Weekly Update – Friday 23rd April 2021

COVID Update

Over the last few weeks, we have been enjoying the staggered relaxation of Coronavirus restrictions and it is promising to see that cases remain relatively low and stable and that there has been no spike as of yet. On the latest day on which there is final data there was 3.3 confirmed cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 people in the London Borough of Enfield.

We must however continue to remain cautious as restrictions are slowly relaxed while the vaccine is rolled out. Up to and including 18 April 2021 3,405,280 people in London had received the first dose of a vaccine and 1,070,261 had received both of their doses.

Edmonton is also suffering disproportionately from the economic impacts of the crisis, with the unemployment rate reaching 12% in the local area in March 2021, almost double the UK rate of 6.5%. As we chart a path out of the COVID-19 crisis, I will continue to put pressure on the Government to ensure that the economic recovery is equitable and reaches all communities.

Black Maternal Health

On Monday I spoke in Parliament in a debate on the issue of black maternal healthcare and mortality. This was triggered by the petition organised by the campaigners Tinuke Awe and Clo Abe, co-founders of Fivexmore, which gathered over 187,000 signatures.

I used this debate to further highlight the disparities suffered, both in terms of black mothers having a four times greater chance of suffering maternal death than white women, as well as the greatly inflated chances of a ‘near miss’. While the Government, as its recent Sewell Report proved, is intent on downplaying structural racism, the evidence here speaks for itself. Enough studies have been conducted and analysis written, what is now needed is a Government willing to take this issue seriously and take steps immediately.

This is why I and many others supported calls for the Government to introduce an NHS target to end this disparity, which would act as a spur to developing a clear strategy to tackle it. Until this step is taken, I am afraid that progress will not be forthcoming and many more mothers and families will continue to suffer the horrific eventualities.

Overseas Operations Bill

This week I voted for amendments to the Overseas Operations Bill. It was a relief that the Government decided to partially accept an amendment from the House of Lords and amend the bill to exclude allegations of torture, genocide and crimes against humanity from planned ‘presumption against prosecution’ protections after five years have passed since an incident. However, it was unjustifiable and a reflection of this Government’s direction of travel that such measures were even considered in the first place.

There also remains the issues that presumption against prosecution protections for alleged war crimes remain within the bill. This would undermine the rule of law, potentially creating immunity from prosecution for human rights abuses and undermining any authority the UK has to speak about human rights.

Our armed forces should not be exempt from justice and when members of our armed forces commit crimes while on duty, they should be held accountable, just as victims of any abuses should have the right to seek redress. This is not ‘vexatious’ as the Tories claim, but about upholding fundamental principles of international law and human rights.

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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