Articles

These are strange times in Westminster. One of the senior MPs told me last week that he cannot recall a more bizarre period in politics but like me, he remains confident that we will soon see the back of 2020 by seeing off the Covid-19 pandemic.

As a veteran, it was a privilege to speak in the 2nd Reading of the Overseas Operations Bill.

Boris Johnson’s stark admission in the Commons yesterday that “we have reached a perilous turning point”, and the imposition of tighter measures from Thursday are a veritable game-changer in the Government’s strategy against Covid-19.

One senior colleague told me recently that he could not recall a Summer where he had worked continuously throughout Recess.  

After months of lockdown, it is great to see a return to normality and people enjoying the sunshine.  The opening of shops, pubs, beauty salons, sports clubs and many recreational facilities has provided a further marker in the fight against Covid-19 and it is right that the Prime Minister should push this agenda if it is safe to do so.

The opening of non-essential shops this week has provided a new marker in the fight against Covid-19.  While opinions are split on the gradual easing of lockdown, the Government continues to be led by scientific and medical advice and it is reassuring that the mortality and R rates are falling to new lows. 

With the Parliamentary recess spent dealing with the fall-out from recent high-profile media stories, I have been reliably informed by several senior MPs that the last three months have been unprecedented in terms of workload, casework and enquiries from constituents.

At a remarkable event last Summer, the world came to Portsmouth for the start of the D-Day75 commemorations. In what barely seems a year ago, 5 June 2019 proved to a very special occasion, and one that I will never forget.

Coronavirus is now upon us with a vengeance, but I have been greatly reassured by how society has responded to the crisis.