Weekly Update
As you will have seen, from midnight tonight London will be subject to Tier 2 Coronavirus restrictions, meaning that households are not permitted to mix indoors or in hospitality settings. I appreciate this will be frustrating for families and businesses but unfortunately the spread of the virus means that stricter measures are necessary. My view however is that we need a temporary national circuit breaker to stop the spread of the virus and to save lives. I would encourage everyone to follow the guidance so that we can bring infection rates down together.
It's been another busy week in Enfield and Westminster. On Tuesday, I joined the APPG on Sustainable Finance's roundtable on 'Sustainable pensions: decarbonising our savings and safeguarding our future'. This roundtable provided an opportunity for MPs to discuss consensus on what action is needed for Government Ministers to act on the climate crisis. Our pensions play a huge role in securing a ‘Net Zero’ future, and nearly 70 per cent of UK savers have said they want their investments to consider climate change. The Pensions Scheme Bill soon returning to the Commons is an opportunity for climate action and I’ll be working with other MPs to address the financial risks of climate change and ensure pension schemes are aligned with the interests of savers.
I was very disappointed - but unfortunately not surprised - when the Government voted against protecting British farmers from being undercut by poorer quality produce in any trade deals during the Agriculture Bill debate on Tuesday. The Labour Party wanted to ensure that any food imports coming into the UK as a result of future trade agreements meet the same standards for food safety, animal welfare, and environmental protection that UK farmers are currently required to meet. I’ve heard from so many constituents worried about chlorinated chicken and hormone-injected beef and, like so many of you, I’m afraid I simply don’t trust the Government not to compromise on food standards.
On Wednesday, I was pleased to attend the End Child Poverty coalition's 'Constituency child poverty data virtual drop-in'. The Coronavirus pandemic has thrown inequality in the UK into sharp relief, and figures released by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation this week show that another 70,000 more people will be pulled into poverty if the Government withdraws the temporary uplift to Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit in April as planned. In a developed nation in the 21st century, it is simply not acceptable that thousands of children go to bed hungry every night, or that parents have to skip meals so that they can afford to feed their kids. I’ll keep pressing for the Government to do the right thing.
Thursday was a busy day of meetings! I joined other MPs representing Enfield and Haringey on Thursday to meet with Maria Kane, the CEO of North Mid NHS Trust. It was good to get an update on the Covid-19 situation in the area as well as the reorganisation of NHS services in North London. The NHS is facing a difficult winter and it's so important we do everything we can to recognise the incredible efforts of our NHS staff as well as providing them with the support they need to do their jobs. I was reassured about the preparedness of North Mid to deal with the increase in the covid cases we are seeing in Enfield.
In my role as the co-chair of the APPG for London, on Thursday I also met virtually with Paul Scully MP, Minister for London and his ministerial team. The meeting discussed the role of local services in supporting London’s recovery and concerns around council finances.
Thursday also saw the Second Reading of the CHIS (Criminal Conduct Bill), which puts the Covert Human Intelligence Sources (CHIS) on to a statutory footing. The CHIS bill addresses a vital issue: the need to provide a clear lawful framework for the use of human intelligence sources, who often help uncover crimes such as far-right terrorism and child sexual exploitation. Any responsible government acting in the national interest would need to legislate to address this. The current status quo is unacceptable, as it means this happens without proper oversight and the formal protections offered by the Human Rights Act. Without the legislation, undercover sources will either be unable to operate – depriving our security services of a vital tool in disrupting terrorism and serious and organised crime – or continue to do so only by operating in the shadows. Neither outcome is in the national interest. Both are worse than this bill passing. However, I recognise the bill is far from perfect, that's why the Labour Party will continue scrutinising the Bill through its passage and look to enhance the necessary safeguards to give adequate protections.
The bill makes clear that any activity carried out by agents must be compliant with the Human Rights Act and the European Convention on Human Rights – which explicitly outlaws torture, murder and sexual violence. This is a powerful, important and legally enforceable protection. It means agents cannot be authorised to undertake any activity that breaches the HRA or the ECHR – and that this can be upheld in court.
On Friday, I really enjoyed my socially distanced visit to Elsyng House Care Home, a state-of-the-art new facility being built in Enfield North. The past few months have been such a difficult time for everyone - but particularly for staff and residents of care homes, as well as their relatives. I was so pleased to have the chance to hear directly from staff about their plans for the new care home.
Although my office is closed to the public in line with Government guidelines, my team and I are working hard from home so please do get in touch on feryal.clark.mp@parliament.uk if there is anything we can help you with. Remember –stay safe, save lives – maintain social distancing and keep washing your hands!