Apart from the awful weather and terrible floods, the New Year had begun so well for so many people. The government had a comfortable majority in Parliament, we had left the EU as promised (something I had campaigned for since 2005), and we could look forward to finally being able to give some meaningful increases in spending to our public services and many local businesses told me they were expecting their best year ever.

The Coronavirus has stopped that positivity in its tracks. In no time at all we had gone from such high hopes to a health and economic crisis engulfing the country and the world.

This outbreak has brought heartache to families, both those whose loved ones have passed away, to those whose livelihoods have been taken away and who worry about how they will pay their bills and keep a roof over their heads.

The government have done their best in awful circumstances to try to protect the livelihoods of as many people as possible through this crisis, whether that be business owners, the self-employed or employees. It is impossible to protect everyone fully - the country does not have the wherewithal to do that - and there are no painless panaceas but I think the new Chancellor of the Exchequer has shown both skill and compassion in doing as much as anyone could reasonably expect to help as many people as possible.

What has been wonderful to see is how the country has come together to help each other at this time.  We have seen how our wonderful NHS heroes have risen to the challenge and helped so many people in the worst of circumstances and it was brilliant to see so many clapping with our thanks for all they do. The other public servants who have been there to help so many and key workers - most notably those who work in our supermarkets - busting a gut to help to provide the essential supplies we need.

It has also been wonderful to see all of the people volunteering in the local community to help elderly and vulnerable neighbours in our community, ensuring they get their shopping and whatever else they need in order to help them stay safe. The WhatsApp groups of people in each street helping to look after each other is just one thing I hope will continue once this nightmare comes to an end.

All of this is what makes our country so wonderful and why I remain so proud to represent the Shipley constituency in Parliament. I am also incredibly proud of my staff who have helped with the volunteering effort as well as working ridiculous hours helping me deal with an unprecedented level of emails and calls from people seeking urgent help, assistance and advice.

There will be many tough weeks to go, and none of us know when this will end, but I want to thank everyone for what they are doing to help our country through this. Putting everything back together afterwards will not be easy, but our country has always managed to do it in the past and we will do it again.

Philip Davies

Member of Parliament for the Shipley Constituency