It’s time to heed the advice - stay at home, saves lives, protect the NHS
IT’S good to be able to put pen to paper for the Examiner for the first time and, as a Yorkshireman, I am proud to serve as the MP for Dewsbury, Mirfield, Kirkburton and Denby Dale.
Since the election, it has been a hugely busy period - from voting to get Brexit done to establishing my constituency office and recruiting staff, to asking my first question at PMQs and dealing with the challenges of the recent flooding.
However, the challenges which have hit us by the coronavirus outbreak are like nothing we have seen in most of our lifetimes. It means we are facing the most significant public health emergency in a generation. It calls for decisive action, at home and abroad, of the kind not generally seen in peacetime.
On Monday evening, the Prime Minister instructed the British people to stay at home - to protect the NHS and save lives. The critical thing we must do now is to stop the disease spreading between households. That is why we are only allowed to leave our homes for minimal purposes.
By delaying the number of those getting infected and falling ill, even by just a few weeks, more lives will be saved, more vulnerable people will be protected, and the NHS will be in a stronger position to cope and care for our loved ones. So the message is clear: Stay at home. Save Lives. Protect the NHS. incomes and their ability to provide for their families. Last week I welcomed the Government’s economic response, which is one of the most comprehensive in the world. For the first time in our history, the government will help pay people’s wages through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme – offering grants to cover 80% of the salary of retained workers up to a total of £2,500 a month.
Meanwhile, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme will be interest-free for 12 months. And business rates will be abolished altogether this year for businesses in hospitality, retail and leisure, with cash grants of £10,000 or £25,000 for small business properties. The government are also deferring the next three months of VAT until the end of the financial year.
To strengthen the safety net, the Universal Credit standard allowance will increase, for the next 12 months, by £1,000 a year and also the
Working Tax Credit basic element, for the next 12 months, will be increased by £1,000 a year. Together this will help over four million of our most vulnerable households.
The government has also introduced a three-month mortgage holiday for those in difficulty due to coronavirus, and no renter who has lost income due to coronavirus will be forced out of their home, nor will any landlord face unmanageable debts.
Lots of people have also contacted me about extra support for those who are self-employed, and I am pushing at the highest levels for more
IT has also been an uncertain time for many young people, due to take their GCSEs and A-Levels but whose exams have now been cancelled.
For anyone still unsure about what is happening, the exam boards will now be asking teachers to submit their judgement about the grade they believe their students would have received if exams had gone ahead. The aim is to then provide the calculated grades to students before the end of July.
There will also be an opportunity
LAST week I closed my constituency office. My team and I, in line with government guidelines, are now working remotely. But while my physical office is closed, the hard work doesn’t stop. We’ve been flat out dealing with hundreds of emails and enquiries from people concerned about their health, their businesses and their livelihoods.
If you would like to get in touch, my email address is mark.eastwood.mp@ parliament.uk, and you can visit my website: www.markeastwood.org.uk or call my office on 01924 939007. You can also follow all my latest coronavirus updates on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and of course, if you need information about any issues related to coronavirus, I’d urge you to use the government website, an excellent source of information and advice: www.gov.uk/coronavirus
Finally, I would like to say that now is a time for looking out for each other, for our neighbours, friends and family. Please ring around vulnerable or elderly members and check on their health and wellbeing, and stay safe yourself.
Stay at home. Save Lives. Protect the NHS.