MIKE HILL: Our country deserves better than Government blame game

As of today the people of Hartlepool alongside the rest of the country will be subject to a six month COVID 19 clampdown; a move which has already caused anguish within the business community, especially the hospitality industry, and led to the twitterings in his own ranks that Johnson has cancelled Christmas.

Of course no government could ever do that but, as the Prime Minister himself admitted at the dispatch box, a traditional Christmas Day dinner would be ‘very difficult’ for many families due to the strict rule of six on gatherings. For those who who cannot access their loved ones in care homes, hospitals, sheltered accommodation and in supported living environments that special day will be all the more difficult, which is why I specifically raised their plight in the House of Commons on Monday.

The people of this country have worked hard to keep their communities safe. People in Hartlepool have gone above and beyond to help their neighbours and their families make sense of this brave, new world.

What they deserve from their Government is clarity and support but since March we’ve had nothing but mixed messages, vague statements and rule changes. The only constant has been the search for someone for the Government to blame. Our country deserves better.

I have never wavered in my faith in the people of Hartlepool to beat this dreadful virus and I pay tribute to the cross-party efforts put in by the Council to support residents through the crisis, but all efforts will be in vain if the Government doesn’t get a grip. U-turns on home working and closing pubs ‪at 10pm are causing confusion while testing and tracing remains a challenge.

With COVID cases doubling every seven days and hospital admissions increasing, we have to stick to the rules. Yesterday marked six months since the first lockdown; we need to avoid another one.