Weekly Update – Friday 8^th January 2021

This week the Prime Minister was finally forced to listen to the scientific advice and announce a national lockdown, including the closing of schools. While I’m aware of the huge cost of the lockdown to my constituents, this is an essential step to slow the spread of the virus and protect the NHS.

Enfield currently has one of the highest infection rates in the country at 1,229 cases per 100,000, more than double the national average. Tragically almost 500 people have now died in Enfield from COVID-19 and we had more than 4,000 cases in the last week, with cases continuing to rise.

This was not inevitable. The UK is suffering one of the worst spikes in COVID-19 cases in the world because the Conservatives have repeatedly refused to listen to scientific advice. The Government’s failure makes it even more important that we all continue to take the lockdown seriously. We should only leave the house for exercise, essential shopping or if we are unable to work from home. It’s also important that we continue to wear masks when outside, wash our hands and social distance when possible.

The Government needs to support people during lockdown

Since the first lockdown in March the Government has failed to support people through this pandemic. It has failed the self-employed, the unemployed, the disabled, teachers, students, business owners, NHS Workers, front-line workers and the elderly. The Chancellor has handed out scraps of support, delayed, u-turned and given up on entire sectors of the economy. This is the third, and hopefully last lockdown. This time the Government needs to step up and provide people with the support they need including;

• Providing a laptop and broadband access to vulnerable children
• Increasing statutory sick pay
• Rent relief for tenants and mortgage relief for homeowners
• A ban on evictions until the end of 2021
• An extension of the furlough scheme until the end of 2021
• Adequate funding for local authorities and charities

I will continue to call on the Chancellor and everybody in this Government to give people the support they need, as I have done since March. As the vaccine roll-out continues and we begin to see light at the end of the tunnel, the UK will emerge out of this pandemic a changed country and we will have an opportunity to use this moment to build back better, greener, fairer and more equal. That is what I will be fighting for this year in Parliament.

Clapping NHS Workers isn’t enough

This week I signed the pledge to support EveryDoctor in protecting NHS workers during this pandemic. More than 620 UK Health and Social Care workers have died as a result of COVID-19. Not enough has been done to protect those who are doing their best to protect us. Along with many of my colleagues in Parliament I’ve pledged to do what I can to support EveryDoctor in achieving the following goals;

 

1. Priority access to testing for health and social care workers
2. PPE for all health and social care workers
3. A fair death-in-service package for all bereaved health and social care worker families
4. Fair sick and isolation pay arrangements for all health and social care workers.
5. Provision of accommodation for health and social care workers living with vulnerable people.

I will also be pushing for the Government to aim to vaccinate all frontline NHS workers within the next 14 days. NHS workers need and deserve more than empty gestures.

 

Boris Johnson & Co should be ashamed of their support for Trump

Last summer I watched in shock as militarised police in America violently cracked down on peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters. This week I once again watched shocking scenes in America, as a fascist mob stormed the U.S capitol building in an attempt to overturn a democratic election in which historically high African-American voter turnout had defeated an openly racist, white-supremacist supporting President.

But this time the police response was noticeably different. Police stepped back to allow the terrorists to storm the capitol building, then once inside took selfies with them. After it was all over, and at least five people were dead, the police calmly opened the door for the mob and allowed them to walk out one by one. You don’t normally expect domestic terrorists to be calmly escorted away from their target, once they have carried out their planned attack. But that is exactly what happened.

Millions of people around the globe watched one of the starkest examples of white privilege and police corruption we may ever see. I hope that once Trump is removed from office, or leaves, America can begin to move forward and learn from this moment. But I also hope that here in the UK politicians like Boris Johnson, who looked to Trump like a political father figure, reflect on the fact that in their support for that would be dictator they too enabled this dark moment in American history.

——————————-

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,

[Signature]

Kate Osamor

Member of Parliament for Edmonton

Weekly Update – Friday 8^th January 2021

Dear Constituent,

This week the Prime Minister was finally forced to listen to the scientific advice and announce a national lockdown, including the closing of schools. While I’m aware of the huge cost of the lockdown to my constituents, this is an essential step to slow the spread of the virus and protect the NHS.

Enfield currently has one of the highest infection rates in the country at 1,229 cases per 100,000, more than double the national average. Tragically almost 500 people have now died in Enfield from COVID-19 and we had more than 4,000 cases in the last week, with cases continuing to rise.

This was not inevitable. The UK is suffering one of the worst spikes in COVID-19 cases in the world because the Conservatives have repeatedly refused to listen to scientific advice. The Government’s failure makes it even more important that we all continue to take the lockdown seriously. We should only leave the house for exercise, essential shopping or if we are unable to work from home. It’s also important that we continue to wear masks when outside, wash our hands and social distance when possible.

The Government needs to support people during lockdown

Since the first lockdown in March the Government has failed to support people through this pandemic. It has failed the self-employed, the unemployed, the disabled, teachers, students, business owners, NHS Workers, front-line workers and the elderly. The Chancellor has handed out scraps of support, delayed, u-turned and given up on entire sectors of the economy. This is the third, and hopefully last lockdown. This time the Government needs to step up and provide people with the support they need including;

• Providing a laptop and broadband access to vulnerable children
• Increasing statutory sick pay
• Rent relief for tenants and mortgage relief for homeowners
• A ban on evictions until the end of 2021
• An extension of the furlough scheme until the end of 2021
• Adequate funding for local authorities and charities

I will continue to call on the Chancellor and everybody in this Government to give people the support they need, as I have done since March. As the vaccine roll-out continues and we begin to see light at the end of the tunnel, the UK will emerge out of this pandemic a changed country and we will have an opportunity to use this moment to build back better, greener, fairer and more equal. That is what I will be fighting for this year in Parliament.

Clapping NHS Workers isn’t enough

This week I signed the pledge to support EveryDoctor in protecting NHS workers during this pandemic. More than 620 UK Health and Social Care workers have died as a result of COVID-19. Not enough has been done to protect those who are doing their best to protect us. Along with many of my colleagues in Parliament I’ve pledged to do what I can to support EveryDoctor in achieving the following goals;

 

1. Priority access to testing for health and social care workers
2. PPE for all health and social care workers
3. A fair death-in-service package for all bereaved health and social care worker families
4. Fair sick and isolation pay arrangements for all health and social care workers.
5. Provision of accommodation for health and social care workers living with vulnerable people.

I will also be pushing for the Government to aim to vaccinate all frontline NHS workers within the next 14 days. NHS workers need and deserve more than empty gestures.

 

Boris Johnson & Co should be ashamed of their support for Trump

Last summer I watched in shock as militarised police in America violently cracked down on peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters. This week I once again watched shocking scenes in America, as a fascist mob stormed the U.S capitol building in an attempt to overturn a democratic election in which historically high African-American voter turnout had defeated an openly racist, white-supremacist supporting President.

But this time the police response was noticeably different. Police stepped back to allow the terrorists to storm the capitol building, then once inside took selfies with them. After it was all over, and at least five people were dead, the police calmly opened the door for the mob and allowed them to walk out one by one. You don’t normally expect domestic terrorists to be calmly escorted away from their target, once they have carried out their planned attack. But that is exactly what happened.

Millions of people around the globe watched one of the starkest examples of white privilege and police corruption we may ever see. I hope that once Trump is removed from office, or leaves, America can begin to move forward and learn from this moment. But I also hope that here in the UK politicians like Boris Johnson, who looked to Trump like a political father figure, reflect on the fact that in their support for that would be dictator they too enabled this dark moment in American history.

——————————-

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