It is vital that backbenchers get a chance to hold all legislation up to proper scrutiny. That means Parliament has to modernise very rapidly by allowing MPs and peers to vote, debate and contribute to the democratic process remotely.
We must find ways for MPs to debate this legislation remotely, or the numbers shining a light on sweeping emergency powers will collapse, handing the executive unprecedented power.
The delay to the local elections means there’s a 17-month gap between December’s election and a proper test of the Government’s mandate. That means proper checks and balances should be bolstered, not torn down.
The Parliamentary authorities must act with speed. Westminster’s set-up is already one of the most centralised, undemocratic systems among advanced democracies. This crisis must not further entrench that.
Josiah Mortimer, Electoral Reform Society
Editor's reply
Dear Josiah
You are right: we need to use this grim crisis to make our democracy stronger, not blast away its foundations. It’s true that powers passed in an emergency tend to stick, even if governments promise they won’t.
So MPs should be allowed to debate and work remotely. After all, lots of people are already working from home. So should the courts, which need to keep doing their job without everyone crowding into a single room. There’s no reason why the Commons and the Lords couldn’t form a joint committee to work online and watch over the way powers in the Coronavirus Bill are used and change them if needed.
But none of this takes away from the most important point: this is an emergency. The Government does need new powers, and it needs them fast. Delaying things by even two weeks to allow MPs to debate would cause a lot more harm than good.
As for elections, this country has been voting almost non-stop since 2015. A pause of 17 months is the least of our current problems.
Julian Glover, Associate Editor, Comment
Neglect of elderly must end now
Matt Hancock has rightly called for “everybody in the community to support the people who are being shielded for their own protection: the elderly and the vulnerable”.
But how can the community access millions of elderly people who are still off the radar six years after Jeremy Hunt called their neglect “a source of national shame”?
Mr Hancock must therefore ensure that the most neglected elderly are placed within the Government’s inclusive One Nation agenda for social care, and that its watered down Loneliness Strategy gets the action and funding it deserves.
Trevor Lyttleton MBE, Founder and former chairman of Contact the Elderly
Ban on evictions is not enough
The Government’s temporary ban on evictions is welcome, but ministers must do more to avoid a coronavirus spike in homelessness. London faces both the highest number of cases and the worst housing pressures in the country.
Although boroughs are working flat out to help the homeless, we urgently need the Government to improve welfare support for those losing income, otherwise the temporary ban is simply storing up problems for further down the line.
Cllr Darren Rodwell, London Councils’ housing spokesman
Joy and spirit of Rory’s campaign
Working in Rory Stewart’s campaign team, it has been fascinating to see such an unconventional and collectivist movement flourish.
With no central infrastructure or plentiful supplies of cash, the campaign hasn’t just required tenacity to run, but also the dedication of hundreds of volunteers, both young and old, who were keen to prove themselves, despite little prior experience.
In a conference call last week, Rory remarked that we have so far fought with a “whole lot of heart, spirit and joy”. Whether through efforts to reach out to Londoners via #ComeKipWithMe, or our policies for halving rough sleeping and cutting violent crime, the principle of “less politics, more action” has been reflected in every respect.
Come October, Rory will once again set out to engage with Londoners’ priorities. I have full faith this will be done with even more enthusiasm and energy.
Kabir Singh Bawa, Former regional co-ordinator for west London, Rory for London
