Covid-19 Update Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Covid-19 Update

James Sunderland Excerpts
Monday 12th October 2020

(3 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Boris Johnson Portrait The Prime Minister
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The hon. Gentleman is right to raise that issue, and that is why we put £1.57 billion into supporting the arts. That funding also covers freelancers and people who are involved in the live music industry, but the best thing for them is to get those types of events back up and running as fast as possible.

James Sunderland Portrait James Sunderland (Bracknell) (Con)
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I would like to tackle a misnomer, if I may. Is it not because this Conservative Government respect personal freedoms that these difficult but pragmatic measures are necessary in the short term to keep people safe?

Boris Johnson Portrait The Prime Minister
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It is indeed, because people should have the freedom from fear, the freedom from seeing their jobs destroyed in the long term and the freedom to go about their lives in the normal way. The only way to restore those freedoms to this country is for us all to follow the guidance, get through this thing in the way that we are doing and get back to normal as fast as possible.