Andrew Jones Archives - Page 20 of 21

Allow care home visits, says Andrew Jones MP

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has told Parliament visits to care homes should be allowed.

Speaking in a Covid debate yesterday, Mr Jones said several constituents “desperate to see their loved ones” had raised concerns about current restrictions with him.

The Stray Ferret reported yesterday that Harrogate woman Judy Bass had joined a group called Rights for Residents that campaigns against restrictions.

Mr Jones said Ms Bass, along with Dr Joanne Ridpath, Helen Owens, Anna McIntee and others had raised the matter.

Mr Jones said:

“These families are just desperate to see their loved ones and have truly heartbreaking stories.

“Balancing wellbeing and isolation is very difficult but the emotional consequences of no visits are absolutely profound.”

North Yorkshire County Council this week advised care homes in the county to end routine visits in October. Thousands more care homes nationally are also forbidding visits.

The Conservative MP suggested visits could be allowed through glass or windows.

“While this is impersonal, it is clearly better for people to see their loved ones than not.

“Perhaps designated very close family members in limited numbers could be given staff status, which would allow them access to testing and could then allow a degree of home access.

“Nobody is suggesting an open-door policy, but right now, the restrictions are profound.

“The capacity for residents to understand what is going on and why they cannot see their loved ones is almost inevitably limited, yet the need to see their loved ones is so important.’

Mr Jones also said told the debate that civil liberties were being compromised during Covid and decisions needed parliamentary scrutiny. Some backbench Tory MPs have expressed similar concerns. He said:

“A transparent approach to the science and decision making is necessary to ensure that we take people with us. If we do, and if they understand why a decision has been taken, I think we will see greater compliance, allowing people to resume their lives safely.”

Job support scheme ‘too little too late’, say Harrogate Lib Dems

Local Liberal Democrats said the Chancellor’s job support scheme comes “too little too late” for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Rishi Sunak announced further support for part time workers yesterday ahead of the furlough scheme finishing in October.

As part of the billion pounds worth of measures, the government will top up wages for workers covering up to two-thirds of their hours for the next six months.

But local Lib Dems said the scheme did not go far enough to protect events, tourism and hospitality businesses.

Judith Rogerson, local Lib Dem parliamentary spokesperson, said the party had been campaigning on the issue for months and criticised local MP, Andrew Jones, for “showing a lack of leadership”.

She said:

“Harrogate & Knaresborough’s MP should be standing up for his constituents and taking stance on important issues. Instead, he has once again demonstrated a total lack of local leadership.

“Local businesses that cannot afford to pay a third of wages to their staff will inevitably be forced to make significant numbers redundant. I am thinking in particular about the events industry where it is at present almost impossible to earn any income. We know how crucial this sector is to our local economy here in Harrogate.

“What’s more, the announcement said nothing about the millions of people who have been excluded from Government support throughout the Covid pandemic. The Chancellor’s announcement is welcome but it doesn’t go far enough to protect jobs and incomes.”

In response to the Chancellor, Mr Jones said he welcomed the scheme to support workers.

He said:

“Our country is not facing the economy of March, when we were at the height of the strict lockdown. So as the economic situation changes and the need changes, the support package evolves. I welcome the package, and said so in the House. Business groups have welcomed it too.

“I am particularly pleased that the Chancellor has sought to protect jobs in the tourism and hospitality sectors further by retaining the lower 5% VAT rate until the end of March. These sectors are important to Harrogate & Knaresborough, and we need them to be strong in the coming months as that helps our whole area.”

How Harrogate district MPs voted on post-Brexit bill

Two of the MPs who cover the Harrogate District voted for the government’s Internal Market Bill last night, which will attempt to override the post-Brexit withdrawal agreement.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP, and Nigel Adams, Selby and Ainsty MP, voted in line with the government despite concerned letters from their constituents this past week.

However, Julian Smith, Skipton and Ripon MP, was among the MPs, including Theresa May and Sir Keir Starmer, who either abstained or did not vote.

The legislation sparked controversy after Northern Ireland secretary, Brandon Lewis, said it would break international law in a “specific and limited way”. Mr Smith is the former Northern Ireland secretary, in office from July 2019 to February this year.

The bill passed the House of Commons on its first hurdle last night by 77 votes, 340 MPs voted for the legislation while 263 voted against.

It will now go to committee stage and face further votes in the Commons before it goes to the House of Lords.

The Stray Ferret had previously contacted all three MPs for their views on the matter, but received no response.

Five former Prime Ministers have spoken out against the plan, including David Cameron, Theresa May and Gordon Brown.

What is the Internal Market Bill?

After the UK left the EU on January 31 it signed a withdrawal agreement.

The agreement included a Northern Ireland Protocol, which was designed to prevent a hard border returning to the island of Ireland.

The Internal Market Bill attempts to override parts of the agreement and would allow the UK to modify or reinterpret state aid rules if the two sides do not strike a future trade deal.

Harrogate district MPs silent over post-Brexit bill

All three of the MPs covering the Harrogate district have remained silent about tonight’s vote on the government’s Internal Market Bill.

The Stray Ferret contacted Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones, Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith and Selby and Ainsty MP Nigel Adams for their views on the bill, but has yet to receive a response.

MPs are set to vote on the legislation at its second reading tonight.

The bill seeks to override some aspects of the UK’s withdrawal agreement with the European Union.

Northern Ireland secretary, Brandon Lewis, has said it would break international law in a “specific and limited way”.

Some Conservative MPs are expected to vote against the bill or abstain.

Patrick Milne, who lives in Harrogate, has sent the Stray Ferret a copy of an email he has written to Mr Jones asking him to confirm that he would uphold the rule of law.

The email says:

“Could you please confirm that as lawfully elected Parliamentary representative for Harrogate and Knaresborough, you will at all times support and defend the rule of law, domestic and international?

“Could you also please confirm that you will never, under any circumstances, support or vote in favour of any action which breaks, or proposes to break the law, even in a ‘very specific and limited way’?”

Five former Prime Ministers have spoken out against the government’s plan. David Cameron said today that breaking an international treaty should be a “final resort”.

Sir John Major, Theresa May, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have also criticised the government.

What is the Internal Market Bill?

After the UK left the EU on January 31 it signed a withdrawal agreement.

The agreement included a Northern Ireland Protocol, which was designed to prevent a hard border returning to the island of Ireland.

The Internal Market Bill attempts to override parts of the agreement and would allow the UK to modify or reinterpret state aid rules if the two sides do not strike a future trade deal.

Andrew Jones MP enters devolution debate

Local government minister Simon Clarke has sidestepped a request by Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones to state the minimum population size for a new unitary authority.

Mr Jones submitted a written question asking what the minimum size should be to achieve value for money and quality service delivery.

But Mr Clarke’s response did not give a figure. He said:

“Whilst traditionally various population ranges for unitary councils have been referred to, where a unitary council is proposed its particular circumstances need to be considered when assessing whether its population would be appropriate.”

Mr Clarke added the government’s devolution and local recovery white paper, due to be published this autumn, would provide more details.

‘Too big and remote’

Population size is a critical issue in the ongoing devolution debate in North Yorkshire.

North Yorkshire County Council has proposed creating one large authority that would serve all 610,000 people in the county besides York, which would remain a separate unitary authority.

The seven district councils, including Harrogate Borough Council, have put forward an alternative east / west model that would result in two smaller authorities.

The district councils claim the county council’s model is too big and remote and their alternative suggestion would lead to more responsive local government.

In June, Mr Clarke said the size of unitary authorities “depended on local circumstances but as a rule of thumb are expected to be substantially in excess of 300,000 to 400,000”.

The Stray Ferret asked Mr Jones if he was satisfied with Mr Clarke’s response and his view on the best devolution model for North Yorkshire but he had not replied by the time of publication.

What’s on the agenda for our MPs in Parliament?

Harrogate district Conservative MPs, Andrew Jones, Julian Smith and Nigel Adams, return to the House of Commons this week after a six-week summer recess.

It is likely to be a busy autumn with key decisions looming on coronavirus, finance and the environment.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak face pressure from backbench Tory MPs over proposed tax rises to cover the mounting coronavirus bill for initiatives such as furlough payments and Eat Out to Help Out.

Former Brexit secretary David Davis told The Times it would be “very unwise” to increase taxes because of the “fragile” state of the economy. But Sunak is said to be considering raising corporation tax, reforming pension tax relief and making more people pay capital gains tax.

The Stray Ferret asked our three MPs if they backed tax increases but none had responded by the time of publication.

Skipton & Ripon MP Julian Smith, Harrogate & Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones and Selby & Ainsty MP Nigel Adams.

Votes on legislation are usually announced with just a few days notice, and there are important bills that our MPs could vote on before Christmas.

Mr Smith, Mr Jones and Adams could be asked to vote on the government’s flagship Environment Bill, which would introduce legally binding targets for water, waste and air quality.

The House of Commons will break for the party conference season in September and October — but the pandemic means it will look very different. Our MPs would have headed to the Conservative conference in Birmingham but it has now been cancelled and the event will take place online instead.

A deadline of December 31 for a Brexit trade deal with the European Union is also looming. However, if a deal is agreed MPs won’t have a say on it.

MPs watch – Porsches, refugees and £3,000 an hour jobs

Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

MPs were not in Parliament in August due to the summer recess. They return on September 2.

We asked Harrogate & Knaresborough MP, Andrew Jones, Ripon MP Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty MP Nigel Adams if they would like to highlight anything in particular, but we did not receive a response from any of them at the time of publication.

So here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough here is what we found on Mr Jones:

On August 2, Mr Jones hailed Harrogate Town’s win at Wembley as “the best news in ages”. He also tweeted about Notts County’s non-existent equaliser, which was quickly deleted. This led to the Stray Ferret’s Paul Baverstock suggesting that Mr Jones might not have been actually watching the game.
According to a tweet from a constituent, Mr Jones wrote a letter about refugees crossing the channel on boats from France. In the letter, Mr Jones said the refugees “shouldn’t be crossing several safe countries” to get to the UK and he’s “working hard to find a solution to stop them”. However, the United Nations says refugees can legitimately make a claim for asylum in the UK after passing through other “safe” countries.
On August 10, Mr Jones published figures on his website that revealed more than 15,000 people in his constituency have been furloughed from their jobs since March.
He also welcomed news that Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust is set to receive an additional £527,000 to support Accident & Emergency (A&E) capacity ahead of the winter months.
Mr Jones tweeted three times in August.
On August 4, the MP welcomed £1.5m of government funding for a business park in Harrogate.
Mr Jones released a statement welcoming the government’s u-turn over A-Level results. He said: “I am sorry for the distress and uncertainty this has caused pupils. In all about 20 students contacted me personally and I am writing to each of them”.
Mr Jones refused to comment on a Stray Ferret story involving missing Porsche sports cars and Cllr Samantha Mearns, who works as a caseworker in his office.

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

In Ripon here is what we found on Mr Smith:

The Stray Ferret revealed that Mr Smith has been appointed as an external advisor to a hydrogen company at a rate of £3,000 per hour.
On Twitter, the MP for Ripon paid tribute to veteran Northern Irish politician John Hume who died on August 3.
Fourteen of Mr Smith’s 19 tweets this month were related to Northern Ireland. He tweeted once about Ripon.
Mr Smith praised Netflix drama The Fall which he said he was “totally glued to” during lockdown.
On Facebook, Mr Smith complimented Ripon Catherdral’s 11,000 origami angels, which is a project organised by churchgoers to send messages to family members and key workers.
Mr Smith advertised for a new parliamentary assistant to respond to constituency enquiries, help run his social media accounts and assist with casework. The salary has not been disclosed publicly.

Nigel Adams, MP For Selby and Ainsty

In rural south Harrogate here is what we found on Mr Adams.

Mr Adams spoke out on Twitter on a range of subjects including Jeremy Corbyn, the debate over singing Rule Brittania at the Proms, and the sentencing of the Manchester bomber.
Mr Adams is the minister for Asia and earlier in the month welcomed ambassadors from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries for ASEAN day. He said UK-ASEAN trade reached a 10-year high of £41.9bn in January.
He tweeted 14 times in August including several times about Drax Power Station in Selby, which is part of his constituency.
He visited several restaurants in his constituency that are participating in the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme.

Harrogate district MPs silent on government planning reforms

Harrogate District MPs are remaining tight-lipped about the government’s planning proposals as a storm brews within the Conservative party over the reforms.

If passed, the proposals would have a big impact locally and could see Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan redrawn so land would fall into one of three categories: growth, renewal or protected.

The government could also set a fresh housing needs requirement for Harrogate if they think more homes should be built on brownfield sites within the district.

The Stray Ferret asked Conservative MPs Andrew Jones, Julian Smith and Nigel Adams whether they backed the proposals but none responded at the time of publication.

The BBC reported last week that one Tory MP is predicting “quite a battle” in the Conservative party over the issue.

Conservative MP for the Cotswolds Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said he is worried the reforms will lead to “the slums of tomorrow” due to lower quality housing being built in affluent areas.

On the Today Programme this morning, Conservative MP for the Isle of Wight Bob Seely even suggested that a large amount of new homes being built on the island could affect his majority at the next General Election.

James Jamieson, the Local Government Association’s chairman and a Conservative councillor also said a loss of local control over developments “would be a concern.”

The government wants to see 300,000 homes built a year in the UK and housing minister Robert Jenrick said the proposals will “cut red tape” to deliver housebuilding on a faster scale.

But it’s been criticised by Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) who called the proposals “disgrace” and the Labour Party who called it a “developers’ charter”.

Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Harrogate Borough Council, said the government’s planning reforms won’t do enough for affordable or social housing in the district.

She said:

“Yet again, we are witnessing a Conservative-run government who are completely unwilling to understand what people need. Reforming planning laws will not aid those who are either stuck on waiting lists or struggling to get the funds together to buy their own home.”

MPs watch: NHS ‘on the table’ in US trade talks?

Every month the Stray Ferret has been trying to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

In July, lockdown restrictions were eased which saw a raft of businesses reopen in the district, including pubs, restaurants and hairdressers. It was also the last month in Parliament before the summer recess and several crucial votes were cast.

This month, we have included Conservative MP Nigel Adams as several villages in his Selby and Ainsty constituency fall within the Harrogate district — including Huby, Spofforth, Kirby Overblow and Sicklinghall.

We asked Mr Adams as well as Harrogate & Knaresborough MP, Andrew Jones and Ripon MP Julian Smith, if they would like to highlight anything in particular, but we did not receive a response from any of them at the time of publication.

So here is what we know after analysing their online presence and activity in Parliament.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough here is what we found on Mr Jones:

On July 7, Mr Jones voted against offering financial support for migrant victims of domestic abuse.
On July 20, he voted against protecting NHS in a post-Brexit trade deal with the United States.
Earlier in the month, Mr Jones praised a rainbow tribute to NHS and key workers on the Stray. He said: “Our key workers have kept the nation going throughout lockdown and I want to see local and national celebration of that.”
Mr Jones tweeted just five times during July, down from nine tweets in June. He does not have a Facebook page.
He posted on his website a message of good luck to Harrogate Town ahead of their play off final this Sunday.
In a Commons debate about the future of the Palace of Westminster, Mr Jones called on lawmakers to invest in improvements. He said: “We need to save it for future generations as our national Parliament, making sure not only that it is modernised, but that it is fit for service for centuries ahead.”
On July 8 he gave a “cautious welcome” to pledges made by Bauer Media about the future of Stray FM. The company told Mr Jones that no jobs would be lost as the station transitions to Greatest Hits Radio.

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

In Ripon here is what we found on Mr Smith:

Mr Smith also voted against protecting the NHS in a future trade deal with the US. Unlike Mr Jones, he wrote to the Stray Ferret to explain why he voted this way. He said: “No future trade agreement will be allowed to undermine the guiding principle of the NHS.”
On July 23 Mr Smith went on a tour of Spirit of Masham, a gin distillery that has been producing hand sanitizer during the pandemic.
On July 16, Mr Smith published on his website letters he received from HBC’s Wallace Sampson and NYCC’s Richard Flinton regarding infrastructure improvements to the proposed Ripon Barracks housing development.
As businesses reopened in Ripon in early July, Mr Smith visited Little Ripon Bookshop where he was “heartened” by the hard work of staff to make the shop Covid secure.
On July 2, he attended a virtual environmental lobby organised by green group The Climate Coalition that discussed how to encourage a healthy and green recovery from coronavirus.
11 of Mr Smith’s 23 tweets were about Irish politics. He was sacked as Northern Ireland secretary in February.

Nigel Adams, MP For Selby and Ainsty

In rural south Harrogate here is what we found on Mr Adams.

Mr Adams is the minister for Asia in the Foreign Office and he answered several questions in Parliament about China. Regarding the detention of human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng, he said: “We remain concerned by restrictions on freedom of expression in China, and urge the authorities to immediately release human rights lawyers detained for the peaceful and constitutionally protected expression of their views.”
He also said he was “seriously concerned” about the situation involving Uighur Muslims.
The majority of his 25 tweets concerned foreign affairs in countries including Vietnam, Nepal and Myanmar. None related to his constituency
Mr Adams voted in line with the government on the Trade Bill and the Domestic Abuse Bill.
He hit out at Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer saying he had an “obsession” with undermining the Brexit vote.
A Liverpool fan, he tweeted “rejoice” at his club winning the Premier League title.
The news section of his website has not been updated since April.

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District’s MPs vote against protecting NHS in trade deal

Andrew Jones and Julian Smith both voted against protecting the NHS from any future trade deal with the United States or other country.

Last night’s amendment to the Trade Bill, which failed by 251 votes to 340, also included a provision to ensure the NHS principle of being “free at the point of delivery” was not compromised by any future trade deal.

The Trade Bill lays out what trading relationship UK will have with other countries post-Brexit. The amendment was submitted by Green MP Caroline Lucas and was backed by Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer.

Included in the failed amendment were attempts to protect NHS staff from having their wages or rights cut as the result of a trade deal, protections around the pricing of medicines, and stopping confidential patient data being sold off to private companies.

Trade minister Greg Hands told the Commons that the NHS “remains protected and will never be on the table at any trade deal”.

The campaign group We Own It said the MPs who voted against the amendment have “handed the NHS to Donald Trump on a silver platter”.

During the 2019 General Election, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn produced a leaked document which claimed that the NHS was ‘on the table’ in future trade talks with the United States. This was denied by prime minister Boris Johnson.

When he visited the UK in June 2019, President Trump said that the NHS could form part of trade negotiations between the two countries.

Earlier this week, Andrew Jones, the Harrogate & Knaresborough MP, praised the new rainbow tribute in Harrogate to key workers.

The Stray Ferret contacted both Andrew Jones and Julian Smith to ask why they voted against the amendment last night but neither had responded at the time of publication.

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What is the Internal Market Bill?

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What is the Internal Market Bill?

‘Too big and remote’

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