Update – Friday 11th December 2020
It’s now been over a week since we came out of lockdown and the capital was placed under Tier 2 restrictions. In that time infections rates across most of the country have flat lined, but in London they have continued to rise. London now has the highest infection rate in England. Up to 6th December the infection rate across London stood at an average of 191 per 100,000 people compared to 158 per 100k in the midlands. In Enfield the infection rate stood at 224 cases per 100,000 people.
The Tiers that local arears have been placed under will be reviewed on 16th December and if cases continue to increase across London then there is a good chance we will be placed in Tier 3 on that date. That would be awful news for the capitals hospitality sector, with most hospitality venues having to close while having no adequate support from the Government.
There is still time to prevent that from happening however if we follow the rules that are currently in place. The key points to remember are as following:
- Use a face covering when social distancing is not possible.
- No mixing of households indoors.
- Social distance from people not in your household when outside.
- Wash your hands regularly.
Boris Johnson must take the blame for a No-Deal Brexit
Last year Boris Johnson told the country that the chances of a no-deal Brexit was a “million to one”. Today he said a no-deal Brexit is “very likely”. That gap, between Boris Johnson’s promises and he delivers is always huge but it will perhaps never be as damaging as his failure to deliver the ‘over-ready’ deal he spoke of at last year’s election. Whatever the debates around second referendums and different forms of Brexit there has always been widespread consensus that a no-deal Brexit must be avoided at all costs. That now seems unlikely to happen and it won’t be Boris Johnson and his Etonian Cabinet that suffers the consequences.
I’m deeply concerned about the consequences of a no-deal Brexit for my constituents in Edmonton and I will be doing everything I can in Parliament to ensure that the Government steps up, should a deal not be agreed, to soften the blow as much as possible for everybody in Edmonton. Should the UK leave the transition period in January without a deal we’ve been told to expect everything from increased prices and food shortages to even more job losses. If that happens the Government needs to act urgently and support those who are both in and out of work. People in Edmonton should not be made to pay the price for Boris Johnsons incompetence.
End SARS – UK Government needs to step up
As Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Nigeria I’ve been working closely with Charities and Civil Society Groups both in the UK and Nigeria as the END SARS protest movement continues across the world. I know that this is an issue that means a lot to many of my constituents in Edmonton and I continue to receive emails from Edmonton and across the country from people who are disappointed and angry at the Governments response to the protests in Nigeria.
As our Government in the UK drags its feet in reacting to Nigeria’s repression of protesters other countries lead by example. This week the United States added Nigeria to its religious freedom blacklist citing “systemic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom”. A recognition of the violence carried out by both state and non-state actors in Nigeria.
It’s time now for the UK to listen to the voices from within Nigeria and take a much clearer stance against the repression of peaceful protesters which is occurring daily. It isn’t enough to work with the Nigerian regime to fight corruption if that means we are unable to voice clearly our criticisms of the Nigerian Government when it kills its own citizens.
Health Secretary needs to do this job
Throughout this pandemic the Secretary of State for Health & Social Care has appeared to believe he is above scrutiny from Parliament. In fact, his refusal to answer Parliamentary Questions from MPs is so bad that an ‘Urgent Question’ was recently granted by the speaker and he was, embarrassingly, forced to come to Parliament to explain his poor behaviour.
One of the keyways in which I represent my constituents in Edmonton is to put down Written Parliamentary Questions to Ministers. That is a great way to get detailed answers to important questions. Unfortunately, the Health Secretary has failed to answer my questions to him for more than two months despite the guidance being clear that he should do so within a week. I’ve raised this matter with the Leader of the House and will continue to do so until the Secretary of State for Health does his job.
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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