Being pregnant is wonderful but difficult at the best of times, and I know the COVID-19 pandemic has been uniquely stressful for expectant mothers. Pregnancy is full of uncertainty, excitement and anxiety, when support from loved ones is critical, and that is why I have launched a national campaign, to ensure no woman gives birth alone, or attends pregnancy scans alone.
As national lockdown ended, the Government rightly issued guidance that women could have a partner or loved one with them for every stage of labour and at their scans.Unfortunately, two-thirds of NHS Trusts are still denying partners or immediate family members the opportunity to support loved ones, and women are having to face these life-changing, and sometimes devastating, moments alone.
I’ve spoken to brave women who have faced heart-breaking tragedies – attending scans alone to find their baby had passed away, undergoing traumatic c-sections or forced to deliver a stillborn – with friends and family turned away at the door. Pregnant women, their partners and loved ones deserve better.
I’ve brought together a group of 60 Conservative MPs to call on every NHS Trust in the country to review their policies on maternity visitors, and ensure it is in line with Government guidance. Locally I am calling for Peterborough and Kettering hospitals to change their guidance. I am grateful to the Mail on Sunday for joining my campaign and featuring it as their front page story this weekend. As an expectant mother, who has been lucky enough to receive care at an NHS Trust that has adopted the Government policies, I will do all I can to advocate for those women across the country who still face scans, and early stages of labour, alone.
Another campaign I’ve been working on, is supporting our Government to have the greenest economy in the country. By the time my children are legally allowed to drive, the sale of petrol and diesel cars will be completely banned - their generation will be the first truly green car driving generation. By the time they are 29 (in 2050) , the UK will have net zero carbon emissions.
Our children will grow up in a world where plastic straws and drink stirrers, microbeads and plastic bags are a thing of history thanks to landmark bans and Government interventions. Indeed, quite contrary to what organisations like Extinction Rebellion would like you to believe, this Government is ramping up its work so that the UK can become a world leader in the fight against climate change. Our record is objectively the best among the G20 economies. In fact, between 1990 and 2017, the UK had the highest per-capita growth rate in the G7 and the fastest decarbonisation rate. If approached in the right way, we’ve shown that decarbonisation goes hand in hand with economic growth.
This Government will always make sure to protect our next generation, and ensure that Global Britain will create a brighter future for everyone.
