Andrea Jenkyns MP: ‘Voices of business community must be heard’

In Westminster, I see how hard the government is working to tackle this virus. The restrictions on our freedoms are something I could never normally accept, but we must do anything we can to save lives.

I accept that in times of emergency, the government needs to be pragmatic and prioritise saving lives, sometimes going against our Conservative instinct of small government and total freedom for our businesses. We strive to leave companies, shops and bars free to create their own success based on competition and we suffer when having to restrict freedom, in any form.

I was encouraged by the prime minister’s speech to the virtual Conservative Party Conference that outlined he shared this goal, to return to these freedoms as soon as possible. I was also excited by the other priorities that this government, pandemic or not, will continue to throw themselves at in order to ensure that Britain builds back better.

This Conservative government is committed to levelling up our NHS across the UK, with 48 new hospitals and a higher capacity for patients. Eight are already underway and 40 more, including one in Leeds, will be built between now and 2030. The push to recruit 50,000 more nurses has begun with 14,000 more than last year already working in our NHS to keep us safe.

To tackle crime, almost 5,000 of the new 20,000 police officers have been recruited, and the laws of our land are being strengthened to ensure criminals convinced of serious crimes serve their sentence in the proper fashion.

In the vital educational arena, which unlocks the talents of children across our country, this government is investing massively in our schools, and will deliver on the promise to raise per pupil funding and increase the starting wage for teachers- something I know parents who found themselves home schooling will appreciate!

On the environment, I am pleased that the UK will be creating hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of jobs in new green technology, powering our post-Covid economic recovery and our homes with green energy, at the forefront of the world’s effort to have cleaner air.

On housing, the government believes its plans to help young people become ‘generation buy’ could create two million more owner occupiers, the biggest expansion since the 1980s. This will give more people a stake in our society, and the life-affirming power of home ownership.

Last week I held a Morley and Outwood Business Association Event via Zoom, where local businesses from a range of sectors had the opportunity to speak with business minister, Nadhim Zahawi, about the post-Covid recovery.

I want to ensure the challenges and voices of our local business community are heard, and I’m pleased people found this productive.

With the help of business, our country will bounce back stronger than ever. This government is committed to levelling up, to pushing ahead with the priorities of the British people. ‘Build Back Better’ is not just a slogan, it’s a national mission, and one I, the British people, and this government is wholly committed to.