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I met with Unison disability reps to hear about how cuts to Personal Independence Payments could negatively impact disabled workers. These cuts would make it harder for disabled workers to undertake meaningful work and risk forcing experienced disabled staff out of our public services. I do not support the government’s cuts to disability benefits. I urge ministers to listen to the public sector concerns about the damage these cuts will do.
The post Meeting with UNISON Disability Representatives appeared first on Bell Ribeiro-Addy.
The summer holidays have arrived, and thankfully there’s plenty going on in Leicester to keep the kids entertained!
From crafts to coding, or animals to outer space – there’s something for everyone!
The post School holiday activities in Leicester appeared first on Liz Kendall.
Nesil Caliskan, Member of Parliament for Barking, hosted almost 70 teachers, councillors and parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities for a SEND Coffee Morning on Saturday 10th May.
Attendees were invited to discuss their current experience of SEND provision in Barking & Dagenham, after the borough has seen a 72% increase in Education, Health & Care (EHC) Plans since 2019. EHC Plans are the tool used by councils, schools and the NHS to plan support for a child with SEND.
They were asked about the barriers they have faced, what support has worked well, and what improvements they wanted to see to help Nesil ensure every child in Barking has the support they need to thrive.
Speaking after the event, Nesil Caliskan MP said: “Every child has the right to the support they need to thrive, but clearly children with SEND are being let down by a system that is totally broken and isn’t working for anyone.
“It was great to hear from people’s lived experiences of the SEND system – I’d like to thank everyone for sharing their personal stories with me in such a supportive environment.
“We must improve SEND provision in Barking & Dagenham, so in the coming weeks I’m collating everything that I’ve heard so I can represent their views to government. If you’ve had experience with the SEND system, I’d love to hear from you.”
Feedback was recorded by Nesil who is writing a report about the SEND experience in Barking to present to the Government in the coming weeks.
Portsmouth MP Stephen Morgan has said Labour’s radical skills reforms will set Portsmouth young people up for jobs of the future.
Mr Morgan made the comments during a visit to City of Portsmouth College where he toured the specialist Refrigeration & Air Conditioning and Gas & Plumbing workshops.
The visit concluded with a roundtable discussion focusing on the college’s strategic goals, workforce development in the childcare sector, and the importance of collaborative leadership in education.
Mr Morgan discussed the government’s plans to deliver 120,000 new training opportunities across England as part of a radical skills revolution, giving them the chance to develop skills where they are most needed across the workforce to rebuild Britain.
More skilled brickies, carpenters and healthcare support workers will soon be trained up as Labour continues drive to get Britain working, with landmark reforms announced today that refocus the skills landscape towards young, domestic talent.
The Labour Government is making the UK a clean energy superpower creating jobs of the future for Portsmouth young people and investing in new measures to tackle construction skills shortages to build 1.5 million homes.
Commenting, Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan said:
“It was great to City of Portsmouth College again to see how they’re equipping local young people with the skills and training they need to succeed in the future.
“Labour is investing in these skills for Portsmouth young people so they have more opportunities to learn a trade, earn a wage and achieve and thrive.
“The Government has set out ambitious targets to build 1.5 million homes and make our country a clean energy superpower and I’m excited by the opportunities this will bring local people. More skilled brickies, carpenters and healthcare support workers is exactly what Portsmouth can deliver as we continue to get Britain working.”
Mr Morgan recently welcomed a £2.3 million funding boost for students in Portsmouth from a fresh government investment in college buildings.
The post Stephen Morgan backs skills revolution on visit to City of Portsmouth College appeared first on Stephen Morgan MP.
Shoppers and businesses in Llanelli will see increased police patrols and local action to tackle town centre crime this summer, as the Home Secretary launches a major blitz to support safer high streets.
The blitz – which will see more officers in Llanelli town centre during peak times over the summer months – has today been welcomed by Dame Nia Griffith, Labour MP for Llanelli as a way to help shoppers and visitors feel safe and more confident and also to increase footfall in the town.
More than 500 towns have signed up to the Home Secretary’s Safer Streets summer crackdown. In the Dyfed Powys Police area, these towns include Llanelli as well as Carmarthen, Aberystwyth, Brecon, Builth Wells, Haverfordwest, Milford Haven, Newtown and Tenby.
The towns will see increased police patrols accompanied by stronger prevention and enforcement action by police, councils and other local partners.
Under the previous UK Conservative Government, shoplifting soared to record levels, with a staggering 70% increase in their last two years in office alone.
Local Police and Crime Commissioners have developed bespoke local action plans with police, businesses, and local councils with the aim of supporting town centres to become vibrant places where people want to live, work, spend time.
These plans include increased visible town centre policing and ramping up the use of targeted enforcement powers against troublemakers – including banning perpetrators from hotspots.
The blitz comes as part of the UK Labour Government’s Plan for Change, which will also put 13,000 more police personnel in neighbourhood roles over the course of this Parliament, backed by a £200m cash injection in the first year. Thanks to this investment, Dyfed Powys Police will get an additional 33 neighbourhood officers this year.
The Home Office, alongside police, retailers and industry are also launching a new Tackling Retail Crime Together Strategy, which will use shared data to assist in disrupting not just organised criminal gangs, but all types of perpetrators including prolific offenders who are stealing to fund an addiction and ‘opportunist’ offenders.
Dame Nia Griffith, Labour MP for Llanelli, said:
“The Conservatives decimated neighbourhood policing whilst crimes like shoplifting and street theft were spiralling out of control and communities like ours here in Llanelli unfortunately paid the price.
Residents and local businesses have the right to feel safe in our town centre and the increased policing and enforcement will play an important part in sending a clear message to those intent on causing problems that their behaviour will not be tolerated. Putting more officers back on the beat where people can see them will make a real difference.”
Jeff Smith MP has today heralded the greenlighting of vital road and rail upgrades as “transformative” for residents in Manchester. The announcement comes alongside the over £92 billion of investment announced at the spending review.
The wave of projects set to go ahead will ease congestion, cut journey times and bring greater access to jobs and opportunities – making working people better off.
Projects given the green light in the North West include:
Working people in Manchester will also gain better access to jobs and housing through these schemes, helping deliver Labour’s Plan for Change to build strong foundations and kick-start economic growth, made possible by the investment unlocked in last month’s Spending Review.
Rail investment outside of London and the South East is long overdue, which is why the Government is confirming additional funding right across England and Wales, which will improve access to jobs and leisure and stimulate housing growth in the regions.
Jeff Smith, Member of Parliament for Manchester Withington said:
“Today’s announcement is very welcome – this funding will be transformative. This Labour government is putting its money where its mouth is and delivering on its transport promises.
“These projects will mean people can get to work and school more easily, see friends and family and attend important appointments. Slashing journey times and improving journeys will make all make a real, positive difference to people’s lives.”
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said:
“Transport is the backbone of our economy, which is why we are giving local areas the funding boost they need, putting taxpayers’ money where it matters most and making everyday journeys easier.
“With over £92 billion investment, we’re delivering the schemes that fast-track economic growth and jobs, connect communities, and will help us build 1.5 million new homes, as we deliver our Plan for Change.
“We’re forging ahead with the vital new transport infrastructure Britain needs, and improving what we’ve already got, to deliver a new era of renewal and opportunity.”
Nationally, over 25,000 new jobs and 39,000 new homes are estimated to be supported thanks to the funding committed for major road schemes, helping deliver the Government’s Plan for Change to boost economic growth, and build 1.5 million more houses over five years.
Journey times will be slashed, saving commuters, businesses, and freight thousands of hours every week, and boosting economic growth across the whole country.
These new infrastructure commitments are backed by £92 billion of Government funding to invest in more projects across England, including record levels of funding for upgrading our road and rail networks, extending the £3 bus cap, providing £1 billion to enhance the local road network and create a new Structures Fund.
To support local journeys, the Government is also committing support to continue 28 local road schemes vital to connecting and growing communities. These schemes, which include the Middlewich Eastern Bypass and A382 Drumbridges to Newton Abbot schemes, are not motorways or trunk A-roads, but junctions, bypasses and traffic-easing projects which will improve millions of congested commutes and unlock further housing and jobs.
Of the £92.8 billion, the Chancellor has already announced £10.2 billion for rail enhancements, improving connectivity and unlocking growth in key areas of the UK, which have for too long struggled with unreliable, infrequent services. This also includes £24 billion for motorways, trunk roads and local roads across the country.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said:
“These vital investments are long overdue, will transform local communities and improve living standards across the country.
“Investments like these are only possible because we took the right decisions to stabilise our public finances and changed the fiscal rules so we can invest in Britain’s renewal, grow the economy and put more money in working people’s pockets.”
This continued funding for rail schemes up and down the country will open up access to jobs, grow the economy and drive up quality of life as the Plan for Change is delivered.
I’m working hard every day to make Portsmouth a better city for all. Me and the team popped by to hear your views, ideas and concerns today.
We’re out every week listening to Portsmouth people and asking them to share their ideas and concerns on local and national issues to inform my work as our MP. From making our streets safer, to fixing the NHS and ensuring every child in our city succeeds and thrives.
I want to hear from you on what matters to you, your family and our community. As your MP, I take action every day to make Portsmouth a better place for everyone. You can complete my survey below.
If you have a specific issue you would like help with, please do get in touch using the details on this website. I hope you’ll take five minutes to share your thoughts, it really does matter to me. Thank you!
The post What matters to you? appeared first on Amanda Martin MP.
You may have read the article that appeared in the Sunday Times online on 28 June and be concerned about what it reports. This note is intended to give you some further context and to reassure you that I am fully committed to my public service, to my constituents in Mid Norfolk and to all the obligations that go with that.
——
Before being elected to Parliament in 2010, I had a 15-year career founding, managing, and investing in high growth businesses in the science and technology sector.
Throughout my parliamentary career I have sought to bring my subject specialist expertise in science, technology and innovation to my various positions in government (PM Adviser on Life Science 2010-12, First UK Minister for Life Science (2012-14), Minister of State for the Future of Transport (2019-20), Minister of State for Science in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy; and first Minister of State in the newly formed Department for Science, Innovation and Technolog). More recently as a backbench MP working cross party as Deputy Chair of the Science Select Committee, Chair of the All Party Group (APPG”) for Agricultural science and the APPG for Science in Parliament , and as a UK Trade Envoy.
Since leaving Government in 2023 I have also worked with a small number of new science and technology companies, projects and research charities on the cutting edge of new sectors.
However, mindful of my obligations as an elected member of Parliament, governed by the Parliamentary Code of Conduct, I have always been careful to register my outside interests and ensure I have approval from the Parliamentary Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) for commercial work, and provided full disclosure of my private interests on the Register and to my Select Committee and APPGs.
I have always taken the first duty of an MP to act in the public interest very seriously and I have been clear that my legitimate personal interests should never prejudice that responsibility.
I stood for Parliament again in 2024 in the hope that I could continue to make a valuable contribution to Parliament, the UK Innovation Economy and the new government’s ambitions for innovation-led growth and Industrial Strategy by working cross party supporting long term policies for key emerging technology sectors.
By drawing on my longstanding experience, I have been keen to contribute to the growth of the UK as a leader in key emerging industrial and technology sectors. Specifically in space, advocating for the importance of the UK’s regulatory leadership in space debris, space health and Earth Observation and emissions tracking in creating a UK sovereign industrial advantage.
In this general advocy I have tried to tread the line of drawing on insights gained by working with companies. I do not believe that I have ever crossed the line of advocating in Parliament for a particular company which I advise.
On 28 November 2024, I asked a member of my parliamentary staff to submit a number of Written Parliamentary Questions (“WPQs”) related to the importance of the UK Earth Observation sector and satellite data for greenhouse gas émissions monitoring as a key UK industrial and regulatory opportunity.
In preparing these questions, I enlisted the help of my client GHGSat Ltd. (The terms of my engagement with whom were all cleared by ACOBA and registered through the appropriate channels.)
Because of their expertise in the greenhouse gas emissions framework, as a world leading provider of satellite-based methane plume monitoring, I asked GHGSat Ltd for their assistance in drafting the WPQs.
I was not asked by GHGSat Ltd to table the WPQs, and which were not intended to derive any specific commercial or political benefit for them. GHGSat Ltd already had an established contract and relationship with the UK Government and Space Agency. I tabled the WPQs because I believed it to be in the public interest to highlight the opportunity for the UK and raise awareness of this sector in the new Government. I also ticked the box on the WPQ form to signal that I had an interest in the field.
Nevertheless, I am mindful that The Sunday Times newspaper has questioned my motives in tabling these WPQs, and made the very damaging suggestion that I tabled these questions in order to secure specific commercial advantage for GHG Sat Ltd, and that I was paid to do so. I fundamentally reject this allegation. Not only did GHG Sat Ltd not ask or need me to raise their contract with UK Government, my monthly retainer is for defined other services and specifically precludes - on my insistence and with their agreement - any lobbying. I understand and try to assiduously follow the Code of Conduct for MPs, in particular the need to act in the public interest above all else.
The newspaper also alleges that I made inappropriate use of my Parliamentary office facilities and equipment for conducting my non-Parliamentary work. I make specific provision to use only my personal IT and computer for non-Parliamentary work and when hosting online meetings.
Nevertheless, I have always understood the need to be transparent in the work I do for commercial clients and charities and am always willing to answer any criticism. As such, upon publication of the story, I am immediately referring myself to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards and will accept his judgment in due course.
Whilst I absolutely accept the public interest in this issue and the importance of free press scrutiny, I believe the source of this story is a targeted personal attack and more importantly that the source materials on which the accusations are based have been obtained and used unlawfully. This represents a major breech of personal and Parliamentary cyber security which I have raised with the Police and relevant parliamentary authorities.
It is vital for public trust in Parliament that MPs not just do the right thing but are seen to respect the rules and procedures of the House which we all serve.
The post June Newsletter appeared first on Mohammad Yasin MP.
It was great to call into Neighbourhood Watch in Pelsall again and catch up with Edwin and Andrew.
We discussed a range of local issues across the Rushall, Shelfield, Pelsall, and Brownhills Neighbourhood Watch area. Our focus was on how we can work together as one community to address these challenges.
It was also fantastic to hear about Project Phoenix – a pilot community-run initiative launched by Walsall Council! This project is dedicated to building a stronger community right across our Borough, and I’m really keen to see the positive impact it will have.
After a good kicking at elections, the usual and heavily anticipated response from the ruling party is that we are listening. But this isn’t going to wash. Labour needs a reset.
Sir Keir Starmer has shown strong leadership internationally and he needs to start showing the same leadership in our own country and stop the Government pussyfooting around. He should take a leaf out of Donald Trump’s book by following his instincts and issuing some executive orders. This is leadership from the front.
Where are the child abuse inquiries where the victims are still seeking justice? Telford-style inquiries should be set up immediately in the towns and cities where grooming gangs are running rings around the authorities.
There should be an immediate introduction of digital ID cards, required for employment and accessing public services. This is the only way to stop illegal immigration.
Free our public services from the pressures of Covid debts so they have the finances to deliver on our priorities by writing them off. Our schools and hospitals can be lifted from the shackles of debt in the way quantitative easing was used when Gordon Brown brought stability during the banking crisis. This would be a game-changer.
People are fed up with being told how to run their lives by people looking down their noses at them. We have a huge problem with our messaging; it is failing to hit the mark. Slogans on meeting our net zero targets are a prime example. They are meaningless for people who are facing rising energy costs and purchasing an electric car is an unattainable luxury.
The language needs to shift to the guarantee of green energy in order to get free hot water and cheaper electricity bills. Building on our security by making Britain self-reliant in energy production.
While the Government is busy talking to itself the voices of those on the outside are not being listened to. The realities of living in areas where there have been no big transport projects or huge development investments needs to have a voice around the table. Our lives are very different from the metropolis, our choices, and opportunities, less, our facilities are more remote or non-existent.
The demands raised by the new Labour MPs from the post-industrial towns, where infrastructure is poor and there have been years of disinvestment, and where large numbers voted for Brexit and have now switched to Reform, must be taken off the to-do list and urgently actioned. We know this works.
Ros Jones, the re-elected Labour mayor of Doncaster, made reopening Doncaster airport her number-one priority. The Government committed £30 million investment and she was rewarded at the ballot box.
While over half the country voted for Brexit, there isn’t a single person sitting in the Government who backed the EU leave deal. Where are the voices of the 40 Labour MPs who argued in favour of respecting the referendum? The number of government ministers representing leave-voting constituencies is insignificant.
Both Tony Blair and Margaret Thatcher brought in people who were not like them, possibly people that they didn’t even like, and they were certainly people they sometimes disagreed with. This Government needs to step outside its comfort zone. Sir Keir needs to spend more time travelling the country quietly listening to what people are really thinking. This is a sign of a confident government.
Now we need to be honest with ourselves and address the issue that has hung like a weight around our shoulders since the early days of this Government, the Winter Fuel Allowance has now become our poll tax problem. We have lost the pensioner vote because of this; I hear the anger. To serve as the Government that listens, we should be immediately raising the threshold to the higher income tax level, and it is an executive order that my constituents in Bassetlaw would all welcome.
When Harold Wilson first became prime minister in 1964, the country had been left in a ruinous state with an £800 million deficit. Tough decisions were taken, including freezing a pensions rise, and there were concerns about rising immigration. A by-election disaster led to a reset. A Labour MP at the time commented: “The prime minister was becoming just a technician. [The by-election] forced him to remember what it was to be a political leader.” Wilson went on to win a landslide less than a year later. Sir Keir can take lessons from his approach
The post Starmer must stop ‘pussyfooting around’ – Jo White appeared first on Jo White MP.
I have been honoured to sit on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill Committee since January 2025, collaborating to work on the momentous piece of legislation. My focus has been making a workable Bill with adequate safeguards. The last sitting of the Committee took place on the 25th March, 2025, where I spoke
The post Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill Committee appeared first on Sean Woodcock, Labour MP for Banbury.
An abridged version of this article ran in The Times on 3rd February 2025
In 2007, in the pages of this newspaper, I argued that Britain should seize the moment and move Heathrow to the Thames Estuary, freeing up the congested west London site for much-needed housing while creating a world-leading transport hub fit for the 21st century. It was an ambitious plan—perhaps too ambitious for a nation that has lost its appetite for grand infrastructure. Seventeen years later, what do we have? The same tired debates, the same dithering, and now, a third runway proposal that represents the absolute minimum of what could be done. It is not a vision; it is a concession to stagnation.
Throughout history, Britain built infrastructure that transformed cities and continents. The Victorians laid thousands of miles of railways across India and Africa. British engineers built the world’s first underground railway in London, the great docks of Hong Kong, and the vast shipping hubs that made global trade possible. Ours was once a nation that saw scale and complexity as challenges to be overcome, not reasons to prevaricate. Today, while China constructs floating airports in Hong Kong and Dalian, we are still arguing over a few extra miles of tarmac at an aging airport hemmed in by suburban sprawl.
The case for expanding Heathrow is undeniable. The airport operates at near capacity, with any disruption causing delays that ripple across the global aviation network. Additional capacity is needed. But the third runway is not a bold leap forward—it is an unimaginative compromise. The design is a relic of a bygone era when Britain was still willing to approve large infrastructure projects but had already begun its slow descent into cautious incrementalism. Surely for a solution we should be looking beyond the immediate horizon, daring to create something transformative.
Compare this to the grand infrastructure ambitions of Asia. Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok, which replaced the legendary but perilous Kai Tak airport in the 1990s, was built on reclaimed land. It was a marvel of engineering (mostly British), completed in just six years. Now, China is taking the concept even further: Dalian is constructing a floating airport, pushing the boundaries of what is possible. This is a country that doesn’t simply accept geographic limitations—it overcomes them. Britain, meanwhile, is paralysed by protest groups, endless consultations, and political hand-wringing.
A floating airport in the Thames Estuary—an idea proposed and swiftly dismissed—would have been a statement of ambition. London could have had its own Chek Lap Kok, a world-class hub unencumbered by the constraints of Heathrow’s location. Instead, we are left with a piecemeal expansion of an outdated site, in a project that will take decades and still leave Britain trailing behind.
The environmental argument against expansion is often cited as a reason for delay, but it is a red herring. Modern aviation is rapidly advancing towards lower emissions and greater efficiency. If the concern is air pollution and carbon footprints, the answer is not to stifle airport expansion but to embrace new technology, support cleaner aviation fuels, and invest in modern air traffic management. Britain should be leading these efforts, not using environmental concerns as an excuse for stagnation.
The economic cost of our hesitation is immense. Aviation is a key driver of trade, tourism, and investment. Heathrow’s constraints mean we lose out to European rivals, with airlines shifting long-haul routes to Paris, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt. The third runway, even if built, will do little to reclaim lost ground. By the time it is operational—assuming it even survives the judicial challenges that will inevitably come—other nations will have long since surpassed us.
What Britain needs is a fundamental shift in mindset. We must stop viewing major infrastructure projects as necessary evils to be endured and start treating them as national priorities. This requires reforming our planning laws, streamlining approval processes, and fostering a political culture that celebrates engineering excellence rather than recoiling from it.
The third runway at Heathrow is not the answer—it is a symptom of our decline. Instead of an afterthought tacked onto an aging airport, we should be considering radical alternatives: offshore airports, high-speed rail integration to regional hubs, and a renewed commitment to infrastructure that places Britain at the forefront of global connectivity. We were once a nation that built the world’s most advanced transport networks, that pioneered engineering breakthroughs others only dreamed of. We can be that nation again—but only if we stop settling for mediocrity and start daring to think bigger.
The world is not waiting for Britain to catch up. While we squabble over a single new runway, China is building entire new airports on water. The contrast is stark, and the lesson is clear: boldness breeds success, hesitation ensures decline. If Britain truly wishes to remain a global player, we must abandon the timid incrementalism of the third runway and embrace the kind of audacity that once made us great.
Kit Malthouse 1st February 2025
Christmas is a very special time. It's when we come together with friends and family to take stock, and give thanks for what we have.
Some years – in the best of times, this is cause for celebration.
Other years – it's more complicated if we're missing loved ones,
affected by illness, or facing money worries, homelessness, or loneliness.
Sometimes – let’s be honest, for many reasons, Christmas can just be about getting through it, and that's ok!
Because regardless of the year that’s been, or the circumstances you find yourself in, Christmas offers everyone a precious gift – hope.
Last week I was sworn in as the MP for South Shields for the fifth time, and each time it strikes me how incredibly honoured I feel that you have put your faith in me as the first female MP to represent you in Parliament. It was a truly historic night as the UK elected […]
The post It is the honour of my life to be re-elected as your MP for South Shields appeared first on Emma Lewell MP.
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