Covid-19 Inquiry

Bambos Charalambous Excerpts

Friday 19th July 2024 Commons Chamber

[Pat McFadden]

The hon. Member is right to praise the role of local government. My experience in Wolverhampton was that the council stepped up and did a fantastic job for local citizens during the pandemic. The financial position of local government is difficult; the financial position on a number of things is difficult. I am afraid the truth is that I cannot stand here and promise to write big cheques for everything. We did not say that we would do that during the election, and we will have to operate with a difficult—very difficult—economic inheritance. Everything that we do has to be underpinned by economic stability and financial responsibility. Tough as that is, I am afraid that we have seen the consequences of doing otherwise all too clearly in recent years.

[Bambos Charalambous (Southgate and Wood Green) (Lab)]

In her report, Baroness Hallett said:

“The UK government’s…pandemic strategy, from 2011, was outdated and lacked adaptability. It was virtually abandoned on its first encounter with the pandemic.”

Can my right hon. Friend give me an assurance that any future strategy will be robust and will be updated regularly?

[Pat McFadden]

One of the things that Baroness Hallett advises in her report is that every three years there is a proper exercise to test any plan and see whether it is fit for purpose. That is an important recommendation to take away and consider. It is difficult to plan for every possible risk. This is not an easy thing to do, but it is really important to try to have the best possible systems in place between the centre of Government, between the Departments and, as we have said, between local authorities and the devolved Administrations too.

Oral Answers to Questions

Bambos Charalambous Excerpts

Wednesday 16th November 2022 Commons Chamber

[The Deputy Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend for being a doughty champion and highlighting Mikey’s campaign. All children and young people should receive the support they need to make the very best of all their talents and potential. He will know that in March we published a Green Paper covering a range of these issues, and I will certainly make sure that he gets a meeting with the relevant Minister.

[Bambos Charalambous (Enfield, Southgate) (Lab)]

Q7. Can the Deputy Prime Minister tell the House if he has ever entered into a non-disclosure agreement connected to a complaint against him?

[The Deputy Prime Minister]

The hon. Gentleman is referring to an employment dispute that was settled before I entered the House. It was not an NDA but it did involve a confidentiality clause, which was standard at the time.

Tributes to Her Late Majesty The Queen

Bambos Charalambous Excerpts

Friday 9th September 2022 Commons Chamber

[Bambos Charalambous (Enfield, Southgate) (Lab)]

I pay tribute to Her late Majesty the Queen on behalf of myself and my constituents in Enfield, Southgate. In our grief, we remember a lifetime dedicated to extraordinary public service. Her steadfast commitment to the values of duty, public service and family provided comfort to so many here and around the world. My thoughts and condolences, and those of my constituents, are with the King and the royal family at this most difficult time.

As we all know, the Queen was the one constant in our lives. At times of incredible change, at times of crises and in good times too, she was Britain’s reassuring and constant presence. In 1953, the whole country joined in celebration to mark the Queen’s coronation. I am reliably informed that in Enfield, Southgate there were many local events to mark the occasion, including a parade and procession and athletics games in Broomfield Park. Footage from the time is incredibly poignant after Thursday’s news, but also after this summer’s platinum jubilee, where communities were once again able to come together to celebrate the Queen.

In 1953, the Queen’s coronation speech was broadcast over loudspeakers in Broomfield Park, but because of the rain many listened at home on the radio. This summer we had no such problems. We had street parties across the borough, with bake-offs and crown competitions, and it was wonderful to bring the community together in that way 70 years later. Today, those events are all the more moving as we pay tribute to the Queen’s life and her service to our country. I am sure we will see the same sense of togetherness again as the nation mourns over the coming days.

She was our longest-ever serving monarch; like most of us I do not remember a time before Queen Elizabeth II. In that time, she saw 15 Prime Ministers, but somehow managed to stay above party politics. As we know in this House, that is no mean feat. For 70 years, she embodied and represented the nation with unwavering duty on the international stage, a symbol of stability when things were changing.

The outpouring of emotion internationally that we have seen since the news is testament to Her late Majesty’s success in achieving that. She was not only well regarded, but loved around the world, something I witnessed again and again when meeting foreign representatives from other nations, who without fail would always pay tribute to the Queen. Those who had had the pleasure of meeting her would always share stories of her kindness, her warmth and her sense of humour.

As we remember Her late Majesty, I personally will remember how she continued to serve the country with duty and kindness until the very end. The Queen was an example for us all. May she rest in peace. God save the King.

Oral Answers to Questions

Bambos Charalambous Excerpts

Wednesday 19th January 2022 Commons Chamber

[Alok Sharma]

My right hon. Friend raises a really important point, and of course I will continue to work very closely with Brazil on the commitments that have been made to make sure they are implemented. I will be speaking to Minister Leite, the Environment Minister, in the coming weeks to reaffirm those commitments and our view that they should be followed through.

[Bambos Charalambous (Enfield, Southgate) (Lab)]

T5. With millions of species at risk of extinction and deforestation accelerating across the globe, it is imperative that we limit global warming to 1.5 degrees to halt this catastrophic decline, so will the Minister now accept Labour’s call for a net zero and nature test to align public spending and infrastructure decisions with our climate and nature commitments?

[Alok Sharma]

If the hon. Member was at COP 26 or was following what was going on, he will have seen the huge commitment to protecting nature. Of course, we also want to ensure that CBD15 is a success.

Elections Bill

Bambos Charalambous Excerpts

2nd reading
Tuesday 7th September 2021 Commons Chamber

[Chloe Smith]

Does the hon. Gentleman, as an experienced Member of this House, think he should be promulgating such nonsense? I do not think so.

One of the truest pillars of our democracy is the trust that we place in our citizens’ choices and the respect we give their decision. While we make voting in elections more secure, we also want to ensure that voters who may still require additional support to navigate that system, such as those with disabilities, have that support. This is why we are introducing key changes from our call for evidence on access to elections, extending the requirements on returning officers to support a wider range of voters with disabilities and extending the definition of who can act as a “companion” to anyone aged 18 or over.

In the same spirit, looking a little further afield, part 2 of the Bill will ensure that the voices of British citizens across the world can be heard, and their vote taken into account on matters that do affect them, by removing the 15-year limit on voting rights of British citizens living abroad.

[Bambos Charalambous (Enfield, Southgate) (Lab)]

On people with disabilities, clause 8 talks about people who are blind and about

“such equipment as it is reasonable to provide for the purposes of enabling, or making it easier for, relevant persons to vote”.

Blind people still find it difficult to have this access through existing legislation. Does the Minister not consider that that measure actually weakens the provision that blind people have? Will she meet the Royal National Institute of Blind People and listen to its views, because it has serious concerns about the clause?

[Chloe Smith]

I am pleased that the hon. Gentleman makes that point, because I know a number of hon. Members care about it, and rightly so. I can reassure him and everybody here today that I have been working with the RNIB for months and indeed years to make the improvements we need to the system for allowing blind and partially sighted voters to cast their vote. In answer to his specific question, I do not think that the measures in this Bill weaken that support; I think they strengthen it, by ensuring that a wider range of voters with disabilities—or, should I say, a wider range of disabilities—may be properly supported at the polling station. That is important, as we would not wish some to be unsupported by a phrasing in legislation that is now outdated and overly narrow—that is what our reform seeks to tackle.

Covid-19: Road Map

Bambos Charalambous Excerpts

Monday 22nd February 2021 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

Yes, indeed. We will ensure that we support businesses throughout the pandemic. I am absolutely certain that the hospitality industry in Cleethorpes and the surrounding area will bounce back very strongly indeed.

[Bambos Charalambous (Enfield, Southgate) (Lab)]

The Prime Minister indicated in his statement that wearing face masks will still be a factor in the fight against covid over the months ahead. Many people with hidden disabilities are unable to wear face masks, yet many of them face abuse when they go out in public and people do not realise that they are exempt from wearing face coverings. Will the Prime Minister commit to a public awareness campaign for people with hidden disabilities so that they do not face abuse in public?

[The Prime Minister]

The hon. Gentleman raises a very important point. I will make sure that we do even more to get that point over to people, so that people who cannot wear face masks because of their disabilities do not face that kind of abuse.

Covid-19

Bambos Charalambous Excerpts

Wednesday 6th January 2021 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend for her campaigning for education in Bishop Auckland, and I repeat what I have already said today about everything that we are doing to roll out support to help remote learning of all kinds. It is a tough time for children, teachers and parents, but a huge amount is being done to supply remote devices and encourage remote learning of all kinds.

[Bambos Charalambous (Enfield, Southgate) (Lab)]

Given the examples of elections being held in other countries, including the elections held overnight in Georgia, can the Prime Minister confirm that it is his intention that the local elections in 2021 will go ahead as scheduled on 6 May, and will not be delayed any further?

[The Prime Minister]

Of course; that is what the law provides for, although we will obviously have to keep it under review.

Oral Answers to Questions

Bambos Charalambous Excerpts

Wednesday 18th November 2020 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend is entirely right to raise that issue. It continues to be a cause of grave concern, and I raise it repeatedly with our American friends. I am working with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade to reach a negotiated solution as fast as we possibly can.

[Bambos Charalambous (Enfield, Southgate) (Lab)]

  A recent study of 18 million people in The Lancet shows that black, Asian and minority ethnic people are twice as likely as white people to catch coronavirus and more likely to go into intensive care. Lead researchers have suggested that structural inequalities, not genetics, are the key differential, so how will the Prime Minister redress structural inequalities as the vaccine is rolled out?

[The Prime Minister]

The hon. Gentleman raises a very important point, and we are thinking about this issue in government right now. As he knows, in response to the early data that we saw about the impact on black and minority ethnic groups, we brought forward enhanced testing procedures for particularly vulnerable groups—those who are exposed to a heavy viral load, perhaps in the course of their work. There are other factors at play in the prevalence of the disease among black and minority ethnic groups. I am sure that the point he makes will be among the considerations that the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation takes into account in the course of deciding how to roll out the vaccine and where it should go first. He makes an important point.

Covid-19 Update

Bambos Charalambous Excerpts

Monday 2nd November 2020 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend is entirely right to want to look at all the data and all the projections, and I am very happy that we have shared everything; everything that I have seen is available to him as well.

[Bambos Charalambous (Enfield, Southgate) (Lab)]

There are 79 care homes in Enfield looking after sick and vulnerable residents who are at a greatly increased risk of death if they catch coronavirus, so can the Prime Minister give me his assurance that Enfield Council and Enfield’s care homes will not be put under pressure to take covid-positive patients upon their discharge from hospital?

Oral Answers to Questions

Bambos Charalambous Excerpts

Thursday 16th July 2020 Commons Chamber

[The Paymaster General (Penny Mordaunt)]

Authorities are allowed to procure goods and services in extreme emergency situations, but that does not mean that scrutiny or value-for-money principles go out the window, and the hon. Lady will understand that. I am shocked to hear that the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster may know people in Public First; I wish further offences to be taken into account and confess that I, too, know people who work for Public First—as does every Member on the Front Bench and every Member on the Back Bench on both sides of the House, because one of Public First’s associates is a much-loved former Deputy Speaker of this House. If the hon. Lady has serious concerns—other than insinuation—about any contracts, there are clear processes to go through, and I urge her to do so.

[Bambos Charalambous (Enfield, Southgate) (Lab)]

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Government’s preparations for the end of the transition period.

[Felicity Buchan (Kensington) (Con)]

What steps the Government are taking to ensure business readiness for the end of the transition period.

--- Later in debate ---

[Bambos Charalambous]

The leaked letter from the Secretary of State for International Trade demonstrates the alarm and confusion at the top of the Government. Despite Monday’s announcement, the Minister cannot convince his own Cabinet that the border will be ready by 1 January. Does he recognise the concerns expressed by the Institute of Directors, which found that only one in four businesses are ready for the end of transition because

“preparing for Brexit proper is like trying to hit a moving target”?

[Michael Gove]

I understand the frustration that many businesses will have felt as deadlines that were set during the previous Parliament shifted as a result of votes in Parliament, but we now know that, as a result of the general election, the transition period will end on 31 December. There are many “no regrets” actions that businesses should undertake, and I had the opportunity to talk to the chief executives of a number of leading businesses yesterday to make sure that that message was put across in a collaborative way.