Weekly Update
It has been a busy week in Parliament.
At Prime Minister's Questions, Keir Starmer rightly raised the fact that the former Prime Minister, Liz Truss, has taken to criticising and undermining Britain at every opportunity since leaving office. She has also claimed that as Prime Minister she was sabotaged by the deep state, whatever that means, it is absolute nonsense. As many will know, Liz Truss was removed as Prime Minister because she crashed the economy and inflicted a Tory mortgage bombshell on households throughout the country. For the former Prime Minister to try and blame others for this just shows how out of touch the Tories are with the country.
When the Conservatives refuse to accept any blame for the ruin of the past 14 years, you must wonder who they think has been running the country all this time.
Home Office Questions
This week I got the opportunity to question the Government on their record on tackling crime among young people.
I focused on some new data that we uncovered about weapons being found in schools. In some areas of the country, the number of weapons seized in schools has doubled, with knives and tasers found in some instances. This is completely unacceptable. Parents should not have to worry about their children’s safety at school, these should be safe spaces.
But this Tory government has hollowed out our youth services and neighbourhood policing to the point that youth violence and knife crime have skyrocketed.
Labour’s Young Futures programme will put youth workers back in every community and mental health workers back into schools, giving our young people the best possible start in life. It is high time the Government matched Labour’s ambition and started prioritising the safety and opportunities of our young people.
Digital Exclusion Debate in Parliament
On Wednesday, Members of Parliament got the opportunity to raise the issue of digital exclusion in their communities in Westminster.
Those who have followed my banking hub campaign will know this is a very important issue to me.
Local bank branches are so important to our community in Enfield North. They provide vital in-person services that residents and businesses rely on, whether they are opening accounts, applying for a loan, making or receiving payments or needing help with a standing order.
However, since 2015, almost half of bank branches in the UK have shut, many in Enfield North, including Barclays, Santander and most recently Virgin Money.
Not everyone wants to use or feels comfortable using online banking, especially with online threats of fraud and other methods of crime.
That’s why I fought for a banking hub and got the green light for one to be delivered in our community this year. I will not let those who rely on in-person banking services in Enfield North be left behind.
International Women’s Day Debate
On Thursday, there was a debate in the House of Commons for International Women’s Day on the language of politics.
I was unfortunately unable to make the debate due to diary commitments, however, I wanted to use the opportunity to speak of the plight of the women in Gaza and Israel. It is women who disproportionately bear the brunt of war and the desperate situation in Gaza. We have all seen the awful videos on social media, and the facts tell us that the death toll has now risen beyond 30,000, with over 70% of those killed being women and children.
Women are trapped with no escape, facing unimaginable suffering, with no solution in sight.
Some are pregnant without inadequate care, carrying their babies under the unimaginable strain of living in a war zone. Some are mothers, with no sufficient food and clean water to produce milk for their babies. In December, month-old babies had never been washed.
We must do all we can to push and secure aid into Gaza and call for an immediate ceasefire observed by all sides of the conflict.
That is why I am so pleased that the Labour motion passed last week calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and for a pathway to long-term peace. The women of Gaza deserve a future to look forward to.
We have a responsibility to help in securing their future.
More uncertainty around the banning of Section 21 Evictions
This week it was reported that the Government were discussing watering down their no-fault eviction proposal. This would be a complete betrayal of private renters in Enfield North who are desperate for greater security and better rights.
We need no-fault evictions to be abolished, and we need this weak Government to stop putting the interests of their Members of Parliament ahead of the country’s interests. Although I know this is a big ask for this weak Prime Minister.
I will be raising this in Parliament very soon and will inform you with further updates.
You can see the news here.