The Liberal Democrats have labelled Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, “deeply irresponsible” for voting in favour of MPs returning to parliament.

Yesterday, MPs queued outside of Westminster for over 90 minutes to vote on whether or not they should return to London.  The Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg put forward the vote arguing that the virtual system didn’t allow MPs to hold the government to account effectively.

The proposal was carried forward, with 261 votes to 163. 31 Tory MPs though, voted against the return.

The Lib Dems said he was setting a “dangerous precedent”. Judith Rogerson, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said:

“With the Government continuing to advise that people should work from home where possible, it is extraordinary that the Conservatives have voted to take away the system which had allowed MPs to do just that. Forcing MPs to decide between risking their health and that of their family and constituents, and depriving their constituents of their voice in Parliament is deeply irresponsible.”

Read more: 

• Lib Dems call for the council to set up response teams to help the district’s economy recover from coronavirus. 
• COLUMN: District MPs are called to step up.

There has been criticism too from MPs who are at risk due to age or health conditions and those living with vulnerable people, who said they could be left without a voice in parliament.

The Stray Ferret asked Mr Jones for the reasons behind his vote in favour of a return to parliament. But we received no response.

A majority of residents in the Harrogate district have said they are “appalled” and “furious” at the behaviour of the Prime Minister’s chief adviser who made a 500 mile round trip to County Durham during lockdown to isolate.

Across social media and e-mails to The Stray Ferret, people have been reacting to the news. Though most objected to the adviser’s behaviour, some have defended Dominic Cummings’ actions and said those who want him to resign are doing so for political reasons.

Mr Cummings found himself in the middle of a political storm over the Bank Holiday Weekend over his decision, but he said he believed he acted reasonably and did not regret it.

Harrogate MP, Andrew Jones, has reportedly joined other backbenchers and called for Mr Cummings to resign, but there is still no word on whether Ripon MP, Julian Smith, has joined the call.

Neither MP has responded to The Stray Ferret’s request for a comment.

Harrogate MP, Andrew Jones, has reportedly called for Mr Cummings to step down. But Julian Smith, MP for Ripon, has yet to comment.

On social media, the majority of comments from the district’s residents revealed they were unimpressed with Mr Cummings and some have e-mailed their local MP to voice their concerns.

Racheal Bowen said on Facebook: “I am furious and emailed Andrew Jones yesterday to voice my opinion. Stay home. Protect the NHS. Save Lives. Unless you are Dominic Cummings and then just do what you want and the NHS will pick up the pieces. Disgraceful behaviour from Cummings and all those in government who are supporting him.”

Susan Halliday said: “I am appalled at his arrogance. I have not seen my seven grandchildren for eight weeks and have followed the rules to the letter but now I’m not sure if I’ll pop and see them all and not feel guilty. I’m thinking the rest of the country may feel the same.”

No doubt Cummings should go. Don’t care if he resigns or is sacked, just as long as he goes.

— Marc Smith (@marcxsmith) May 25, 2020

But some have criticised the response to the story and said those who want Mr Cummings to step down are politically motivated.

Sue Stott said on Facebook: “I find it hard to comprehend the levels of hate that so-called respectable people are showing for this man & his family. What is this country turning into when all we can do is criticise and harass others.”

Cheryl Allan said: “I couldn’t care less. There are loads of people who have been out meeting other people and no one gives a damn. But if you’re in the public eye everyone goes mad about it.”

Most people wanting Cummings to be sacked are doing it for political reasons. #Gameplay

— Harrogate Stuff (@harrogate_stuff) May 25, 2020

After the first four weeks of lockdown, The Stray Ferret reported on the activity of our two MPs and what role they were playing in tackling coronavirus. We had struggled to establish exactly what they’d been doing.

It’s now eight weeks since lockdown, the country has faced its biggest ever public health emergency, and we have asked them to tell us more about their activity during this time. Again, we did not receive an answer, so here is what we know based on information publicly available.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

In Harrogate- here is what we found on Mr Jones:

• He posted one news story on his website in the last four weeks. It urged businesses to plan for when lockdown eases.
• Mr Jones tweeted three times in the last four weeks. None informed his followers of what work he was doing in Harrogate.
• He has no Facebook page to update his constituents on his community work.
• He chaired the first virtual meeting of the European Statutory Instruments Committee on April 21 and chaired another meeting on May 5.
• Last week, he said publicly that people should not get complacent because lockdown is being eased.
• Mr Jones offered to deliver leaflets and food on behalf of the Harrogate Easier Living Project. The charity confirmed that he did that last week.

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

In Ripon- here is what we found on Mr Smith:

• Mr Smith has posted no news stories on his personal website about his work during lockdown. His last post was in January.
• He does include links to government guidance as part of an advice section on his site.
• On Twitter, two of his 62 tweets since April 20 have been about his constituency – one about Ripon barracks and another on a hardship fund for farmers from the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
• Mr Smith posted five times on his Facebook page in the past four weeks to promote the government’s coronavirus bounce back loans. The others were the same Ripon and DEFRA related posts that he made on Twitter.
• He asked a question at Prime Ministers Questions on May 13 where he called on the government to bring an end to rough sleeping in the UK.
• Mr Smith has held telephone surgeries for his constituents throughout lockdown.

What would you like your MP to being focusing on as we ease out of lockdown? Here’s what a number of people from both constituencies asked.  Have you been in touch with your MP? Have they been helpful? Get in touch with us and tell us how.

The Stray Ferret asked people in both Harrogate and Ripon constituencies what questions they had for their local MPs.

In Harrogate, the questions centred on how the town centre is going to bounce back after restrictions are lifted and what support is going to be in place for both people and businesses.

Here is what people in the town had to ask Andrew Jones MP.

Phil Argent, CEO of Tenancy Stream, said:                                          “Businesses are going to have to try and start again and are not going to have the footfall that they once did. How exactly is Harrogate going to bounce back from lockdown?”

Jan Bathurst, team leader at Harrogate District Food Bank, said:               “Once lockdown is lifted, what support is going to be in place for vulnerable people both in terms of financially and food?”

Kimberley Wilson, owner of The Camberley Hotel and chair of Accommodation Harrogate, said: “I would like to know when we are going to have the Harrogate Convention Centre back and what is going to happen with events going forward?

In Ripon, the questions hit a different tone. There was an anxiety over how vulnerable people will cope and what the government is going to do to address rural poverty which some fear will be worse after lockdown.

This is what the people of Ripon wanted to ask Mr Smith:

Dave Robinson, chair of Henry Jenkins Community Pub Ltd: “The coronavirus crisis has served to emphasise the need for rural communities to come together and make best use of their facilities for local residents. As previously indicated by you, once the crisis is over, can we count on your support in our campaign to save the historic Henry Jenkins Inn in Kirkby Malzeard, reestablishing the Asset of Community Value over the whole site and protecting its status as a community amenity for the three villages in our expanding parish?”

Phil Marley, owner of Marley’s Butchers, Ripon: “The worrying scale of rural poverty in Ripon and surrounding areas, has become even clearer with the coronavirus crisis. We are doing our bit as a business to help families and individuals in dire need, but people cannot rely on charity forever. As I see it, the financial situation can only get worse, particularly as unemployment is likely to rise when small businesses go bust because of the money they have lost. What do you think the government can do to assist places like Ripon in keeping businesses open and helping the poorest in our society?”

Alison Hope, No 12 Greengrocers, Masham:                                                  “Local farmers are working around the clock in the crucial role of keeping us all fed. Many are working in difficult circumstances, with concerns for their future. What have you been doing to support our local farming community during the crisis?”

All of these questions were submitted to Andrew Jones and Julian Smith at the end of last week. We are still waiting to hear back from both MPs.

Politicians from across parties have praised the efforts of everyone working to create a Nightingale hospital in Harrogate.

From calling for greater funding for the NHS to looking ahead to the way the country works once the crisis is over, each party has given its own perspective.

The Liberal Democrats, Labour and the Green Party all expressed gratitude for the hard work being done to set up the hospital at Harrogate Convention Centre, as well as to the doctors, nurses and other staff already treating patients at Harrogate District Hospital.

‘Enormous debt of gratitude’

The Liberal Democrats’ 2019 prospective parliamentary candidate Judith Rogerson said: ”We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the people who have been working so hard this week to transform the Convention Centre into a Nightingale Hospital.

“To put together such a major project in such a short space of time is hugely impressive. This is an incredibly difficult time for everyone which makes it all the more wonderful that so many people in our community are pulling together to look after each other in so many different ways.”

‘Value our public services’

News of the hospital was welcomed by the Labour Party in the Harrogate district.

A spokesman said: “We salute all the frontline workers and their tireless efforts to keep us safe. We call on the government to ensure that they in turn are kept safe, and that they get all the personal protective equipment, testing and support that they need. 

“This pandemic has exposed the fragility in the system caused by ten years of chronic under-investment. This must be a wake-up call for our region and country in how we value our public services and the staff of those services in the future.” 

‘Selfless approach’

The Green Party also recognised the hard work of NHS staff and called for greater recognition and support of the vital roles played by many people in society.

A spokesman added: “What we all need to do now is continue to support our amazing health service by doing everything we can to avoid contracting or spreading the virus, but also start to think about the direction we want to take after this global crisis: it is now crystal-clear that going back to wasteful and damaging ‘business as usual’ is not an option.

“After this wake-up call, we will surely work for a world where we continue to support each other, by resolving to further develop the benevolent and selfless approaches we have seen so much of recently.” 

The Stray Ferret asked Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, for a comment, but has not received a response.