Weekly Round-Up

The week started with the Police, Crime, and Sentencing Bill being brought before Parliament, a shockingly weak response to the challenges facing the criminal justice system and a devastating attack on democratic freedoms in this country. The tragic murder of Sarah Everard must be a watershed moment in the treatment of women and girls in this country, and our approach to preventing sexual violence and harassment. The statistics are shocking - 98.5% of reported rapes don’t lead to prosecution; a separate UN Women UK Survey found that 97% of young women aged 18-24 had been sexually harassed.  For ten years this Government has promised a Victim’s Law, but it still hasn’t materialised. This week Labour published a 10-point plan, our Victim’s Law, to keep women and girls safe and to end the injustice they face. Labour has also called on the Government to look urgently at tougher sentences for rape and serious sexual violence – I think we can consider this a higher priority than tougher sentences for vandalising monuments of slave traders. We urgently need laws to tackle street harassment and tougher action against stalking – women should not have to feel unsafe walking the streets. We don’t need more consultations and delays, we need action. Now is the time to unite the country and put in place on long overdue protections for women against unacceptable violence, including action against domestic homicides, rape and street harassment – as well as tackling the misogynistic attitudes that underpin the abuse women face. Instead, the Conservatives brought forward a Bill that was seeking to divide the country. It is a mess, hence I voted against it.

Having been contacted by many constituents, I held a Westminster Hall debate this week on the situation facing opposition politicians and activists in Turkey. The Turkish government’s attack on free speech and complete and utter intolerance for pluralism in politics, the media and nearly every walk of life is causing much concern. The treatment of more than 20 million of Turkey’s citizens who are Kurdish has been a major cause for concern in the West for many years, but in 2015, the General Election in Turkey saw HDP (Peoples Democratic Party), a pro-Kurdish party led by a charismatic leader, able to form a coalition of progressives to run in the election. They were successful in breaking through the 10% threshold needed to win seats in the Turkish Parliament, and in so doing denied the incumbent government a majority. This resulted in the government launching an all-out attack against HDP and the democratically elected opposition politicians who represent it. The purge of opposition politicians has seen many MPs, mayors, and councillors, from the two main opposition parties (HDP and CHP) stripped of immunity and imprisoned. These are actions that undermine democracy. They undermine representation and will undermine the long-term stability of any democratic system. As a member of both NATO and the EHRC, Turkey has a duty to uphold democratic rules and conventions, and where it does not do so, it must be sanctioned. I called on the UK Government to do more to stand up for democratic values abroad and support those whose rights are being infringed and abused.

I’ve had a number of meetings this week. I hosted another meeting with the Metropolitan Police Service Enfield, the Haringey Borough Commander Unit, and representatives from black community organisations in Enfield North to improve the links between communities and the police and to ensure that constituents’ concerns are being heard. I was also pleased to join another briefing from the Minister for Vaccine Deployment. We are working hard to ensure that accurate information is getting to the harder to reach parts of the community, but we need the Government to look at ways of improving access to health services in order to reduce health inequalities across the city and the country.

I have also had many emails regarding the Whitewebbs Golf Course. I was pleased to see the Council have now issued a press release on the future of Whitewebbs Golf Course after misinformation was spreading online about the site being used for housing or landfill. Following years of making a financial loss, despite measures to improve its situation, the council are exploring options for the Golf Course. With the pandemic also putting significant pressure on the Council, they can no longer justify using taxpayers’ money to keep the Golf Course running. They are undertaking a procurement process to determine the future of the Golf course. I was pleased to see that the council had made it clear they want applications to meet the needs of the local community and any proposed use of the site to increase community access to Whitewebbs for walking, recreation, leisure, and other uses.

My telephone surgery sessions are continuing, and if you would like to book an appointment, please do contact my office to arrange this. Although my office is closed to the public in line with Government guidelines, my team and I are working hard from home so please do get in touch on feryal.clark.mp@parliament.uk if there is anything we can help you with. Remember –stay safe, save lives – maintain social distancing and keep washing your hands!