NEWS
Articles written by Jacob for local and national newspapers.
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COVID-19 ROADMAP ANNOUNCED
The Somerset Guardian, 24th February 2021
This week, the Prime Minister delivered a speech outlining his roadmap for easing the lockdown in England. Vaccinations have now been given to millions and in tandem with people following the lockdown guidance this has meant that the rates...
THE SCHOOL KIT PROJECT
The Somerset Guardian, 17th February 2021
Last week I received a letter from the School Kit Project (SKiP), a local charity which serves those living in Bath and North East Somerset. The charity’s focus is to help families experiencing financial hardship by supplying school related...
SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS
The Somerset Guardian, 10th February 2021
This week, the Government’s announced that it is giving £50million of hardship funding to higher education providers to support students who have been affected by the pandemic. The new amount is in addition to the £20 million announced in...
HONG KONG UPDATE
The Somerset Guardian, 3rd February 2021
This week, the Home Secretary announced that the Government successfully launched a new immigration route for Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas) on 31st January 2021 in recognition of the historic commitment of the UK to the people of...
MORE VACCINE CENTRES OPEN
The Somerset Guardian, 27th January 2021
This week, I received confirmation from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment that two more centres have been opened in and near to North East Somerset to deliver the Coronavirus vaccination. The new hubs...
AMENDMENTS TO THE TRADE BILL
The Somerset Guardian, 20th January 2021
This week, the Trade Bill returned to the Commons from the Lords who inserted an amendment on genocide into the prospective legislation. The Lords included this stipulation following allegations about genocide being committed against the Uighur...
VACCINE ROLLOUT SUCCESS
The Somerset Guardian, 13th January 2021
This week, the Government reached a major milestone with more than 2.3 million residents in the United Kingdom (UK) having been vaccinated. The programme is the biggest in NHS history and is off to a strong start with more people here...
ANOTHER NATIONAL LOCKDOWN
The Somerset Guardian, 6th January 2021
The start of the year often brings feelings of hope to many. With 2020 having been dominated by the pandemic people were optimistic that with the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccinations the prospects for 2021 would appear different. Instead, the...
NEW YEAR UPDATE
The Farrington Gurney Parish Journal, Jan/Feb 2021
A year has now passed since the General Election of December 2019 and the Government has continued to work hard to progress important issues including exiting the European Union against the challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic. Whilst the Government...
A LITTLE CHILD IS BORN TO US
The Somerset Guardian, 23rd December 2020
'The people that walked in darkness, hath seen great light'. Isaiah foretold the coming of Christ and the theme of light is one that recurs constantly in the explanation of the arrival of Christ. The opening of St. John's Gospel is not a record of events in...
NEW FUNDING FOR HOSPITALS
The Somerset Guardian, 16th December 2020
This week, the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, announced a £600 million fund to upgrade and refurbish NHS hospitals. I was delighted to see that the Hospital Trusts within and around the North East Somerset constituency have received a...
THE FOREIGN AID BUDGET
The Somerset Guardian, 9th December 2020
This week, the Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, wrote to me outlining the United Kingdom’s (UK) new foreign aid spending plans. The recent Spending Review confirmed the sobering reality that the pandemic has taken its toll on the public...
TIER TWO RESTRICTIONS
The Somerset Guardian, 2nd December 2020
This week, the four-week national lockdown in England finishes and the tier system, that previously had been implemented to control the spread of Coronavirus, will take its place subject to periodic review. With the exception of the Isle of...