Category: Politics

Cuomo to press Trump on reviving U.S. economy with roads, bridges in White House meeting

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will press President Donald Trump to invest in the nation’s roads, bridges and rails during a White House meeting on Wednesday as U.S. states begin to reopen after the coronavirus outbreak left the economy in tatters.

Cuomo’s visit to Washington comes as his hard-hit state begins to see drops in rates of hospitalizations and deaths, while other states relax lockdowns and partygoers flout precautions aimed at curtailing the novel coronavirus.

The Memorial Day holiday weekend saw Americans flock to beaches and lakes in large groups even as U.S. health experts warned that reopening too quickly could trigger outbreaks of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

Twenty U.S. states reported an increase in new cases for the week ended Sunday as the death toll nears 100,000, according to a Reuters analysis. Florida reported a nearly 6 percent increase, while New York registered a double-digit decline.

Businesses across the country are opening doors after shuttering in mid-March as states and local governments took drastic measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, almost bringing the country to a halt. The economy contracted at its deepest pace since the Great Recession in the first quarter and lost at least 21.4 million jobs in March and April.

With a focus on infrastructure as a way to revive the economy, Cuomo, a Democrat, will hit a topic close to Trump. The Republican president has long embraced the idea of updating the country’s infrastructure.

Cuomo, who has sparred with Trump over the federal government’s pandemic response, wants to revive the economy by undertaking major transport and other projects. He told reporters on Tuesday he would discuss a federal role in investments to modernize the nation’s bridges, roads and rail systems.

“This is one of the things I want to talk to the president about … You want to reopen the economy. Let’s do something creative, let’s do it fast, let’s put Americans back to work,” Cuomo said.

Trump has said he believed infrastructure spending could help the economy recover from the pandemic, embracing a massive $2 trillion plan at the end of March. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in April that legislation was separate from coronavirus spending and would have to wait.

States have sought more help from the federal government to get through the crisis. Democrats who control the House of Representatives passed legislation on May 15 that would provide nearly $1 trillion for state and local governments, but the bill was rejected by Trump and Republican leaders of the U.S. Senate.

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Dominic Cummings row: Statement made things even WORSE for Boris’ chief adviser – poll

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Boris Johnson’s special adviser is under pressure after details of his 260-mile trip to Durham emerged last week, at a time when Britons were being told to stay home to slow the spread of COVID-19. The survey, published by YouGov today, suggested 71 percent of interviewees believed Mr Cummings had broken the rules, up three points compared with a similar poll released on Saturday. Additionally, 59 percent of people now believe Mr Cummings should resign, up seven percent on the 52 percent who felt he should quit before he spoke in the rose garden of Number 10 yesterday.

In addition to 88 percent of Labour voters and 86 percent of Lib Dems, the majority of Tories – 56 percent – now believe Mr Cummings should leave his post.

Remain voters emphatically agree, with 81 percent saying he should go – but a solid majority of Leave votes – 63 percent – agree.

The second survey involved 1160 UK adults interviewed on May 25 and 26, all of them once Mr Cummings had stopped speaking.

Chris Curtis, Political Research Manager at YouGov, said: “If Downing Street was hoping Cummings’ statement would turn public opinion then it’s fair to say it’s not worked.

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Only time will tell though if this row starts to hurt the government electorally but if it does the pressure is only going to mount from Tory MPs for Cummings to go

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“Over the weekend the public told us they thought that Cummings was both in breach of lockdown rules and should resign and despite a lengthy press conference and a detailed statement the public haven’t changed their mind.

“Only time will tell though if this row starts to hurt the government electorally but if it does the pressure is only going to mount from Tory MPs for Cummings to go.”

The fallout from Mr Cummings’ lockdown trip continues to overshadow the Government’s agenda.

Junior Scottish minister Douglas Ross today resigned from the Government, saying: “I have constituents who didn’t get to say goodbye to loved ones; families who could not mourn together; people who didn’t visit sick relatives because they followed the guidance of the Government.

“I cannot in good faith tell them they were all wrong and one senior adviser to the Government was right.”

Meanwhile, Conservative MP Mark Harper said Dominic Cummings “should have offered to resign, and the Prime Minister should have accepted his resignation”.

He added: “As for Mr Cummings’ trip to Barnard Castle on 12 April, an apology should have been made and a level of regret expressed.

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“I was disappointed that Mr Cummings did neither.”

Speaking to Vanessa Feltz on BBC Radio 2, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said his own postbag showed “many people still disagree” with the actions of Dominic Cummings.

He said: “I think people can understand the interests he had at heart, which were to protect his sick wife and his young child – and can at least understand now why he made those decisions.”

Pressed on whether further ministers would resign or whether Mr Cummings would survive in post, Mr Jenrick replied: “I don’t know.”

Downing Street has also been unable to explain why it said in a statement on Saturday that Dominic Cummings’ wife had been infected with suspected coronavirus, which the aide later contradicted.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “He set out his account of what had happened yesterday.

“I think it was a very full and detailed account and there’s nothing for me to add to it.”

The spokesman also defended having previously told journalists Dominic Cummings was isolating at home during the lockdown, saying he had not known of his actual location at the time but had been pointing out he was not working at Number 10.

Asked if he meant Mr Cummings was in London, the spokesman said: “No, and the context of my answer was pointing out he wasn’t at work.”

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$2b package to create 100,000 job and training opportunities for workers hit by Covid-19 slowdown

SINGAPORE – A new $2 billion jobs and training package will create close to 100,000 opportunities for workers affected by the Covid-19 economic slowdown, said Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat on Tuesday (May 26).

He told Parliament in his speech on the fourth budget this year that the support, dubbed the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package, would include 40,000 jobs, 25,000 traineeships and 30,000 skills training opportunities.

JOBS

Under the package, said Mr Heng, the public sector will create 15,000 new jobs, including both long-term ones in areas such as early childhood education and healthcare, as well as short-term ones related to Covid-19, such as healthcare declaration assistants and swabbers.

Government agencies will also work with businesses to create 25,000 jobs, he said.

“Many businesses have stepped forward with openings in a wide range of job roles, such as computer engineers and machine operators. I encourage more businesses to do even more in the coming months.”

He said that the Government will expand capacity in career conversion programmes, such as Place-and-Train under the Adapt and Grow Initiative, and company-led training programmes under the TechSkills Accelerator, which was launched in the 2016 Budget.

TRAINEESHIPS

Mr Heng also said the Government aims to create about 25,000 traineeship positions this year.

Of these, 21,000 will come from the SGUnited Traineeships programme, which was announced in March for first-time job seekers and will now be more than doubled. Agency Workforce Singapore will fund training allowances with host companies for up to 12 months.

Mr Heng said that more than 1,000 host companies have shown strong interest, as has the public sector. Many traineeships are in high demand or emerging technology areas such as IT and engineering.

These will be offered progressively from June 1.

Another 4,000 traineeships will come from a new scheme, SGUnited Mid-Career Traineeships, for unemployed mid-career job seekers.

SKILLS

A new initiative, the SGUnited Skills programme, will provide training for about 30,000 job seekers looking to upgrade their skills while on the job hunt.

Participants will get a training allowance of $1,200 per month in the course of their training.

They will take industry-relevant and certifiable training courses full-time at highly subsidised rates, with the course fees substantially, if not fully offset by their SkillsFuture Credit.

They will also get opportunities to apply their training through attachments or participation in company projects, and will also receive career guidance and job placement support.

This programme will be rolled out progressively from July.

HIRING INCENTIVES

Mr Heng said employers will get a hiring incentive to take on local workers who have gone through eligible traineeship and training schemes.

He had earlier announced such an incentive in February under the SkillsFuture Mid-Career Support Package, for eligible workers aged 40 and above.

He will now double the incentive to cover 40 per cent of their salary over six months, capped at $12,000 in total.

The incentive will also be expanded to eligible workers under 40, covering 20 per cent of their monthly salary over six months, capped at $6,000 in total.

Mr Heng has also asked Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam to chair a National Jobs Council to oversee the Jobs and Skills Package. The council will provide details later.

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B.C.’s eviction freeze under COVID-19 keeps landlords out of own home

The B.C. government’s freeze on evictions is meant to help struggling renters during the novel coronavirus pandemic, but a Vancouver Island couple says the ban has backfired and is keeping them from their own home.

Gunn Yardley and her husband rented out their home while away on an extended winter vacation, but said that when they returned from Mexico, their short-term renters stayed put and stopped paying rent.

Instead of living in their home, they now have to rent themselves. Yardley said she’s owed $10,000 in unpaid rent.

“We gave them a 10-day eviction notice,” she said. “We had a hearing set up because (they) argued against it for the 26th of March.”

That was right around the time evictions were banned in B.C. except under extreme conditions to help people who were out of work due to the pandemic. Not paying rent or utilities does not qualify as grounds to kick someone out.

Global News attempted to interview the Yardleys’ tenant, but he declined and said he would send a statement, which has yet to be received.

Another landlord, Melissa Reddy, is worried about losing her investment property in Abbotsford.

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“(The tenants have) been in there since July and they stopped paying rents in December,” she said.

The tenants did not return Global News’ multiple requests for comment.

Renters who face financial hardship as a result of COVID-19 can apply to receive as much as $500 a month under the B.C. Temporary Rental Supplement Program. A landlord cannot apply for the supplement on behalf of a tenant.

Some tenants may choose not to apply, Reddy said, if they are not on good terms with their landlord.

In a statement to Global News, the Ministry of Housing said “no one solution fits every situation,” and that cases such as Reddy’s and Yardley’s are rare.

The ministry went on to say tenants should continue to pay their rent and that the moratorium on evictions is temporary.

“Renters will be responsible for outstanding rent due after the state of emergency is lifted,” the ministry added.

But the homeowners feel tenants are getting all the protections.

“It’s very taxing on our minds and our, you know, our well-being,” Yardley said.

Reddy echoed that sentiment.

“It’s stressing us out,” Reddy said. “You know, I’m fighting with my husband and I’m taking it out on my kids. And it’s just not good right now and there’s just no end in sight.”

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Dominic Cummings father: Who are Dominic Cummings’ parents?

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Boris Johnson’s senior aide Dominic Cummings has come under fire today for his decision to drive 260 miles to his parent’s farm in Durham during the UK lockdown. The top aide said his decision was based not only on fears over a lack of childcare if he became incapacitated with COVID-19 after he and his wife began to display symptoms, but also concerns about his family’s safety.

At an extraordinary press conference in Downing Street’s rose garden, Mr Cummings said stories suggested he had opposed lockdown and “did not care about many deaths”.

He added: “The truth is that I had argued for lockdown, I did not oppose it but these stories had created a very bad atmosphere around my home, I was subjected to threats of violence, people came to my house shouting threats, there were posts on social media encouraging attacks.”

Mr Cummings said he was worried that “this situation would get worse”, adding: “I was worried about the possibility of leaving my wife and child at home all day and often into the night while I worked in Number 10.

“I thought the best thing to do in all the circumstances was to drive to an isolated cottage on my father’s farm.”

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Who are Dominic Cummings’ parents?

Dominic Cummings father Robert worked as an oil rig project manager and built oil rigs for construction firm, Laing.

His mother Morag, worked as a special needs teacher and a behavioural specialist.

The couple, now in their seventies, live on a family farm in Durham, where Mr Cummings’ father now also works.

In August 2019, the Observer revealed the farm – of which Brexit architect Dominic Cummings is a co-owner of – received £235,000 in EU farming subsidies.

Analysis of Land Registry documents and EU subsidy databases revealed the farm in Durham has received roughly €20,000 a year for almost 20 years.

Website Farmsubsidy.org, which lists EU rural subsidies, reveals the Durham farm received almost €208,000 between 2000 and 2009.

While a separate website, operated by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, confirmed additional payments of roughly £6,500 were made to Cummings’s parents “for practices beneficial for climate and environment” in 2017 and 2018.

A third, offline database, then revealed subsidies worth nearly £19,000 were paid out in 2014.

It is not clear when Cummings became the co-owner of the farm.

However, Land Registry searches show he was a co-owner in 2013.

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This revelation opened Mr Cumings up to criticism at the time due to his position as being one of the key architects of Brexit.

Liberal Democrats’ spokeswoman for young people, Layla Moran, told The Observer at the time: “It shows sheer hypocrisy from Cummings that his farm has raked in hundreds of thousands from the ‘absurd subsidies’ he so often criticises.”

But speaking in London today, Mr Cummings said “I have not offered to resign”, adding: “I have not considered it.”

Police made contact with the owners of the address after the Durham Constabulary were “made aware of reports that an individual had travelled from London to Durham and was present at an address in the city”.

The force said: “Officers made contact with the owners of that address who confirmed that the individual in question was present and was self-isolating in part of the house.

“In line with national policing guidance, officers explained to the family the arrangements around self-isolation guidelines and reiterated the appropriate advice around essential travel.”

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Dominic Cummings petition: Petition to sack Mr Cummings reaches 226,000 – will he quit?

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Dominic Cummings is at the centre of a national row regarding an alleged breach of coronavirus lockdown rules in March. The PM’s chief aide has been accused of driving from London to County Durham at the height of lockdown restrictions in breach of lockdown rules. But how many believe Mr Cummings should resign and will he quit?

Dominic Cummmings is Boris Johnson’s closest political adviser working in the upper reaches of the Government and Conservative Party for almost 20 years.

Mr Cummings was seen leaving Downing Street on March 27 and three days later was confirmed to be self-isolating with coronavirus symptoms.

But despite the UK being on lockdown, it is claimed Mr Cummings travelled 260 miles from London to Durham between March 27 and 31.

Police in Durham were “made aware of reports that an individual had travelled from London to Durham and was present at an address in the city” on March 31.

Officers then “made contact with the owners of that address”.

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Mr Cummings claimed and his wife made the trip in order to organise childcare support after the pair displayed COVID-19 symptoms.

According to The Mirror and The Observer, Mr Cummings then visited Barnard Castle, located 30 miles from his parent’s home in Durham.

Members of the public also claimed to have seen him in the county after he had returned to London in mid-April.

Speaking to reporters outside his London home on Saturday, he said he had done the “right thing” by travelling with his wife and young son to be near relatives when she developed coronavirus symptoms at the end of March.

Mr Johnson faced backlash on Sunday for his failure to sack Mr Cummings.

Speaking from Downing Street, the PM said: “I want to begin by answering the big question that people have been asking in the last 48 hours.

“And that is – is this Government asking you – the people, the public, to do one thing while senior people here in government do something else?

“Have we been asking you to make sacrifices, to obey social distancing, to stay at home while some people have been basically flouting those rules and endangering lives?

“And it is because I take this matter so seriously and frankly it is so serious that I can tell you today I have had extensive face to face conversations with Dominic Cummings and I have concluded that in travelling to find the right kind of childcare, at the moment when both he and his wife were about to be incapacitated by coronavirus.

“And when he had no alternative, I think he followed the instincts of every father and every parent. And I do not mark him down for that. And though there have been many other allegations about what happened when he was in self-isolation and thereafter, some of them palpably false.

“I believe that in every respect he has acted responsibly, and legally, and with integrity, and with the overwhelming aim of stopping the spread of the virus and saving lives.

“And I stress this fundamental aim because it is thanks to this country’s collective resolve in achieving that aim that we continue to make progress.”

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So far, 15 Tory MPs including Steve Baker, Tim Loughton and Caroline Nokes, have called for Mr Cummings’ resignation.

Former minister Paul Maynard said: “It is a classic case of ‘do as I say, not as I do’ – and it is not as if he was unfamiliar with the guidance he himself helped draw up.

“It seems to me to be utterly indefensible and his position wholly untenable.”

Senior Church of England bishops and a scientist advising the Government on the pandemic have also criticised the Government’s handling of the row.

A frontline cardiology registrar has vowed to resign if the PM’s chief adviser does not resign by the end of the week.

As of 9.10am, more than 226,000 members of the public have signed this online petition calling for Mr Cummings’s resignation.

Writing on the petition, one person wrote: “Thousands of grieving families are not allowed to see hospitalised loved ones before they pass – NO ONE is excused for flouting the law. Especially 10 Downing St!”

Another added: “There’s no justification for travelling 250miles for family support, we all have to rely on local friends and online shops when isolating.”

One person wrote: “It seems to be one rule for us common folk and another for those in Westminster. What happened to lead by example, shocking.”

Bookmakers believe Mr Cummings will retain his current role until at least June 1.

According to Betfair, Dominic Cummings is at 1/2 odds to keep his current job on June 1, while he is at 6/4 odds to lose his position by that date.

Betfair Spokesperson Katie Baylis said: “The controversy around Cummings’ trip to his parents’ house in Durham may be gathering steam, but his odds of exiting his job have swung from odds-on at 4/6 first thing this morning that he would be gone by the end of the month, to odds-on at 1/2 now that he will still be there.

“While there have been calls for Cummings to resign or be sacked, we have seen the opposite when it comes to what punters believe will happen, but this story is sure to develop as the week, and even the day goes on, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see the odds fluctuate.”

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Dominic Cummings wife: Who is Mary Wakefield? How old is their child?

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s top aide Dominic Cummings travelled 260 miles from London to his family home in County Durham during lockdown. Police have confirmed they attended a property in Durham after it emerged Mr Cummings, stayed with relatives while he and members of his immediate family, including wife Mary Wakefield, were suffering from coronavirus-related symptoms.

The sightings raise questions about the Government’s commitment to the “stay at home” message it was repeating to the public in the first stage of the lockdown.

No 10 has defended the move saying “it was essential for Mr Cummings to ensure his young child could be properly cared for.”

Downing Street added Mr Cummings believed he “behaved reasonably and legally” when travelling from his London home to Country Durham during the lockdown”.

A Number 10 spokesman said: “Owing to his wife being infected with suspected coronavirus and the high likelihood that he would himself become unwell, it was essential for Dominic Cummings to ensure his young child could be properly cared for.

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“His sister and nieces had volunteered to help so he went to a house near to but separate from his extended family in case their help was needed.

“His sister shopped for the family and left everything outside. At no stage was he or his family spoken to by the police about this matter, as is being reported.

“His actions were in line with coronavirus guidelines. Mr Cummings believes he behaved reasonably and legally.”

Members of the cabinet have also lined up to defend the Prime Minister’s top aide.

Michael Gove, the cabinet office minister, tweeted: “Caring for your wife and child is not a crime.”

Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, also wrote on Twitter: “It’s reasonable and fair to ask for an explanation on this. And it has been provided: two parents with coronavirus, were anxiously taking care of their young child. Those now seeking to politicise it should take a long hard look in the mirror.”

Who is Mary Wakefield?

Ms Wakefield is a journalist, columnist and commissioning editor for The Spectator.

She has worked at the weekly magazine The Spectator for decades, since Boris Johnson was editor, and is now commissioning editor, assistant editor from 2001 and deputy editor.

She has also written for The Sun, Daily Mail, The Telegraph and The Times.

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Ms Wakefield has written in The Spectator about her experience when both she and Mr Cummings contracted COVID-19

The Prime Minister’s top aide was so badly affected by coronavirus he “should have been in hospital”, his wife has revealed.

Writing in The Spectator, Ms Wakefield described how she was stricken by the disease first and her “kind” husband had rushed home to look after her.

However, she went on, 24 hours later Mr Cummings said he felt “weird” and collapsed.

She wrote: “Day in, day out for 10 days he lay doggo with a high fever and spasms.

“Just as Dom was beginning to feel better … Boris was heading in the other direction, into hospital.”

Ms Wakefield and Mr Cummings married in 2011.

How old is Dominic Cummings’ child?

Mr Cummings and Ms Wakefield’s son, named Alexander Cedd, was born in 2016.

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We need a plan for economic recovery, says George Osborne

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The former chancellor called on the Government to set out its longer-term plan to instil confidence in the markets. Asked if he thinks the economy will “bounce back”, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I’m not sure bounce is the right word. I think it will recover.

“In fact, I think the damage being done alone is actually less than the damage that was done during the banking crisis because that completely clogged up all the credit system. The drop is much sharper, this quarter of the year is an extraordinary fall in GDP.

“I think the recovery can be quicker and the overall damage can be less but if I was in the Government now I would be starting to set out what my longer-term plan is, not just on the deficit but getting people who are unemployed back into work.”

Mr Osborne, who now edits the Evening Standard newspaper, added: “Over time we’ve to come to terms with the fact that Britain like every other country is poorer than we thought it was going to be and our economy is smaller than we thought it would be.

“And that I’m afraid will lead to hard choices about what we can afford, how much we want to spend and how many taxes are raised to pay for it.”

But he said he believed the UK recovered “more quickly than others” following the 2008 global financial crisis. 

He said: “Austerity was a consequence of the global financial crash in every single Western country. And I think Britain recovered more quickly than others, created more jobs than anyone else and actually had less austerity than most countries precisely because we actually embraced a plan.”

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Brexit warning: Boris ‘won’t hesitate’ to turn back on trade deal ‘EU doesn’t understand!’

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Boris Johnson and his Conservative Party crushed the opposition in December’s general election to secure a huge 80-seat parliamentary majority, enabling him to force his Brexit deal through the House of Commons, something former Prime Minister Theresa May failed to do on three separate occasions. This saw Mr Johnson deliver on his general election pledge to “get Brexit done” on January 31, with negotiations on a trade deal with the European Union beginning in March. But these talks are already on the verge of collapse, with the two sides trading vicious blows and insults since the conclusion of the latest round of virtual talks last Friday (May 15).

The UK and EU are at odds over several aspects of the future relationship, and have blamed each other’s negotiating stance for the lack of progress being made thus far.

David Frost, the UK’s chief Brexit negotiator, has warned the EU and his Brussels counterpart Michel Barnier they will have to change their stance on a number of areas by the next round of virtual talks on June 1.

Even before formal trade negotiations began, Mr Johnson threatened to walk away from the negotiating table if sufficient progress had not been made by June.

John Macdonald, Head of Government Affairs at the Adam Institute think tank, warned this scenario is now becoming more of a reality, and had scathing criticism for the EU.

He told Express.co.uk: “While a trade deal is now even more in both the EU and UK’s interests, the EU appears not to understand (despite how often it has been repeated) that unlike Theresa May, Johnson’s strong Parliamentary majority is staked on his commitment to ‘Get Brexit Done’.

“It is likely he will not hesitate to walk away from the table.

“Johnson and his top team have already shown willingness to walk away should their negotiating principles be violated.

“They refused to cave to pressure to amend their Withdrawal Agreement Bill when the Tories had no working majority, choosing the riskier strategy of pursuing a General Election over sacrificing their principles.”

Professor Alex de Ruyter, Director of the Centre for Brexit Studies at Birmingham City University, warned the exploding tensions between the UK and EU will likely see trade deal negotiations collapse because “there is no change in sight to the UK Government’s negotiating approach”.

He told this website: “I think that ‘no deal’ is looking increasingly likely.

“For the free-market Brexit ‘ultras’ in the UK negotiating team, any form of continued regulatory alignment with the EU is anathema to them.

“I think they would prefer no deal to what they regard as continued adherence to Brussels rulings.

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“Given that we have until the end of next month to request an extension to the so-called Transition Period of continued Single Market and Customs Union membership, time is running out, and there is no change in sight to the UK Government’s negotiating approach.”

But while Kostas Maronitis, Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at Leeds Trinity University, conceded Mr Johnson could still turn his back on a trade deal with the EU, he outlined why the Prime Minister would be wrong to do so.

The political expert said: “Walking away would be wrong for two reasons.

“First, it would indicate a failure of statecraft and lack of political vision.

“Second, the world of trade is completely different to the one when the UK voted to leave the EU.

“The breakdown of relations between US and China and the recession caused by the pandemic do not necessarily provide any sense of safety or normality that the UK could rely on.”

Wyn Grant, Political Scientist and Professor of Politics at the University of Warwick, believes the UK is hoping its threats to pull out of trade talks could see Brussels relent in a number of areas, but he warned this strategy is fraught with danger.

He said: “I think that the UK does intend to walk away in the hope that the EU will offer a deal as the deadline approaches.

“They may do, but it would be a bare-bones deal that avoided the worst disruption.”

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Workers' Party MP Low Thia Khiang discharged from hospital following fall at home

SINGAPORE – Aljunied GRC MP Low Thia Khiang was discharged from hospital on Thursday (May 21) after being treated for a fall at home last month, said the Workers’ Party (WP).

In a Facebook post on Friday (May 22), it said the former party secretary-general is currently on hospitalisation leave.

“He is recuperating at home and undergoing rehabilitation,” the party said.

Mr Low, 63, suffered a head injury after a fall at home on April 30, and warded in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

He was transferred to a general ward on May 4 after five days in ICU.

“Mr Low and his family wish to express their thanks to the staff of the ICU and Ward A82 of the Khoo Teck Puat General Hospital for their dedication and professionalism during his stay,” the party said.

In Mr Low’s absence from work, the other Aljunied GRC MPs have been covering his constituency duties, assisted by former NCMP Gerald Giam.

Mr Low is the longest serving opposition MP in Singapore.

He entered politics in 1988, losing in his first outing as a WP candidate in Tiong Bahru GRC.

He became a Member of Parliament after winning the Hougang seat at his second election in 1991, and has served as an MP since.

Mr Low took over as secretary-general of the WP from Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam in 2001 and went on to lead the party for 17 years.

He stepped down as secretary-general in 2018 and was succeeded by Mr Pritam Singh.

Mr Low is credited with being the first opposition leader to win a group representation constituency when the WP team he led won Aljunied GRC in 2011.

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