Mail Weekly Column: 10 April 2021

Prince Philip in 1959 at the Vickers-Armstrongs yard at Barrow where he presided over a ceremony to lay the keel of Britain's first nuclear-powered submarine.

I was shocked and saddened by the news about Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. He lived an extraordinary life of service and was a rock for Her Majesty, who will be in everybody’s thoughts.  

I had the good fortune to meet Prince Philip once about a decade ago as he supported the Queen on a visit - he was exactly as you would expect - very funny, interested in people, and whip smart. His Royal Highness was a brave soldier, mentioned in dispatches, a keen sportsman, an environmentalist, and shaped the lives of many thousands of young people through the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme. We are much poorer as a nation without him at the Queen’s side. May he rest in peace. 

Many of you will have been looking forward to Monday 12 April, when Stage 2 of the Government’s Roadmap out of lockdown lifts more of the current restrictions.  These include, among others, opening non-essential retail, hairdressers, beauty salons, nail bars, libraries, community centres, gyms and spas, outdoor attractions, and hospitality venues offering outdoor service. Two visitors will be allowed to visit each care home resident, and children will be able to attend any indoor children’s activity. 

All of the above represent the next steps in our cautious march back to normality. As I write, 37m vaccine doses have been delivered in the UK so far – a simply astonishing figure. 

The AstraZeneca vaccine has attracted much coverage lately, with a focus on a tiny minority of blood clots in those who have received the jab. After a review, the message both from the UK and the EU medicines regulators is that the benefits of the AstraZeneca jab far outweigh the risks. Put in context, the risk of a blood clot from the vaccine is about the same as during long haul flight – and few of us thought twice about doing that.  

The decision about vaccination goes beyond the personal. It has a double benefit: not only does it keep you safe – it also protects the community.  This in turn helps us all to continue along the path to unlocking.  So when you get the call, please don’t hesitate: get vaccinated.  

Moving on, I was delighted this week to see Furness institutions like The Roxy, Coronation Hall, Signal Film and Media, and the Bread and Butter Theatre Company get a total of £154,000 from the Government’s Cultural Recovery Fund to help them ‘survive and thrive’. This has been an incredibly tough year for these organisations, and I’m glad that the government has given them this support to see them through. 

Finally, it was incredibly sad to hear BAE announcing 166 potential job losses because of the closure of the Howitzer programme.  I was grateful that they phoned me beforehand to talk through their plans and what it will mean for individuals.  This is clearly a very difficult time for those affected. On the upside, the submarine programme is ramping up so, subject to consultation, BAE’s aspiration is to use transfers to keep as many as possible in employment.