Weekly Update – Friday 5^th March 2021

Virus Update

It is now almost a year since we entered into our first ‘lockdown’. In that year, tens of thousands of people tragically lost their lives to COVID-19. The UK is now the country with the highest death toll (per capita) as a result of the Government’s disastrous handling of the pandemic. Despite that tragedy, the National Health Service and our front-line workers have worked hard to put us in a position where we can look forward to the slow lifting of restrictions in the year ahead.

Across Enfield, cases were down again this week with the infection rate down to 40 per 100,000. While infection rates are higher in Edmonton than the rest of Enfield, the numbers are still heading in the right direction. The vaccination programme is also successfully progressing with 57,000 first doses of the vaccine being given in Enfield. Over 80% of over 70’s in Enfield have now had at least their first dose. 76% of those aged 65 to 69 have had the vaccine with that number for 60 to 64 years olds being 65% and 52% for 55 to 59 year olds.

That is fantastic progress but I’m aware that progress is not universal across all groups in the borough. Having received updates from Enfield Council, I’m concerned about reports of low update among the Turkish and Greek communities. There is also a lower than average uptake among the Polish, Bulgarian and Somali communities. I know that work is being done by Enfield Council to increase uptake among these hard to reach groups and I will continue to highlight the issue in Parliament.

Budget failed to deliver for Edmonton

This week the Chancellor delivered the spring budget in which he set out Government spending plans. After years of austerity, the worst recession in the developed world and the Covis-19 pandemic what we needed was a budget that began repairing the damage done to public services over the last decade.What we got was more of the same. Cuts to Universal Credit, a cliff edge end to the furlough scheme, cuts to NHS funding, nothing to fill the gap in Local Authority funding and an insulting 1% pay-rise for the NHS heroes who helped us survive Covid. After inflation this ‘pay-rise’ will likely amount to a decrease in pay.

While the Chancellor dished out austerity for nurses, the unemployed and sick, he was far more generous to Tory party donors and big business. The so called ‘towns funds’ which was supposed to be a tool to ‘level up’ has been used instead to disproportionately benefit the leafy and well-to-do constituencies of Tory party MPs at the expense of deprived towns and cities. For example, out of 15 constituencies in Merseyside, only one has a sitting Tory MP and that is the only seat set to receive funding from the ‘Levelling up Fund’

It’s clear that underneath Rishi Sunak’s flashy graphics and headline grabbing gimmicks this Budget was just more of the same from the Tories. Austerity for the many and handouts for the few.

Cuts to development funding with have devastating consequences

This week I was shocked by the Government’s decision to dramatically cut the aid budget. There can be no doubt that this decision will cost lives. The UK is one of the richest countries on earth and we have a humanitarian responsibility to do what we can to help those who are in most dire need.

Human rights do not stop at the border, they are shared equally by all. The global economic system too often works for the benefit of a minority of rich nations at the expense of a majority in so called ‘developing countries’. British companies make a profit from weapons sold to Saudi Arabia which are used to kill civilians in Yemen and our economy is reliant on a global supply chain that involves the use of cheap labour abroad. We live in a globally interconnected world where we have a responsibility to relieve poverty and assist those fleeing conflict and persecution.

The cuts to the development budget indicate that the Government are now willing to turn their backs on the world. The bottom line is that consequently many people who may otherwise have lived, will now die. From medical help for women in childbirth to groups facing starvation, the consequences will be dire and the reputation of the UK as a global leader in development may never recover.

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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