Dear Newcastle May 2019

The European Elections are going to be crucial. Far more than choosing the representatives who will take their seats in the European Parliament, this election is a battle of hearts and minds. Our country is at a crossroads, and only Labour can provide the progressive voice we need.

Over the past few months, my inbox has been flooded with concern about the climate crisis, about the injustices that ravage our continent and the Government’s calamitous handling of Brexit.

It is only the Labour candidates in London who combine the promise of radical reform in Europe and who pledge to support a second referendum. As someone who voted against triggering Article 50 and who has been passionately in favour of a second referendum, I wouldn’t consider giving my vote to any party but the Labour Party.

With nationalism and division rampant, our London Labour MEP candidates will provide a powerful antidote. Tommy Robinson and Nigel Farage claim to speak for the people, but all they offer is a toxic concoction of bigotry and isolationism which will make us all less safe and poorer. This election is your opportunity to vote to unite the country and set about creating a more equal future for all. Only Labour can provide this.

At this election, I hope that you can see fit to support our London Labour candidates:

• Claude Moraes
• Seb Dance
• Katy Clark
• Laura Parker
• Murad Qureshi
• Taranjit Chana
• James Beckles
• Sanchia Alasia

If you have any further questions about our candidates then get in touch on tulip@tulipsiddiq.com

I met with the new rail franchise provider for the Midlands Mainline train services – a Dutch company called ‘Abellio’ – who were confirmed to take on services for the next eight years by the Transport Minister this week.

They have made a number of commitments on train services and quality which I will try to hold them to account on. In particular I’m worried about the continued ‘slam door’ trains where passengers have to lean outside to open the door, because this makes the service inaccessible for many people with mobility difficulties.

Meanwhile, legal action has been launched by Stagecoach against the Department for Transport after the company was excluded from the bidding process for the East Midlands rail franchise due to a ‘non-compliant’ bid due to the Department’s concerns about its pension commitments.

According to Stagecoach, bidding parties for franchises have been asked to bear a full long-term funding risk. The Pensions Regulator has estimated that, to address the pensions shortfall, the UK rail industry needs an additional £5-6bn.

Stagecoach has also been barred from South Eastern’s and West Coast Partnership’s bidding process.

This latest news from Tata means yet more uncertainty for steelworkers. Their announcement about keeping Port Talbot is a start, but now we need real commitment from Tata on Trostre. We need close cooperation from the company with the Trade Unions.

Lee Waters AM and I will be urging UK Government to follow Welsh Government in doing everything possible to secure the future of our steel industry.

Aberavon AM David Rees  and Stephen Kinnock MP seek urgent meeting with Tata following the

suspension of the Joint Venture with Thyssenkrupp AG.

Following today’s announcement of the suspension of the joint venture between Tata Steel and Thyssenkrupp AG, David Rees, Assembly Member for Aberavon, and Stephen Kinnock Member of Parliament for Aberavon have spoken to Tata Steel UK to arrange an urgent meeting to discuss the future of steel making in Wales, in particular the future of steel making at Tata’s Port Talbot plant.

Port Talbot is the largest steel making site in the UK and over the last several turbulent years, Steel workers across Wales have given their whole hearted commitment to the steel industry, including an agreement to reduce their pension benefits, and they are now, once again, concerned over the future of the Port Talbot works. The announcement today that the merger with Thyssenkrupp AG has been suspended comes following many years of instability over the future of the plant at Port Talbot. It was hoped that the JV would bring stability to the sector here in Wales, however, today’s announcement (Friday 10th May 2019) extends the rollercoaster that steel workers, their families, their communities, and the supply chain have been experiencing. Unions and Aberavon Labour politicians are now calling on Tata Steel to ensure the workforce that the future of the plant is not at risk.  

Signing the Book of Condolence in the memory of murdered journalist Lyra McKee in Belfast City Hall 24^thApril 2019.

Tracy Brabin MP addressed school leaders at the National Association of Head Teachers conference over the weekend where she spoke about government failures and the importance of getting early years education right.

During her speech the Batley and Spen MP covered Labour’s offer of properly funded 30 hours of free childcare for all 2-4 years olds, Sure Start centres, exciting plans for a National Education Service and much more.

Tracy Brabin MP’s speech in full:

It’s an absolute pleasure to be with you all here in Telford – a place that just put its faith in Labour to run its council once again –  and to be among some of the most passionate, and excellent educational leaders our country has to offer.

During my time with you today I’d like to tell you a bit about me and where my passion for education comes from, explain where I feel the current government needs to do better and what education will look like under the next Labour Government.

As mentioned in the introduction, my name is Tracy Brabin and I’m the MP for Batley and Spen.

Before becoming a Member of Parliament I worked as an actor, in Coronation Street and EastEnders, then as a writer, working on shows such as Hollyoaks, Shameless and Tracy Beaker.

Then in 2016 on the eve of the Referendum on our membership of European Union, Jo Cox was killed in the very village I grew up in.

I stood as the Labour candidate in the by-election that followed and during my first spell in parliament I joined the Women and Equalities Select Committee.

Focusing on important issues such as equality in the workplace, getting women back into work and highlighting issues surrounding maternity discrimination.

Then 2017, Theresa May called the general election and I was honoured to be re-elected.

Jeremy Corbyn asked me to join his front bench – working on Early Years in Angela Rayner’s shadow education team.

It felt like a natural fit, so I said yes, and haven’t looked back since.

From acting, writing and now a politician – it has been a varied and excited career. And one I feel lucky to have had.

But I know full well that I would not be here today, and I wouldn’t have walked on that fabled, cobbled, Corrie Street if it wasn’t for the education I received.

It is the foundation that my life has been built on.

From a working class family, I received state education and it was of high quality and supported me.

And more than that, something that is very important to me, is that there was creativity – drama, music and self-expression.

When I look around my constituency in West Yorkshire today – I sadly don’t see the same opportunities for children as the ones I had.

You won’t be surprised to hear that I believe the record of the Conservative Party over the last nine years in government has been poor.

As the Shadow Minister for Early Years, I want to focus on this area. Not least because it is the most important.

Just last week we saw the damning evidence from the Government’s own Social Mobility Commission that showed Inequality will remain entrenched in the UK “from birth to work” unless the government takes urgent action.

It found that about a half (52%) of disadvantaged teenagers leave school without basic qualifications and many get stuck in low-paid work.

If we don’t get the gap down – the one that too often exists between the disadvantaged children their better off peers by the time they show up at the school gates – we’re so often playing a loosing game of catch up.

This is why I’m so passionate about policy in the early years and also why I so often feel completely deflated at where we are now.

First of all, let’s look at the big one – the 30 hours of free childcare – a Conservative pledge at the 2015 general election.

It came into effect during the summer of 2017 and was an incredible opportunity. One that could have transformed our early education system – put to bed once and for all the idea that state responsibility for education starts with school.

But the reality was quite different. Nearly as soon as the policy was announced there were rumblings that the funding levels weren’t enough – and those rumblings have got louder and louder.

Settings, to trade union, think-tanks, local authorities, Members of Parliament, maintained Nursery Schools and even two House of Commons select committees have sought more money for the policy – but so far nothing from the Government.

Recent NDNA researched showed –

• An annual funding deficit of over £2000 per child.
• A third of nurseries having to limit the funded places they can offer to try to reduce their spiralling shortfalls.
• And a third of nurseries being paid late for the work they do.

As a result we have seen outstanding and experienced providers closing their doors for good.

And as I travel up and down the country, even in nurseries that aren’t at direct risk of closure – far too often the attention of the leaders in those nurseries has been moved from what’s going on in the soft play area to what the spreadsheets are saying.

That’s not what we want for our children.

The funding levels as we’ve just discussed – and we also had the chaos of a sign-up system for parents that didn’t work, remember that?

They also wanted to exclude fostered children from the policy for no other reason than they were fostered – only reversing this after we mounted a campaign.

But despite all of that – there is one element I find truly unforgivable.

If we accept that high quality early years education can change the life of a child – and I think we all agreed that it can –

And if we believe the overwhelming evidence that there is a gap between the rich and poor on the first day of school –

Then why on earth have the Conservatives only permitted children whose parents work to benefit for 30 hours of free childcare?

By it’s very nature this is a policy that every single day is locking the poorest children in the country out.

And I believe in years to come we will find that it has had a negative impact on social mobility.

But don’t worry too much – we’ve got big plans to change that – which I’ll come onto.

Before that though, I want to discuss the disadvantaged two-year-olds funded hours.

The poorest two-year olds are eligible for 15 hours of free childcare every week yet consistently 3 out of 10 are missing out.

We must do better than that – and the Government need to invest in a public awareness campaign. It’s not good enough to simply create it and expect it to be found.

And an issue I know is important to many of you is Maintained Nursery Schools.
So often the crème de la crème of early years education –

Usually based in areas of disadvantage – a qualified teacher in every classroom – strong leadership – linked in with other local services – overwhelmingly well rated with Ofsted

This is a successful model with a track record to be proud of.

But they have been treated so badly in recent years.

Many have disappeared and we’re years into a campaign for fairer funding to secure the future of Maintained Nursery Schools.

I know there was some stopgap funding announced recently – but come on…..

Planning year by year or even month by month isn’t fair and we shouldn’t ask school leaders to do it.

So – what are we going to do instead –

Well this is the part I’m most enthusiastic about.

When in Government, I’ll make sure that our early years and childcare sector is treated with the respect that it deserves.

I want to put quality right at the heart of our Early Years Plan. And talk boldly about Early Education as well as childcare.

And as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn laid out at our annual conference –

We’re going to provide 30 hours of funded childcare and early education hours to all 2-4 year olds, and it’s going to be available universally so the poorest – and those children who would benefit most – don’t miss out.

I know that this may sound like more of the same, but crucially Labour would use capital expenditure to make sure the funding rates are high enough.

The funding rate is going to be £7.35 per hour by the end of our first term in government.

We’ll deliver this significant investment into early years because we appreciate that quality comes at a cost and that it’s the best for future generations.

And I want to work hand in hand with the sector – including the NAHT – to help raise and maintain the standards of childcare across the board.

This week we revealed a 10-year plan to shift to a graduate-led workforce and improve the pay and skills of childcare staff with a new national pay scale for all early years workers starting at £10 an hour.

Because you all know that our incredible practitioners deserve a pay rise.

When I visit settings and see the dedication and enthusiasm for the job I’m saddened that early years and childcare is one of lowest paid sectors of the economy.

Early years professionals earn less than half the median wage of qualified teachers.

Nurseries and childminders provide a vital public service and we’re going to make sure they’re paid properly to reflect that – attracting the best and brightest to the sector too.

And I want more men in the sector – something I know we agree on.

With more pay and training opportunities I hope we’ll be able to end the recruitment crisis facing so many of our settings.

I’m delighted that Jeremy Corbyn also laid out further details of some of our other exciting policies.

Because we realise that 30 hours may not be enough for all parents, we would introduce subsidised childcare, on a tiered basis which would mean the lowest earners get the most help accessing the care they need.

And those at the upper end of the household income will pay up to £4 per hour.

In order to avoid overburdening parents and settings with different support schemes we’re going to do away with Tax-Free childcare.

It has proved unpopular with parents – the take up has been vastly less than expected. (£800m less in the first year). It’s also regressive in that it helps those with the deepest pockets the most.

And I can’t discuss our plans without mentioning Sure Start, a service that has been decimated by the current Government.

So we will ring-fence funding for Sure Start meaning that children, no matter where they live, will have access to services. Ending the current post code lottery.

Which has got to be our mission, if we truly want to be a country of social mobility it means not standing by and watching as children fall behind.

And we’ll improve what happens behind those school gates too –

The current academy system is over-centralised, inefficient, undemocratic, and does not improve standards in our schools or outcomes for pupils.

Parents, communities, and teachers are shut out of decisions about schools and vulnerable children are being let down by the system.

Our schools have had their budgets cut year after year, we are facing a crisis in teacher recruitment and retention. They’ve cut 2.7 billion pounds from school budgets in England

And you, our school leaders are being forced to ask parents for money for even the most basic provisions to teach their students.

Meanwhile, the leaders of some multi-academy trusts are earning fat cat salaries from taxpayers’ money while financial mismanagement and scandals grow.

Under Angela Rayner Labour in Government would end the fragmentation of our school system, giving power back to communities so that our schools are run by and accountable to the people who know them best – parents, teachers, and local communities.

We will return significant powers to local government, including making them responsible for all school admissions in their areas, and giving them the powers they need to open and commission new schools to create the places their communities need.

We’ll end the current free schools and academies programme, moving towards a new system, integrated in our National Education Service, where all schools follow the same rules, and schools are meaningfully accountable to the parents and communities they serve.

And we’ll invest again in schools.

6.87 billion extra a year, for free school meals, an arts Pupil Premium and an improved funding formula.

This is our vision for education through out National Education System and I hope every single one of you in this room are as excited as I am because you all have a large part to play.

And let me finish by saying from the bottom of heart – thank you for everything that you do for children.

When I visit nurseries, primaries and secondaries – despite all of the clear challenges that you face – I am constantly assured that children will thrive under the leadership of their schools. I hope we can make your life easier soon.

The St Michael & All Angels Church in Brimington is trying to raise £100k to pay for a new heating system and to make the church more accessible for disabled and elderly church goers.

Toby with Reverend Daniel Cooke

Chesterfield MP, Toby Perkins, recently visited the Church to meet with Reverend Daniel Cooke and has now given his support to the fundraising campaign.

Toby said, “the heating system at the Church is older than Reverend Cooke himself and it can get almost unbearably cold. The building is a great space that could be utilised more by the community if the heating system was replaced and a refurbishment completed to make it more accessible and usable”.

As well as replacing the heating system, the Church is planning to remove the old pews, which are inaccessible for many disabled and elderly people, and introduce more flexible seating that will allow access for wheelchairs and pushchairs, and make the building more suitable for community activities and events. The Church has already raised £20k of their £100k target, and is now being supported to apply for a grant by Toby Perkins and other groups.

Toby added, “There are other churches in the Chesterfield area that have modernised and become more accessible, and they have become real community hubs. Hopefully, the St Michael & All Angels Church can do the same and I would urge people to donate what they can.”

Donations can be made via the Church’s Justgiving page at: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/stmichaelsheatingandseating

It is always an honour to be asked to speak and to lay a wreath at the Workers’ Day Memorial Service held in Saltwell Park’s rose garden.

I was joined by a number of people, including the Mayor of Gateshead and Leader of Gateshead Council, in paying our respects to those who have already suffered as a result of injury or illness caused by the workplace. As always, it is a reminder that we must remember the dead, and continue to fight for the living.

Ian laying a wreath in Saltwell Park rose garden

High Peak MP Ruth George is swapping the polished halls of Westminster for the muddy terrain of the Peak District this weekend as she takes part in this year’s Bog Commander event in aid of Blythe House Hospice.

Ruth takes up the story: “Last year I promised I’d help Blythe House Hospice to raise funds by doing Bog Commander – 6.3km of mud, hills and obstacles – not what MPs are supposed to do!

“After hearing that Blythe House is losing its Lottery funding for Children’s Bereavement Counselling – and having met some of the children who’ve suffered the loss of a loved one and been helped by this service, I wanted to help.

“Losing someone we love is never easy, but for children the pain and grief can be overwhelming. Blythe House Hospice’s Bereavement Counselling has supported countless local children through personal tragedy and the Lottery funding cannot be easily replaced.

“I’ve had a chest infection, so I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to compete in this tough local event, but thanks to our great local NHS my asthma is back in its box and I’m raring to go on Saturday! Please feel free to come and cheer all the competitors on Saturday from 10am, more details at: on the Bog Commander website.

“Please sponsor me to see your MP as you’ve never seen me before – and to help Blythe House continue to support local children who need their kindness, are and professional skills. Thank you!”

You can sponsor Ruth via her Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ruth-george8

Ends

 More details on the Bog Commander website: http://www.bogcommander.co.uk

The post High Peak MP Ruth George takes up Bog Commander challenge in aid of Blythe House Hospice appeared first on Ruth George MP for High Peak.

Bristol South MP Karin Smyth is pleased to be chairing the inaugural meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Trailer and Towing Safety in Westminster on Tuesday 30 April 2019. 

The creation of this cross-party group is a significant step forward in the campaign to improve trailer safety. As part of the meeting, The National Towing Working Group, chaired by Highways England, will be launching their first ever Safety Framework, with the aim of reducing towing-related incidents, both business and leisure related, across the GB road network. 

It follows two Trailer Safety Summits, which Karin hosted in her Bristol South constituency in 2017 and 2018, an amendment to the Haulage Permits and Trailer Registration Act requiring the government to collect data on trailer related incidents and ongoing talks with the government’s Road Safety Minister Jesse Norman MP over further potential changes to legislation. 

Karin first spoke about the issue in Parliament in 2016 after meeting with constituents Donna and Scott Hussey – who lost their 3-year-old son Freddie when he was hit by a trailer that had come loose from a vehicle in Bedminster in 2014.  

Thanks to Karin’s work with the Hussey family, the DVSA went on to release new guidelines for towing safety and launched the #TowSafe4Freddie campaign to help raise awareness among drivers. Karin has since teamed up with the National Trailer and Towing Association (NTTA) to promote free roadside safety checks for trailers, but believes more is needed to protect road users and pedestrians – which is why she has launched the new APPG. 

The APPG brings together MPs from the main political parties, industry representatives and consumer groups to explore the issue of trailer and towing safety. The group, for which the National Caravan Council (NCC) is the secretariat, will discuss a programme of work for the future and will, this summer, discuss the Department for Transport’s Trailer Safety Report, which will be published in July as a result of Karin’s intervention last year (2018). 

Karin said: “Working with the Hussey family, I’ve been able to bring this important issue to Westminster. We’ve come a long way since I first spoke about the issue in Parliament and, with the launch of the APPG, I’m pleased to see the concerns we have getting the attention they need. It paves the way for the changes needed in the area of towing safety over the coming months and years.  

“These incidents are far too common and what has become clear during this ongoing campaign is that drivers are often unaware just how dangerous towing without the correct safety measures can be. That needs to change and thanks to our ongoing campaign and work with the likes of the NCC and NTTA, it will. I don’t want to see other families suffer in the way that young Freddie’s family has.”  

Freddie’s mum Donna said: “While it has always been difficult for us to comprehend what happened to Freddie, we made a promise to each other and to Freddie that we would do all we could to make sure this issue is given the serious consideration it deserves.  

“I did not realise it was an issue before it happened, but afterwards I started to look into it and saw that there were 2-3 incidents a week. We realised then that it was a real problem. In our case, if that trailer had been serviced they would’ve known that the hitch was not secured correctly. Had the driver realised there was a problem, he might not have gone out that day. People need to know that going out without the correct safety checks, you’re taking a big risk. 

“We are really pleased that Karin has supported us and, thanks to her efforts, all parties are now working together to make the necessary changes happen and hopefully prevent similar tragedies. We couldn’t have done it without her. If our hard work saves one life, then it is worth it. No family should go through what we have been through. We are determined to see this through in memory of Freddie.”  

“We are really pleased that Karin has supported us and, thanks to her efforts, all parties are now working together to make the necessary changes happen and hopefully prevent similar tragedies. We couldn’t have done it without her. If our hard work saves one life, then it is worth it. No family should go through what we have been through. We are determined to see this through in memory of Freddie.” 

Alicia Dunne of the NCC said they were pleased to be taking a key role in this new APPG, adding: “The NCC has consistently been an advocate of trailer safety education and awareness, and we look forward to helping Karin and the group develop practical, proportionate and effective measures aimed at improving trailer and towing safety for all UK road users.”