Opinions

The news has been dominated by allegations that Dominic Cummings “broke the rules” by travelling from London to Durham after his wife displayed symptoms of Covid-19. Understandably, people are emailing to ask why.

As England starts to lift lockdown restrictions and takes a few tentative steps back to normality, we must consider the nature of “risk”.

Celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day were a reminder of what the wartime generation went through. The threat of death from bombing was faced by everyone and the whole country united and accepted limitations on their lives in order to defeat a common enemy.

It was with great sadness that we read of the death of Usk prison officer Rachael Yates. Prison staff work in an enclosed environment where a virus can easily spread and I trust there will be a full investigation into what can be done to protect others.

We live through the most extraordinary times as, in a matter of weeks, our lives have been turned upside down in an attempt to slow down the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19).

As I write this column, thousands of people have died of Covid-19, large swathes of the UK economy have been shut down, and, despite support packages worth hundreds of billions of pounds, it is inevitable that businesses will close, bringing a huge loss of jobs.

South Wales suffered the brunt of Storm Dennis, with the Monmouth constituency badly affected by flooding. Those whose homes and businesses were inundated will be devastated and I hope they are afforded every possible assistance.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has put forward a new set of proposals to the European Union which will deliver Brexit without any of the disruption that could happen if we leave without a withdrawal deal. Will MPs back it? Most Conservative and DUP members have said they would.

As crunch time for Brexit looms large, paranoia over a possible no-deal is being whipped up into a frenzy. The latest ‘Project Fear’ prediction in The Sunday Times claims Britain will face shortages of fuel, meat and flights if we leave the European Union without a transition deal.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of devolution. I was part of the anti-Assembly “NO” campaign when the people of Wales voted in a referendum for a Welsh Assembly. But if you believe in democracy you respect the wishes of the majority.