Weekly Round-Up
It’s been another busy week in Enfield and Westminster. I was pleased to meet with Enfield Council representatives to discuss the concerns of many constituents living around the M25 Junction 25 development leading into Bullsmoor Lane. Residents of Bullsmoor have been campaigning for decades for a cleaner, safer, and healthier neighbourhood and are deeply concerned that the development of Junction 25 will have a significant and negative impact on traffic flow on the residential roads in the area, which are home to numerous schools, residences, and local businesses. I have called on the council to push back on Highways England’s damaging proposals and do more to tackle HGV use. In light of these concerns, and the fatalities that have occurred since the development scheme was introduced, I wrote to Grant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Transport, this week. I have urged him to look into the matter and to work with both the residents of the area and Highways England to ensure that the health and safety of residents is not compromised in any development scheme.
I was delighted to be invited to speak at a lunch networking meeting of the Federation of Small Businesses. The self-employed and the small businesses of Enfield make such an important contribution to our community, through the products and services that they provide to the support for the local economy. They are a source of not just jobs and prosperity, but also local pride. For those classified as essential businesses, the services they have provided have kept Enfield moving through this pandemic and second lockdown. For some residents, they may have been the only people that they have spoken to daily, providing a lifeline for the community. I am determined to continue pushing the Government for better support for our small businesses and the self-employed, both during and after this pandemic.
I was also very pleased this week to meet (virtually, of course) members of local community groups, hosted by the wonderful Enfield Love Your Doorstep. We discussed plans to create a community interactive map that will feature all the charity, community, educational, voluntary, and emergency services facilities that are available in Enfield. We’ve all seen the amazing way that the community has pulled together during this pandemic and it will be fantastic to have a central resource where all of this information is available. I am so grateful to everyone involved.
In the House of Commons this week, the Internal Markets Bill returned from the House of Lords with amendments they proposed. These amendments intended to remove the clause that allowed the Government to break international law. I voted in favour of the amendments, but Tory MPs ensured their defeat. The Bill will now go back to the House of Lords, and I suspect the Lords will return it once more with the amendments they made. I will continue to vote to uphold the rule of law and protect the reputation and standing of the UK on the world stage.
I attended a NATO briefing with James Cleverly MP this week as part of my role as a member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. From 18 to 23 November, NATO members will gather together (online, of course) to discuss the key issues affecting the security of the Euro-Atlantic area. Of course, the Covid pandemic will be a key theme this year, as the impact on citizens’ health and way of life are discussed as well as the global economy and the impacts of international security. But Covid has not swept away the other issues facing the alliance and discussions will focus on the continuing challenges from Russia, the Middle East and North Africa region, and China as well. Science and technology continue to be an important area of discussion as is the role of women in peace and security initiatives.
I was pleased to meet with Mayor Sadiq Khan, and his Deputy Mayor of Policing, to discuss his Action Plan to improve trust and confidence in the Met Police, which he published this morning. The Action Plan aims to bring about real change and ensure that the police are seen to use their powers more fairly and to be more accountable to communities. There is also a strong focus on fostering deeper relationships between the police and Black communities. This is an important step as we seek to ensure our police force effectively represents and works for all Londoners.
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!