This week kicked off with a long day in Parliament on Monday when we adjourned after 10pm. The Whips had been predicting it would be gone midnight, so it could have been worse! Fortunately, the rest of the week was a bit quieter and this gave me valuable time to do some research for a piece of work on education a few colleagues and I are putting together. There was also the usual raft of interesting meetings and some speaking opportunities in the Chamber.
On Tuesday I asked a question on the Lammy Review into discrimination against the BAME community, suggesting assigning a police officer to a school year group would be a good way to help built community relations from an early age. I was pleased that the Minister agreed this was an interesting idea – you can read the full exchange here.
Later in the week, I asked Dominic Raab for his assurance that the UK will continue to speak up for the rights of the people of Hong Kong. Foreign policy is an issue close to my heart, having lived and worked around the world, and I am deeply concerned by China’s wide-ranging security law that will curtail freedom of speech in Hong Kong. I am very glad that the UK Government has done the right think in offering BNO Hong Kong citizens a path to immigration and settlement in the UK.
I also held a number of virtual meetings, including speaking to a large number of constituents about their concerns on climate change. I very much share those concerns and was pleased to be able to tell them about the work the Government is and has been doing to combat global warming and protect the environment. I also joined people from all around the country to listen to a deeply moving talk from Holocaust survivor Janine Webber.
Today I was down in the constituency, where I met with GPs at Wickham Surgery and a company called Safran Helicopter Engines, whose UK base is situated locally in Fareham. The surgery has stayed open throughout lockdown helping people and all their staff have been absolutely brilliant. Safran manufactures helicopter engines, including those for the MERLIN and APACHE vehicles used by the military. They hire many people locally and across the country – it was really interesting to learn more about their business operation.
This weekend pubs will start reopening with social distancing measures in place. It is wonderful to see the country returning to normal and great for the pubs to get some business again. I would urge everyone to book a slot in the near future to visit their local pub and give it some support. While we will still all need to take precautions and exercise common sense, it is fantastic to see this element of community life returning. Have a good weekend!