Weekly Round-Up

Greensill Scandal

This week began with the Government embroiled in the Greensill lobbying scandal, where a web extends from the former Prime Minister David Cameron, to the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, to private meetings with Health Secretary Matt Hancock, alongside the huge access to 11 government departments that Lex Greensill was given is outrageous, but only the tip of this iceberg when it comes to Conservative cronyism.

The British public deserves to know what happened to their taxes. Cronyism is rampant in this Conservative Government – the Greensill scandal is the tip of the iceberg. This week Labour called for a Parliamentary inquiry but it was voted down by Conservative MP’s who want to hide the truth from the public.

With the Chancellor running scared of parliament and refusing to answer questions, I continued to press for the government to provide answers to the public whose money is being recklessly doled out to Tory donors in the form of crony contracts.

You can view my question to ministers here: http://bit.ly/GreensillScandalQuestion



Domestic Abuse Bill 2019-21

This week also saw the return of the Domestic Abuse bill to the Commons for debate following amendments being made in the Lords.

The Bill has the chance to be transformative; but the amendments voted in by the House of Lords are vital for this to be the case. Violence against women and girls and domestic abuse is a stain on society; but it is not inevitable, and prevention is possible and essential. Covid has exposed the inadequate protection and support for survivors of VAWG and domestic abuse, specifically for some of the most marginalised in society. The UK government is not doing enough to support victims of domestic abuse.  A decade of cuts to police, Domestic Abuse services, VAWG services, the CPS and legal aid have led to a shameful situation, while too many perpetrators are escaping justice.

This Bill, with the proposed amendments, was an opportunity to protect more people, to recognise disabled victims, protect migrant victims, improve justice in courts, create a register for dangerous serial abusers, but sadly the Conservative MP’s voted them down.  

Sewell Report Commission on Race and Equalities

As the controversy around the discredited Commission on Race and Equalities report continued, this week saw the resignation of the Government’s most senior race relations advisor, who cited a “politics steeped in division”.

The commission had an opportunity to seriously address the structural racial inequalities in the UK after the powerful Black Lives Matter movement. A chance to address disproportionality in the criminal justice system, maternal mortality, school exclusions and unemployment. As the Shadow Minister for Equalities, Marsha De Cordova MP has said, this report is a ‘250-page divisive polemic that cherry-picks statistics to prove a preordained ideological point’.

Over 10 years of Tory rule has left working-class communities, including Black and ethnic minority people, facing low pay, insecure work and overcrowded housing. These are the things that have cost people their lives in the past year, and the Government cannot continue to split apart inequalities of race, class, geography and ethnicity in this way. I will continue to work with colleagues to push back on this shameful report, which denies the lived experiences of Black communities in Britain and ignores the findings of numerous reports before it.

Visit to Body Factory Gym

I was delighted to this week visit Body Factory Gym, one of our brilliant local businesses in Enfield Island Village which has been able to reopen following Monday’s lifting of lockdown regulations, and see the great work they have done to make their space safe for all customers.

Businesses like Body Factory will continue to face difficulties in the months ahead as the economy reopens. The Government should have brought forward a plan to help business through the crisis and beyond, including debt restructuring and a jobs guarantee for young people. Instead, the Government presides over an ineffective debt relief scheme with no link to profits and no ability to restructure, and a job creation scheme not up to the task.

Labour is calling on the Government to give businesses greater flexibility to repay debt taking on during the Covid crisis, including through student loan style arrangements that will only see businesses begin to repay once they are out of the red and back on their feet. 



Enfield Council meeting on Exeter Road

I was pleased to meet with officers from Enfield Council this week regarding a new housing development on the Exeter Road estate, which will provide high-quality and affordable homes for local families.

This is a significant housing project in Enfield North, comprising of 87 social rent and 42 shared ownership homes in the initial phase. Forty-six percent of the homes will be the much needed family sized 3- and 4-bedroom home and 10% will be wheelchair accessible. The proposal will be put to local residents for consultation post the election and I will ensure I share the details with you.