Oral Answers to Questions

Alberto Costa Excerpts

Wednesday 21st July 2021 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

What we want to do is level up across the whole of the UK by increasing access to high-wage, high-skilled jobs and by getting people off benefits and into work. That really is the big difference between the right hon. Member’s party and the party that I lead. We want to help people into work, but I am afraid that, as so often, Labour wants to keep them on welfare. I do not think that is the right way forward. We want to see higher wages, which is why we have increased the living wage by record amounts, and we are working to ensure that this is a jobs-led recovery. All the signs at the moment are that that is succeeding, but of course it depends on people getting those jabs when they are asked to.

[Alberto Costa (South Leicestershire) (Con) [V]]

I welcome the cautious move to step 4 this week, which was made possible only due to the fantastic vaccine roll-out in South Leicestershire and across our country and the fact that every adult has now been offered the vaccine. Does my right hon. Friend agree that if we do not move forward now, we risk opening up later in the autumn or winter, when the NHS is under more pressure and children have returned to school? That seems to be Labour’s reckless approach.

[The Prime Minister]

That is spot on—my hon. Friend is completely right. The question for those who attack the current policy is: if not now, when? We looked at the data this morning with the chief medical officer, and he pointed out the extraordinary difference between the number of people in the older generations being hospitalised now and in previous waves. Thanks to the vaccine roll-out, we have radically changed the way the disease affects our society. It is that change that is enabling us to make the progress that we are. As he says, if not now, when?