MPs across England joined in on a conference call with the National Farmers Union as we stare into the face of a collapse of our dairy and farming sector. Despite the apparent demand for food the reality is that consumption of milk and dairy products and most meat (other than mince) has dropped away. This is largely due to the closure of cafes, restaurants and hotels etc.
Four weeks ago our milk producers were meeting consumer demand; now since the lockdown, the UK is awash with milk to such an extent that farmers will need to consider culling large numbers of their herd.
We are pressing Government to step in and support food and farming because we need to continue to feed the nation now and once we have beaten coronavirus. We can also all help by making a particular commitment to buying British now and in the future.
For those of you who were led to believe by the media that MPs are to receive an additional £10,000 for the privilege of working from home I thought it would be good to clarify the situation! The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) took it upon themselves to increase the budget MPs have to run their constituency offices to accommodate staff members working from home. Any claims an MP makes have to demonstrate that this is an additional cost and, as usual, will need to be supported by receipts. MPs have no say in how IPSA goes about its business and MPs certainly have no say on the budgets set by this quango! I personally cannot see why an additional £10,000 is needed and I imagine this extra money will largely go unspent across the UK!
On March 21st I sent a letter on behalf of the Local Transport Board which I chair setting out the urgent need for Government financial intervention to salvage the Isles of Scilly transport system. Much of the transport that serves both to and from Scilly and between the habited islands runs all year in order to provide essential passenger and freight movements but this 12-month service is only really viable because of the tourist trade. This obviously came to an abrupt end (more accurately did not start) when government rightly restricted movement to control the spread of coronavirus.
After a lot of to-ing and fro-ing with civil servants and senior government ministers this lifeline has been recognised and the financial package secured will ensure the operators can continue to offer this essential service during the lockdown and make a quick recovery when the time is right!
Looking ahead I share the view that we must remember this time for years to come. Remember those who lost their lives prematurely. But also remember the fantastic way that communities and frontline organisations have responded to the need. There will be many lessons learned and I would hope we look back and remember the time that we were reminded of the things that really matter to us.
