The Coronavirus pandemic has hit the country incredibly hard and the GDP numbers we saw, and continue to see, are sobering. The Plan for Jobs, announced by the Chancellor in July, is a key way for us to kick-start our recovery across all sectors.
Last week the Government announced that a more targeted approach to localised interventions was to be implemented, ensuring that only those specific areas with high Covid-19 prevalence rates in an area are to be subject to additional interventions – following the data as the Government has always
Over recent weeks we have seen the number of small boats trying to cross the English Channel rise significantly. And I know that people across the country, including here in Burnley, are concerned about what is being done to stop them.
This week young people across Burnley, Padiham, and the whole country will be getting their A Level results and I was delighted to be able to visit Burnley College first thing on Thursday morning to speak to pupils as they opened those envelopes full of anticipation.
Two weeks ago marked a year since Boris Johnson took over as leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister of the country. And what a year it has been.
I am unashamedly a unionist. I believe that our United Kingdom, which has existed for over 300 years and spans politics, culture, language, currency, economics and so much more is the strongest grouping of nations anywhere in the world.
As we continue to make progress in tackling Coronavirus across the country, this weekend we will finally see indoor gyms, swimming pools, dance studios and other sports facilities re-open.
This week saw Parliament expedite legislation to bring into law the stamp duty relief announced by the Chancellor last week and I was fortunate to be able to speak in the debate on the matter.
Coronavirus has never just been a health crisis but an economic one too. It has required all of Government to work at speed to address the impact the virus is having – from freeing up NHS capacity and scaling up testing capacity, to opening travel corridors and moving education online.
This Saturday our hospitality and leisure businesses will reopen. People will visit our pubs, bars and restaurants, and families can visit playgrounds again.
