Since my last column Parliament has returned and I have hit the ground running in holding the government to account and standing up for the people of Newport West.

But our return has not been without incident. Jacob Rees Mogg’s queuing system for votes quickly turned from parody to farce, as hundreds of MPs were forced to queue around the Parliamentary estate.

What had taken a few seconds in the hybrid Parliament was now taking 40 minutes.

Thankfully, common sense has prevailed, and MPs may now vote in a safe and secure system using our work passes on a reader. Mr Mogg, The MP for the 18th century, has struggled to resist the calls to drag Parliament into the 21st century.

Since returning to Westminster, I have pressed the UK government for answers on the ridiculous near £1m cost of the new paint job on Boris’ “Johnson Jet”.

Additionally, I have raised questions on how they continue to fail to show how black lives matter. This has become clear once again in their handling of the coronavirus crisis.

If you compare England to Wales, the difference is stark. In England, the government has failed to produce a comprehensive risk assessment for black and minority ethnic workers, even though the statistics show these workers are one of the most at risk groups. Compare this to Wales, where the Welsh Government has a comprehensive risk assessment of BAME workers devised by Professor Keshav Singhal being rolled out across the NHS in Wales.

Although we are easing lockdown in Wales, we are doing so cautiously.

An approach that has led to Wales having the lowest R rate of any nation or region in Britain.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for all your sacrifices so far. We have all spent far too much time away from family and friends and that will soon be over, but in meantime we must continue to follow the Welsh Government advice.

For a little while longer we must stay local and keep Wales safe. Remember to wash your hands regularly, if you are meeting one other household, stay outdoors and stay local, work from home if you can and stay at home if you or anyone you live with has symptoms.

My office continues to support people across Newport West during the crisis.

I will be holding another virtual surgery on Friday July 3 from 11.30am and if you’d like to make an appointment or If you have a query or need assistance please contact us on ruth.jones.mp@parliament.uk or 07423 277979.