The coronavirus pandemic has changed our way of life dramatically. People are being asked to make sacrifices and alter their lives in ways that they have never before experienced and perhaps never anticipated. 

I begin my contribution, as my right hon. Friend Chris Grayling did his, by acknowledging that this debate takes place under the shadow of the crisis that we all face.

Martin Vickers (Cleethorpes) (Con)

Yesterday, Grimsby MP Lia Nici and I welcomed Business Minister, Kwasi Kwarteng, to Grimsby to announce a £90 million programme to clean-up heavy industry on the Humber. This new initiative will harness electricity generated in the North Sea to power a new hydrogen economy.

Along with Lia Nici MP and Sir Edward Leigh MP, I had an extremely positive meeting with the LNER Chief Executive, David Horne.

The campaign to secure freeport status for Immingham's port was refreshed this week as I reformed the APPG, which I have chaired since 2018, and met the Secretary of State for International Trade, Liz Truss, to discuss our bid and the policy more generally.

Martin attended the Heat Hero awards ceremony to congratulate Emma Blackburn on the hard work she has put in over the past year on projects such the North and North East Lincolnshire Warm Homes Scheme and South Humber Energy Efficiency Partnership.