Welcome to our Hitchin MP, Bim Afolami, who kicks-off our Nub News opinion section.

Read on for the views from our town's elected parliamentarian, as Bim shares his take on Prime Minister Boris Johnson's handling of the latest developments, as lockdown easing restrictions are put on hold.

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Not even the most ambitious politician would think that being Prime Minister is an enjoyable job at the moment.

The Prime Minister has an unenviable task, because all his choices on Covid 19 will be opposed by a significant section of the public.

Open up the economy quickly, and there will be many who suggest he is not prioritising the health of the nation.

Open things up more slowly, there are a growing number who will condemn him for ruining jobs, businesses, and causing huge non Covid 19 health impacts, like untreated cancers and mental health problems.

The Prime Minister's decision to "pull the handbrake" on a scheduled widespread opening up of the country in the light of a rising infection rate is a cautious, but ultimately sensible one.

The first thing to note is that the infection rate is not rising in most of the country – it is heavily focused in regional clusters, which are now subject to local lockdowns.

These local lockdowns, like the one in Leicester, are showing an almost immediate impact on the infection rate – they work.

As an MP who worries hugely about the impact of this crisis on small businesses in particular, and who has been privately working with the Prime Minister and Chancellor at several times in this crisis on different recovery measures, the truth is that no amount of public money will save the economy in the medium or long term unless the public has the confidence to go out, go back to work, and act normally again.

The only way that confidence will return is if Covid 19 is under control.

Those who see the health and economic sides of this challenge to be different aspects are missing a fundamental thing – the economy will recover once the public is ultimately confident that they will be safe when they go out.

That is, and has to remain, the key focus of the government – alongside further economic rescue measures to the extent they are necessary to save industries.

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Follow Hitchin MP Bim Afolami on Twitter @BimAfolami

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