Covid-19 Update and Hospitality Curfew

Chi Onwurah Excerpts

Thursday 1st October 2020 Commons Chamber

[Matt Hancock]

I would be happy to talk to my hon. Friend about that.

[Chi Onwurah (Newcastle upon Tyne Central) (Lab)]

Newcastle’s night-time economy is globally renowned but, yesterday, in a typically cowardly attack, the Prime Minister basically said that we should not complain about the impact of these measures on that sector because local leaders had asked for them. Will the Secretary of State confirm that in their letter of 29 September local leaders specifically said that the measures must be accompanied by targeted support, and will he say what targeted support pubs and restaurants, and the 10,000 jobs in my constituency that depend on them, can expect?

[Matt Hancock]

Yes, the leaders of the seven Newcastle councils—Newcastle, Gateshead and the wider north-east councils—did ask for the measures that were put in place. We put in £10 million of funding. The most important message that we can get across to people across the north-east, where the case rate continues to rise, is that the more people follow the restrictions, the quicker we can ease them.