Corby and East Northants MP working with foreign office to get stranded abroad locals home

Tom Pursglove says there are a number of local residents stuck abroad and he is helping to pull out all the stops to get them home.
The MP says he and the foreign office are pulling out all the stops to get the people back on British soil.The MP says he and the foreign office are pulling out all the stops to get the people back on British soil.
The MP says he and the foreign office are pulling out all the stops to get the people back on British soil.

The MP for Corby and East Northants is liaising with the foreign office to try and get several locals who are stranded abroad home.

Tom Pursglove says his office has never been so busy since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and that he is now receiving several dozens of emails every hour from constituents who have concerns and questions about a wide range of issues from employment rights to health and safety.

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He is currently involved in the cases of up to 15 constituents who are trying to get back home.

The pandemic has grounded flights all across the world meaning that many are stuck far from home.The pandemic has grounded flights all across the world meaning that many are stuck far from home.
The pandemic has grounded flights all across the world meaning that many are stuck far from home.

He said: “Some people have been stuck abroad in places such as Australia, America, New Zealand and Peru. These are people have have been away for businesses or perhaps travelling. I am working with the foreign office to pull out all the stops to make sure we can get these people back and we are looking at a range of different solutions.

“In some places there are still commercial flights operating and we are trying to make sure we get people on those flights. My role is to make sure the foreign office is aware of the people from our area who may be stuck abroad and helping to try and coordinate.”

There is not a register of Brits abroad but the Government has estimated there could be between 300,000 and one million currently in other countries. Some British nationals have been stranded as countries across the world have closed their borders in response to the coronavirus emergency and airlines have been grounded.

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The Government has issued guidance to British nationals who are abroad that include only going outside for food, health reasons or work, social distancing and frequent hand washing.

Mr Pursglove said he had also been in contact with all of the public services in the county which are working as part of a multi agency collective effort to try and reduce the amount of Northamptonshire people admitted into the county’s two hospitals as well as keeping the rest of the community safe.

He said he had been told recently by the chief executive of Kettering General Hospital, Simon Weldon, that the hospital had all the equipment that it needed, but the situation was being kept under review. He said he would lobby the government about any issues any of the public agencies were having in their battle against coronavirus.

There are currently 126 confirmed coronavirus cases in the county, but due to the low levels of testing the actual number is thought to significantly higher.

Are you one of the Corby or East Northants residents stuck abroad or is a member of your family stranded? Get in touch with [email protected]