Introduction

The Coronavirus crisis has changed everything.  It has reminded us who and what really matters in our lives.  It has laid bare the profound weaknesses of an economy which has systematically eroded our collective social immune system.  It has taught us that many things we were told were impossible or unrealistic, are possible.

The government can house homeless people, fund the NHS, provide an income for people who aren’t able to work and write off billions in public debt overnight. 

The closure of colleges and universities because of Covid-19 has hit students hard.  Many have been in touch with me, desperately worried about the situation they find themselves in, through no fault of their own.

Exams

I had my first real taste of being a “virtual MP” last week, when I questioned Matt Hancock during health questions in the Commons.  I have been pushing for a recall of Parliament since the beginning of this month, so was very glad when the Speaker and the parliamentary digital teams managed to facilitate this, with dozens of MPs joining via video link.  I wrote about the experience in the i-paper. 

Robert Courts

PPS to the Secretary of State, Department for Transport 

April 2nd, 2020

Dear Robert,

I have called on the Government to adopt the advice of the World Health Organisation on community-based testing and contact-tracing to prevent the further spread of Covid-19 and as a precondition for any relaxation of the lockdown. 

The First Minister of State, Dominic Raab, has set out five conditions for the lifting of the lockdown but they do not include the clear WHO advice that health systems must have the capacity to “detect, test, isolate and treat every case and trace every contact”.

HOW COMMUNITY-BASED SCHEMES COULD HELP

Dear First Minister of State

Coronavirus – Immediate Virtual Recall of Parliament

We are writing to you as a cross party and crossbench group of MPs and peers to call for an immediate (virtual) recall of parliament.

I've written to the Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs about what needs to happen to ensure everyone has access to nutritious food, smaller food shops are supported alongside supermarkets, and how we shift to a sustainable, resilient and healthy food system

Dear Secretary of State,  

Coronavirus and the real difficulties it is creating for people continues to dominate my Inbox.  Even though the Government has rolled out unprecedented measures to support small businesses, employees and the self-employed, as well as some changes to the welfare system, there are still many people falling through the gaps, and their situation is becoming more and more desperate. 

Self-employed “summit”

The first week of the coronavirus lockdown, and many of us are having to get used to the new normal of staying at home and maintaining social distancing on the few occasions when we do go out.  It can be a stressful and quite scary time, especially for those who live alone or who are especially vulnerable.  Thank you to everyone who is doing so much to support them through this crisis.

A few weeks ago it would have been unimaginable to think that the whole world would pretty much be in lockdown, with borders closed, and people confined to their homes.

People from Brighton stranded overseas