With so much happening right now I thought it would be appropriate to give you a brief digest of the many issues currently facing us as well as some of the work I’m doing. Ordinarily, I would be out and about, week in, week out, meeting residents and discussing matters that most concerned them. However, for almost three months now, this has not been possible but I am determined to keep my promise, given when I was first elected, to do everything to keep the public informed. Trust and transparency have always been important to me. The events of the last few months have been unprecedented and many are facing significant hardship or loss. I pay tribute to all the workers and volunteers who have worked tirelessly to keep our vital services running and support people in need. Throughout the crisis, my team and I have also been working hard to support local residents.

Opening society safely Throughout this crisis I have been doing all I can to support local business and to safeguard jobs, and I well appreciate that the current restrictions have caused significant hardship for many in our community.  While I’m keen to see our economy, schools and public services re-open, the primary consideration in how and when restrictions are lifted must be public safety and protecting lives. This is a responsibility we all share and that is why the Cummings affair was such an affront to so many law-abiding people. As scientists and NHS leaders have warned, easing restrictions prematurely risks undoing all the work of the lock-down. Sadly, the UK’s infection rate is still high- and rising. Elsewhere, the Test and Trace system that we were promised would be fully operational by 1st June is now expected to be so by the end of the month according to the Chairwoman running it. However, her Chief Operating Officer has said it may not be until September or October. This is extremely concerning. After advocating for a local test and trace system, I welcome that Warwickshire has been chosen as one of 11 Local Authorities to pilot a local trace and trace scheme and I’m pressing for this to be implemented at a pace. I will be watching it closely. When countries like Germany and South Korea had comprehensive test and trace systems in place months ago, it’s clear that there been critical failings in the Government’s approach and I’m pressing for transparency on why we have faced such a delay. Re-opening schools and planning for pupils education This week, I spoke in Parliament during a Statement from the Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, asking him what had happened to the laptops he had promised schools two months ago- see below. More generally, I understand people’s concerns about schools returning; I have been urging the Government and Local Authorities not to rush this decision, and only re-open schools to more students when certain safety criteria have been met. Local primary schools have worked incredibly hard to welcome additional groups of pupils safely, and I am in regular contact with all local schools to ensure they have the support they need. Looking forward, it’s crucial that students are not disadvantaged by this break in education and it is a priority that the Government urgently works with schools to put in place an action plan for education. I and other colleagues have been pressing the Government to adapt next years’ curriculum and exams to reflect the learning that has been missed, and ensure schools have the funding to offer pupils additional academic and pastoral support. I welcome that the Prime Minister has agreed to provide a further roadmap for education by next week, and will be monitoring this closely. Black lives matter: standing up to racism and inequality The murder of George Floyd at the hands of a US police officer has shocked the whole world. I stand in solidarity with those in the US and closer to home who are standing up to this abhorrent racism and calling for justice for George Floyd. This is unfortunately the latest example in a long line of black men and women who have suffered from police brutality. I condemn in the strongest possible terms the lack of leadership and the incitement of division shown by Donald Trump. I am also calling on the Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister to use their influence and condemn Trump’s handling of this matter and immediately end the sale of riot equipment to the US. Last week, I sent a message of solidarity to the protesters in Leamington (where I urged for social distancing), who were using their voice to demand justice. Whilst I can’t condone public gatherings at this time, such moments of collective anger and purpose are often fleeting and must not be allowed to pass. Let’s be clear: racism and inequality is not just an American problem. Black and minority ethnic communities in the UK continue to face vast inequalities and we need urgent action to address this. Please read my full statement on Black Lives Matter and the action I am taking here: https://mattwestern.org/news-article/BLM/ I hope this has been useful and informative although there will always be too much to cover in one update. I will continue to keep you updated. As ever, if you have any urgent concerns I can support with then please do get in touch at matt.western.mp@parliament.uk. Matt Western

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I have experienced an unprecedented level of enquiries regarding these issues which is fantastic to see, so thank you for many in engaging with such an important topic.

Let me start by saying clearly: black lives matter. The vile murder of George Floyd at the hands of a US police officer has shocked the whole world. I join in peoples’ call for justice for George Floyd. This is unfortunately the latest example in a long line of black men who have suffered from police brutality in the US and here too.  I am reminded by the brutal beating of Rodney King and subsequent acquittal of the police officer in 1992 which rightly led to outrage. But we know that this happens on a weekly basis, it’s just not always caught on camera.

I send my solidarity to all those who are making their voices heard to oppose this abhorrent racism. I condemn in the strongest possible terms the lack of leadership and the incitement of division shown by Donald Trump. From what I can see on social media, the treatment of the protesters at the hands of the police is abjectly wrong. Last week, I sent a message of solidarity to the protesters in Leamington (where I urged for social distancing), who were using their voice to demand justice. Whilst I can’t condone public gatherings at this time, such moments of collective anger and purpose are often fleeting and must not be allowed to pass.

I believe trade of riot control equipment to the US should stop immediately. I’m joining colleagues (and have co-signed a letter) in Parliament to demand the Government acts urgently. We can and should stop the trade of riot gear and rubber bullets with America to ensure our goods are not used to potentially brutalise protesters.

I’m also calling on the Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister to use their influence and condemn Trump’s handling of this matter, publicly and directly.

The UK is no better with its record on racism. I hear certain people in Parliament and elsewhere counter that “all lives matter”. But look what happens on our streets, in our workplaces, on our sports pitches. Look at the Stephen Lawrence case, the stop and search figures, and the Windrush scandal. I’ve publicly called out incidents of racism and supported Windrush generation constituents who were denied their rights, but more must be done.

Look at the failure to take action and charge the person who spat at transport worker Belly Mujinga who later died of Covid-19 (and let’s not forget taxi driver Trevor Belle who similarly died of the virus after being spat at by a fare-dodger). And look too at our Government’s dishonesty in failing to release the full report into BAME deaths from the virus, and the disproportionate number of BAME people fined over lockdown breaches.

I’m calling for an action plan for the Government to implement following the Public Health England to protect those most at risk to the virus. I’m pleased that the Labour Party is acting on this already, with Doreen Lawrence, our race relations adviser, who is heading our inquiry into the impact on BAME communities.

I am also calling for justice for Belly and Trevor. I welcome that a review into Belly’s case has been called, and I will follow the it closely. For the sake of all other public-facing key workers, I have repeatedly called for sufficient PPE to be more widely available. We have the capacity to do it nationally because I talk to manufacturers all the time – the Government just needs to act.

We desperately need comprehensive education on matters of race and racism in our curriculum to be mandatory. Not enough students know our own history and how Britain was central to the slave trade, colonialisation, and how the reverberations are still being felt. I’ll support moves in Parliament to make this a reality.

From my work in supporting local constituents from the Windrush generation who were denied their rights, to publicly calling out incidents of racism where I see them, I will always do all I can to stamp out oppression from our society locally and across the world. There is so much that needs to be done, and hopefully I have made clear my intentions on how I will act accordingly.

Matt Western MP
Warwick and Leamington

“Once more I am shocked and saddened by this tragic loss of life on our streets. My thoughts are with the loved ones of the victim. I’ve been liaising with the police on this matter and would like to thank them for their professionalism in dealing with the incident.

“Unfortunately, this is the latest in a series of murders – the second in five months and third in just over a year. Knife crime is abhorrent and must be tackled. Twice I’ve raised this in Parliament, on both occasions calling for real action against local knife crime.

“I’ve written to the Police and Crime Commissioner to ask why we are seeing such criminality and what is being done, as well as continuing my lobbying for higher Police budgets from the Government. If they don’t act, I fear this won’t be the last. Enough is enough.”

I’m afraid that the public are losing trust in the Government’s strategy and Johnson’s leadership owing to the reckless handling of Dominic Cummings’ conduct in breaking the rules. We have seen that this Government is simply acting in self-interest, not the national interest.

Warwick and Leamington residents, many hundreds of whom have been in touch to share their anger, have made extraordinary sacrifices during the lockdown. Many were in similar or even worse circumstances when it came to childcare provision whilst self-isolating, but they did the right thing and stayed at home because that’s what the Government told them to do to help save lives.

The message from this Government is clear: it’s one rule for them, and another for everybody else. I fear that a second wave of the virus may arise due to the legitimacy this will give some to also flout the rules.

With almost 40 backbench Conservative MPs coming out against Cummings, including some in the local area, it is hard to see how Johnson can stand by his adviser. Keir Starmer has already said that if he was the Prime Minister, he would have sacked Cummings. Action must be taken urgently and the Government must launch an inquiry, as Keir has rightly called for.

Warwick and Leamington MP Matt Western has today launched an initiative to pay tribute and give recognition to the often unsung work of exceptional local people. He will organise and host the area’s first ever community awards to be held later this year. It is expected that it will include a focus on the exceptional work of people who have contributed in the fight against Covid-19.

The event is planned for after the crisis with more details to be announced in the very near future. Having conceived the idea a couple of years ago, Matt says he has always planned that this would become an annual celebration to recognise the service and generosity of the spirit of others.

Speaking about his plans, Matt Western MP said:

“Back in June 2017 when I was first elected, I talked about introducing ‘public service’ awards in recognition of the fantastic work done by all those working in the public sector and elsewhere to make our lives better. My aim was – and is – simple: to give due recognition to people who make a huge difference to our lives but who are rarely acknowledged, possibly only by their colleagues.

“Though we are in the midst of a crisis, I want to ensure people know that the public are proud of the many great acts of public service about them.

“This has been, and remains, a hugely difficult time for the whole Warwick and Leamington community as everywhere. Though we are not through this yet, there are so many people we collectively must pay tribute to. Be it the nurses, doctors, care workers, volunteers, or inspiring residents who have played their part during this pandemic; I want them to be recognised for their work.

“I’m pleased to announce today that I am launching my own community awards. For when this immediate crisis is behind us, I will be organising and hosting the constituency’s first ‘Warwick and Leamington MP Awards for Community Excellence’, to pay tribute and recognise the often unsung work of exceptional people. I plan that they will be annual awards and will be an opportunity for people to come together to recognise the service and generosity of spirit of others.

“I will be providing more details in the coming weeks.”

Following the news reported by The Guardian newspaper that, over two years ago, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (Adass) recommended improvements in care homes to be better prepared for a pandemic were not “picked up” by the Government, Matt Western MP has said the Government and local authorities “had abandoned care homes from the beginning.”

It comes as the ONS released the latest figures on deaths up to the 1^st May, and analysis by the FT shows there has been a 76% increase in deaths compared to the five-yearly average for the same period in the West Midlands. This translates to an extra 5,600 deaths and is higher than the UK average of 60%. Elsewhere, in Warwickshire care homes there has officially been 104 care home Covid-19 deaths, and over 21 of those in Warwick District alone. In contrast, deaths from all causes were 294 and 173 respectively.

Matt, the Member of Parliament for Warwick and Leamington, said:

“We are beginning to see the timeline of continued failures from this Government on getting a grip on this crisis. It began with the general pandemic preparedness operation ‘Cygnus’ in 2016 in which we failed the test to deal with an outbreak effectively – including the need to boost care home capacity. Now we know that the social care sector warned two years ago that we needed more PPE and a better solution to isolate cases and stop the spread.

“We now know that these warnings were not acted on and exactly what was predicted has happened. We also know that we have been far too slow at testing residents, meaning many of these deaths will have died from Covid-19, but not reported as such.

“These latest devastating figures just illustrate the failures in being able to isolate the cases in care homes and the continual failures in providing sufficient protective equipment for the staff treating these residents.

“Shockingly, Public Health England’s guidance in March said that care homes were “very unlikely” to see an outbreak of Covid-19. At the same time, the WHO declared a global pandemic and people were already dying in the UK. Locally, Warwickshire County Council were slow to prioritise social care in important Covid-19 response meetings – omitting the issue of social care completely – until I intervened. This shows that the authorities have abandoned care homes from the beginning.

“The Government and authorities have been failing to get PPE to the frontline. The Alzheimer’s Society found 43% of care homes are still not confident of their PPE supply. In the region, there are many businesses that I have been liaising with that are able to produce PPE at scale but have been stonewalled by the Government.

“The answer is obvious; let’s requisition suitable empty properties (like hotels) and utilise the Birmingham Nightingale Hospital, instead of dismantling it, to treat and isolate Covid-19 cases, so they are away from others and will limit transmission, and ramp up British production of PPE.

“I will continue to do all I can to shed light on the authorities’ failings with social care and provide solutions to genuinely save lives.”

Matt Western, MP for Warwick and Leamington has on Wednesday called on Ministers to intervene on cases of local residents who are still stranded in India and elsewhere as a result of the Coronavirus crisis. He believes that the Government’s inaction in some cases had ‘echoes of the Windrush scandal’.

Speaking in Parliament, Matt raised the case of two Leamington residents, Lakshar Singh Jhutti and Surinder Jhutti, who are being denied consular support and spaces on the flights back from India, because they don’t have a British passport. However, Matt explained that the couple both have what is known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’ as they have lived in the UK for almost 50 years, constantly been in work, and paid their taxes.

Matt also noted that Surinder is a specialist neurological care worker, working at the Castel Froma care home in Leamington.

The Minister, Nigel Adams, agreed to look into the matter.

Matt’s question follows his initial intervention back on the 24^th March, where he called on the Government to charter more flights and bring home stranded constituents, such as Kam Dhesi, who are thankfully now home.

Speaking about his campaign to bring back stranded residents, Matt said:

“It’s over a month since I originally asked Dominic Raab to repatriate Warwick and Leamington residents who were stranded abroad. After consistent lobbying, many of the residents I was representing have now thankfully managed to get home. However, of the 20,000 who are stuck in India and still waiting, 40 are local constituents who I continue to try and help.

I find it almost scandalous that people who have indefinite leave to remain such as the Jhutti’s should not be prioritised for repatriation and have even been denied consular support, simply because they don’t have British passports. They have lived here for almost 50 years, always worked, and paid their taxes. Given the crisis, we also urgently need Surinder back doing her job as a specialist neurological care worker in one of Leamington’s care homes.

To me, this issue has echoes of the Windrush Scandal.

I’m pleased that the Minister agreed to look at the Jhutti’s case, but I fear that their situation is not the exception, but rather the rule.

As Germany has done on an extraordinary scale (30 times what we’ve done), the Government must put on more flights for stranded residents to get everyone home urgently.”

A group of local small business owners and self-employed people have taken part in a roundtable video call with Matt Western MP to discuss the current Coronavirus pandemic and how businesses can take steps to recovery.

Warwick and Leamington MP Matt Western recently held the business support surgery with the Federation of Small Businesses to enable local small business owners to raise issues that they are facing, caused by the Coronavirus lockdown.

With businesses representing a variety of sectors that have been hit hard by the pandemic including retail and hospitality, a wide range of issues were covered. These included gaps in support, struggles that small businesses are facing in accessing finance, and the need for further clarity on the lifting of lockdown restrictions.

Matt Western MP said “I am pleased to once again speak to local businesses to listen to their concerns surrounding the impact of the current crisis. These conversations help inform me of the issues that businesses are facing so I can more effectively speak up for their interests in Parliament. It is clear that businesses across the constituency desperately need easy access to cash and require greater flexibility in the furlough schemes, among others. I’ve raised these issues directly with Ministers and will continue to do so until businesses get the support they deserve.

“I’d like to thank the FSB for all the great work they’re also doing in supporting businesses during this difficult time.”

Liz Katz, Director of Noisegate Media and FSB Warwickshire and Coventry area lead said local businesses had welcomed the call.

She said “It was a very useful discussion with Matt Western MP on the issues being faced by our local small businesses and self-employed, at what is an extremely challenging period for everyone. The businesses represented on the call covered a lot of areas with access to finance and impact on cashflow a particular concern. It was also clear that further clarity and detail is needed on lifting lockdown restrictions so that small businesses can start to prepare for the future.”

Warwick and Leamington MP Matt Western this week (Monday) asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, why other countries have been able to get cash out to businesses in greater quantities and in faster fashion than we have.

Matt said that speed and simplicity is ‘critical’ in an economic recovery such as this, citing Neel Kaskari, who led the US federal bailout scheme in 2008-9, who said the primary learning of that global crisis was that they did not get the cash out to businesses fast enough.

Matt’s intervention comes as it was revealed that France and Germany were backing all coronavirus interruption loans at (or close to) 100%, opposed to our scheme which backs 80%. As of last week, The French scheme has made 174,000 loans worth €24 billion, and Germany lent €8.5 billion to 13,000 firms, with an approval rate of 98 per cent. In contrast, 16,600 firms in the UK had received loans worth a total of £2.8 billion, with an acceptance rate of 46 per cent.

Earlier, the Chancellor announced new, smaller loans that he promises will be 100% backed by the Government and will be paid out quickly.

Speaking about his intervention and the new scheme, Matt said:

“Talking to small businesses every day as I do, I know they are burning through cash and need funds urgently in order to survive.

“I’m glad that the Chancellor has listened to mine and many others’ (such as the CBI) calls and announced new 100% Government-backed loans of up to £50,000 for small businesses which promise to be paid out very quickly. This is welcome, as far too many businesses applying for the current loan scheme are simply not getting the money out of the banks.

“But for many businesses, this has come too late. Additionally, the many businesses that need more than this what is on offer will still have difficulties in getting sufficient cash to survive.

“The reality is that for any recovery to be successful, sufficient cash needs to be paid out as quickly and simply as possible, which is exactly what France, Germany, and Switzerland are doing. If these countries can do this, why can’t we for our businesses?

“I have liaised with business representatives as well as assisted individual businesses to ensure they get the support they need. I will continue to do all I can for our fantastic businesses. Please get in touch if you need support.”

To find out more about the new loan scheme, visit gov.uk/government/news/small-businesses-boosted-by-bounce-back-loans

Matt Western, MP for Warwick and Leamington, has described his ‘utter frustration’ at all levels of Government in their failures to address the crisis within a crisis that is social care and covid-19.

He believes those receiving care as well as those working in social care are not being given the information and support they deserve.

Last week, Matt sat through a Warwickshire All Councils’ meeting to discuss the local response to Covid-19, in which social care did not feature on the agenda – even though he had requested it to be. Matt went on to write to the Council to ensure that social care is a priority in Council communications and planning.

This week, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services said the Government’s handling of the outbreak in care homes has been “shambolic”.

The Council has responded to Matt’s calls by including social care on the agenda for the next meeting.

Speaking about his intervention, Matt said:

“Social Care should be an absolute priority for County Councils, not an afterthought. At my insistence, I’m pleased that Warwickshire has now included social care on its weekly agenda. For over a month, it has been clear that the social care sector was a critical concern. In response, I have been working with the Council and speaking with individual care homes to help ensure they have the resources they need.

“Social Care is funded chiefly through council tax and is the responsibility of the local authority. We must do all we can to protect carers and those they care for through this crisis within a crisis.

“I am unconvinced that the current guidance and strategy with the sector is keeping residents and their carers safe – be it the lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) or the incoherent approach to isolating cases. There seems to be a failure in understanding the needs of the sector, and this is unfortunately illustrated by the recent revelations on the scale of deaths observed in our care homes.

“The public deserve to be given timely and accurate numbers on social care coronavirus cases and deaths. I sense it is far higher than has been declared and we must be told about examples of outbreaks in care homes. Whilst we now know the Care Quality Commission will be releasing national data soon, we also need localised data to understand the true scale of the issue locally.

“I’m calling on local authorities to continually prioritise their efforts to supporting care settings and release the data they hold on cases and deaths.

“I will continue to press for improvements in our response to this crisis, particularly in social care settings.”