ZARAH Sultana, the MP for Coventry South, has spoken in parliament to demand the government “protect the working class from the worst effects of the coronavirus outbreak.”
Ms Sultana was speaking in the House of Commons on a debate about the government’s budget.
The newly elected Labour MP for Coventry South, aged 27, called for a “plan that puts people before profit and public health before private property”.
She called for suspension of rent and mortgage payments for the ill, immediate Universal Credit payments and a decent level of statutory sick pay for workers.
As the NHS reaches the limit of its intensive care capacity, she called for the requisition of private hospitals for the NHS.
Ms Sultana described the coronavirus outbreak as “a crisis unlike anything that has happened in my life”.
She also accused the Conservative government of cutting public spending, which she said had “systematically weakened our defences, ran down our public services, pushed down the most vulnerable, and cut down the power of working people leaving millions insecure and on the edge.”
Concluding her speech, Ms Sultana said: “The government must act: Protect the vulnerable, guarantee support to all workers, and make those with the broadest shoulders pay their fair share.”
Following the debate, she added: “In response to the global financial crisis, the government spent hundreds of billions of pounds bailing out the banks. This is a far bigger crisis and now it’s the people who need support. The government must act before it’s too late.”
