On Friday 2 November, the East End lost of one its brightest radical flames. My friend Max Levitas died at the age of 103, after a long life of community service and activism. Max’s roots were in the old Jewish East End of Whitechapel and Stepney, amongst the refugees from Russia and Poland, and in the Communist Party before the war.

 

Earlier this week Alex Cunningham, the MP for Stockton North, demanded an end to the secrecy surrounding the future of Durham Tees Valley Airport which could face closure as early as 2012.

In a parliamentary debate, urging the government to support the South Tees development, he stressed that he feared for the airport as the agreement to keep it open runs out in less than four years’ time.  

Concerns which have risen after the local MP received correspondence from the airport owner, Robert Hough, Chairman of the Peel Group, which Mr Cunningham shared during the live debate.

Alex Cunningham, MP for Stockton North said:

“The final sentence of Robert Hough’s letter does tell a story.  He apologies for not being able to be more helpful but adds ‘we hope that we will receive support from the Combined Authority to take the airport forward in the most sensible and appropriate way, but the ball is not in our court.”

“So that means the ball is in the Mayor’s court – the man who blocked a grant to the airport to attract more holiday fights just last year.”

Mr Cunningham believes ministers will not ‘bail out’ the Mayor and local council tax payers of the Tees Valley mustn’t be lumbered with a bill and the responsibility for an airport which continues to lose millions of pounds.

“The Mayor promised to buy the airport when he was elected two years ago but the whole matter is shrouded in secrecy.  Its time he was open with the people of the Tees Valley, demonstrate how he plans to bring it into public ownership and tell us all where the money is coming from.”  

Newcastle North MP, Catherine McKinnell, has joined forces with actors Jim Carter and Nichola McAuliffe to back the ‘scrap 6 months’ campaign that will enable more terminally ill people to access benefits more quickly and easily, regardless of the condition they have. Currently, someone is only considered terminally ill if there is a reasonable expectation … Continue reading MP Catherine backs ‘scrap 6 months’ campaign →

Lesley Laird has blasted David Mundell for proposing a bad Brexit deal as the only alternative to a no deal.

Quizzed on his support for Theresa May’s half-baked Brexit deal on BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland today (Monday), Scottish Secretary David Mundell failed to make any positive case for it , instead simply repeating that it was “better than the alternative” of no deal at all.

Pressed on the fact that former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab and he had both expressed reservations about the Northern Irish backstop element of the deal during Cabinet discussions, Mr Mundell was unable to explain why Mr Raab considered the threat to the integrity of the United Kingdom so great that Raab resigned, while he had not.

Lesley Laird Shadow, Secretary of State for Scotland, said: “Theresa May once believed that no deal was better than a bad deal. Now David Mundell is saying the exact opposite, yet sees no conflict with his position in Cabinet

“To back this bad deal as the only alternative to a no deal Brexit is to accept a false choice. Instead of leadership from Theresa May’s government we are getting brinkmanship.

“Parliament must be given a meaningful vote on the half-baked mess the Theresa May has brought back from Brussels and when, as appears likely, it is voted down, it is Parliament that must set out the next steps towards delivering a deal which delivers on the promises made to voters at the outset.

“It is clear the majority of his Scottish Tory colleagues are also unconvinced. They should all now finally stand up for Scotland and reject this broken deal Scotland deserves better than Tory ministers and MPs who slavishly put party first and the people second.

“Mundell must resign if he is to retain even a scrap of credibility on this.”

The post Laird blasts Mundell’s feeble defence of Brexit deal appeared first on Lesley Laird.

Please note that the surgery dates have changed for this month and will now be held on 30th November 3pm-5pm.

Thank you.

Thanks to all who contributed to Pembrey WW1 Commemoration: those who read moving accounts of family members who served in WW1, wonderful singing from Liz Bevan, Becky Timbrell, Daisy Owens & Imogen Price and the most delicious cakes from Pat Neil and scones from Avril. Great event!

The Inkersall Beaver Scouts welcomed Toby Perkins MP to their November meeting to learn about politics and his life as an MP as part of UK Parliament Week.

UK Parliament Week is a UK-wide festival that takes place from 12-18 November, which aims to engage people, especially young people, from different backgrounds and communities, with the UK Parliament and empower them to get involved. This year’s UK Parliament Week is part of the UK Parliament’s Vote 100 programme, celebrating equal voting rights and other milestones in the UK’s democratic history.

Toby said, “Parliament Week is all about connecting the public with Parliament and MPs getting out into schools and community groups to speak to children helps them engage with politics from an early age. The variety of questions I took from the beaver Scouts shows that even at just 6 and 7 years old, children are ready to start learning about what MPs do and how our country works.”

 

 

#Brexitchaos is impacting North East businesses – our start-ups & small businesses need guidance but the Minister seemed to think Government has it all under control!!!!

Today I am hosting a summit on homelessness. The event will bring together the region’s local authorities, MPs, leading organisations – such as South Yorkshire Housing Association and Crisis – and people who have first-hand experience of homelessness as we seek to eradicate homelessness in South Yorkshire.

We have seen a rapid increase in the number of people sleeping rough on our streets in recent years. You only have to walk along Cheapside, or through the underpass between the Alhambra and Sheffield Road, to see that the numbers of rough sleepers in Barnsley have risen in recent years.

High Peak MP Ruth George MP is asking people’s views on Brexit at two public meetings and a new survey on her website.

Ruth said: “Throughout the whole process of Brexit, I have said I will weigh up whether or not to vote for the deal that is agreed based on the views of local people and businesses.

“Now the situation has moved on considerably I am holding two further public meetings and running a new survey asking what people want to see in our deal with the EU.”

The public meetings are at Buxton Methodist Church on Friday 23 November and at Glossop Methodist Church on Saturday 24 November, both meetings start at 7.30pm.

Ruth is also holding a Business Summit on Friday 23 November at the University of Derby in Buxton to discuss options with local businesses.

“I hope these events and the survey will give as many people as possible the chance to give me their views and discuss the options before us. I will do my best to make decisions in the light of those views,” Ruth said.

The survey is on the home page of this website: https://ruthforhighpeak.co.uk/

 

 

 

The post High Peak MP Ruth George seeks your views on Brexit appeared first on Ruth George MP for High Peak.

Denton and Reddish MP, Andrew Gwynne, has offered his support to the “stop, speak, support” campaign, as part of anti-bullying week which is running this week 12-16 November.

Anti bullying Week 2018 is being held between the 12th and 16th November and is organised by Anti-Bullying Alliance – this year the theme is ‘Choose Respect‘. Following a consultation with over 800 children, teachers and members of the Anti-Bullying Alliance, it emerged that a top priority was showing that bullying is a behaviour choice, and that children and young people can set a positive example by opting to respect each other at school, in their homes and communities, and online.

The Anti-Bullying Alliance, with the continued support of SafeToNet, will be developing a set of free cross-curricular teaching resources to support both primary and secondary schools to embrace the theme of respect.

Bullying (both online and face to face) remains a significant issue for children and young people today. We know that one in 3 pupils experience bullying each year and one child in every class will experience bullying on a weekly basis. Anti-Bullying Week provides an opportunity to shine a spotlight on this issue in school, online, in the media and in the community.

Cyber bullying is any form of bullying which takes place online or through smartphones and tablets. Cyber bullying is rife on the internet and most young people will experience it or see it at some time. In our recent national bullying survey, 56% of young people said they have seen others be bullied online and 42% have felt unsafe online. Cyber bullying can happen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and it can go viral very fast.

Andrew Gwynne said:

“This year I’m backing anti bullying week and their ‘choose respect’ campaign.

 

“Today, 15 November, is the “stop, speak, support” day of the campaign where we are all encouraged to stop, speak and support those who suffer bullying online or face to face, when we see it.”

Today the Strelley Road Library opens its doors after £1 million of investment to provide local residents with a new library that is modern, open-plan and provides improved computer access and equipment, including free WiFi.

As a part of Nottingham Labour’s commitment to improving children’s literacy in the city the new library also has a dedicated under-fives children’s area featuring a unique specially commissioned story tree and it will offer opportunities for a greater range of activities and events for all ages.

The facility has been designed and built by Nottingham City Council and Nottingham City Homes to serve the needs of the Aspley ward. It will not only include a new contemporary library, but also 37 one-bedroom independent living flats, run by Nottingham City Homes. Residents at Strelley Court will have direct access to the new library.

It’s great news that that this new library will offer people in the area the 21st century facilities they deserve. Visitors will enjoy improved facilities in the new building and it will be a positive addition to the local community. We expect that this move will encourage more people from the whole of the Strelley and Aspley to make the most of their local library.

At a time when so many places around the country are being forced to close their libraries as a result of Government funding cuts, we are proud in Nottingham to have maintained a network of local libraries throughout the city. A consultation was also recently launched on developing a new central library with the ambition of making it the best children’s library in the country. Unless austerity is ended as the Prime Minister promised however, maintaining, improving or opening new libraries will become increasingly difficult.

There will be a special official celebratory launch event of the Strelley Road Library on Wednesday 12 December 2018, but it’s hoped many people will come to the library once it is opened tomorrow to see and use the library facilities.

The post New Strelley Road Library Opens Following £1 million of Investment appeared first on Nottingham Labour.

The #RaisetheRate campaign aims to lobby Government to increase the funding rate for sixth form students that has been frozen at £4,000 per student, per year since 2013.

The campaign uses recent research from London Economics to press for a £760 per student increase to sixth form funding that is raised in line with inflation each year.

The associations behind the campaign state that “only a significant increase in the national funding rate for 16 to 18 year olds will make it possible for the government to meet its objectives for a strong post-Brexit economy and a socially mobile, highly educated workforce.”

The £760 increase is described as the “minimum required” to increase student support services to the required level, protect minority subjects such as languages that are at risk of being dropped, and increase extra-curricular activities, work experience opportunities and university visits.

Winstanley College and St John Rigby are two award winning colleges that deliver fantastic results in challenging circumstances as cuts erode their core budgets. The reality is that without proper funding in place, then something has to give and it is our students who ultimately pay the price with courses cut and reduced opportunities for enrichment through pastoral care.

The world is arguably more fragmented and polarised than it has been at any time since the end of the Cold War. The wave of optimism and internationalism that swept all before it in the 1990s has given way to a rising tide of nationalism. The seemingly unstoppable forward march of liberal democracy has been halted in its tracks and forced to retreat, leaving a vacuum that has been filled by the forces of tribalism, nativism and authoritarianism.

Putinist Russia is at the vanguard of the zero-sum game mind-set that has come to define this age of fragmentation that has driven the rise of Trump, Orban, Le Pen, Salvini, Bolsonaro, the Brextremists, and a plethora of nationalist parties such as the AfD and the Sweden Democrats. Disdain for multilateralism and international organisations is the red thread that runs through and between every one of these individuals and the movements that they lead. To them, compromise, moderation and pragmatism are dirty words.

I joined thousands of people across the borough at dignified and poignant commemorative events this weekend to mark the centenary of the Armistice – the end of the First World War – and Remembrance Day. Last night at I attended the Haydock Male Voice Choir’s Eve of Armistice concert, alongside the Deputy Lieutenant of Merseyside, the Mayor of St Helens and Lord Watts at a packed St Helens Town Hall. […]

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

When you go home tell them of us and say

For your tomorrow, we gave our today.

 

These words will echo across the country this morning at 11am, accompanied by a two minutes silence. I will lay my wreath as Liverpool Wavertree Member of Parliament on behalf of all my constituents.

This year marks the 100^th anniversary of the moment the guns fell silent in World War One, a conflict that took the lives of 16 million people, according to the Imperial War Museum.

This moment of remembrance, this year of all years, will help us all reflect on the immense sacrifices of those who have gone before so that we can live today.

Frank Field MP has written to Merseytravel after feedback from residents in the Wirral town found people struggle to get to work, health appointments, shops and the town centre.

The Government’s confusion over citizens’ rights after Brexit and what will happen in the event of a ‘no deal’ exit is causing serious concern for the three million EU nationals living in the UK. On 5th November, I questioned the Immigration Minister about the Government’s plans to end EU freedom of movement and what would really be changing for EU citizens after March 2019. You can read the full debate here.

This week I signed a letter sent by trade union Prospect to the Immigration Minister that called for urgent clarity on the rights of EU workers settled in the UK. The letter also called for the Government and employers to pay the £65 bill EU workers face to gain settled status in the UK. You can read the letter here.

The post Liz questions Immigration Minister on ending freedom of movement appeared first on Liz Kendall.

    – 774 Cases taken up – 346 Visitors to Casework Centre – 36 Surgeries Held – 85 Hours of Surgeries – 42 Cases referred to other MPs – 85 Cases referred to Councillors or outside agencies – 802 … Continue reading →

The post Weekly Office Statistics from 1st January 2018- 2nd November 2018 appeared first on Keith Vaz.

NEWS AND COMMENT FROM CHRIS LESLIE – Saturday 27^th October 2018
(for more news also see my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/chrislesliemp)

Last Saturday’s march to Westminster saw an astonishing 700,000 people demand a People’s Vote on the Brexit deal the Government are planning to reach with the EU (see picture below). I fully support efforts by the growing cross-party group of MPs to make any future deal subject to the public’s consent, given the major ramifications of this decision (see today’s Guardian story about the People’s Vote amendment here https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/oct/27/jeremy-corbyn-second-brexit-vote-commons-amendment ).

If the Prime Minister gets her way, our country could end up with a basic trade deal with the EU similar to that of Mexico, Canada or Colombia. In other words, a ‘free trade agreement’ but still requiring extensive inspections at the border because we’d be outside the Customs Union. Just two minutes of delay to trucks going through Dover could multiply into a twenty mile tailback up the M20 as far as Ashford. HMRC are clearly unprepared for the potentially hundreds of millions of additional customs declarations that may need processing (see my questioning to customs experts at this week’s Trade Committee hearing at the link here ). And business services from finance to legal advice could be forbidden from trading across the border entirely as our regulations fail to match. This FTA-type scenario could knock over 6% off our national wealth with £36billion less to spend on public services (equivalent to a third of the NHS budget).

This is why I believe the public should have a final say on whether we depart the EU on these inferior terms or whether we remain a member of the European Union. I sincerely hope that the Labour Party will back giving the public this say – which is why I have been fighting hard this week to ensure that the Government’s attempts to rig the ‘meaningful vote’ motion on any deal are rebutted. I gave evidence also this week to the Commons Procedure Committee explaining why it is vital MPs debate and decide the approval motion in the normal way, and not the way Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab wants where amendments are demoted to votes after the main motion is determined (which would in effect render those subsequent ‘amendments’ redundant). See my evidence at the link here.

This is a complex process – but I am determined to do everything I can to get this right – given that so many consequences will flow if it goes wrong. I am concerned that some MPs are (like the general public!) getting weary of the whole thing, but frankly we are facing maybe five to seven years of additional negotiations on our future trading relationship if Brexit proceeds in March, so perhaps a quicker way of finalising things would be to hold a People’s Vote!

NOTTINGHAM

• Last week I wrote about rumours that the post office planned to relocate Nottingham’s city centre main post office – currently at the branch on Queen Street into one of the WHSmith shops in town. The Post Office has now released its proposals and started a formal consultation, with the basic plan being to move Nottingham Post Office into the WHSmith in Victoria Shopping Centre where it would be run by WHSmith High Street Ltd. I know that several residents have raised concerns about this plan already and will be keen to have their voices heard. You can find further details of how to take part in the consultation here and materials should be available in branch and I would encourage you to write in. I think the existing Post Office is convenient and well-used so I am doubtful that the service could be improved inside the WHSmith.
• Nottingham City Council is taking action to bring some of the 742 unused private homes in Nottingham back into use. In the last two years it has brought 134 properties back into use with some providing accommodation for homeless people. Some of the actions being taken by the Council to address the issue include a buying back some ex-council built properties in order to bring them back into stock and a leasing scheme to be run by Nottingham City Homes. Councillor Jane Urquhart, portfolio holder for Housing and Planning, said ‘We do all we can within our powers to bring private homes back into use that have been left empty and deteriorating by their owners.’ She also urged neighbours and owners of unused and deteriorating properties to get in touch with the council.
• Earlier this week a cross party group of Nottinghamshire MPs, of which I was part, wrote to the Home Secretary regarding the ’40 Days of Life’ protests which take place outside Nottingham’s main abortion clinic at QMC every year. The letter noted the importance of the right to protest but we argued that there are sufficient opportunities to do so without intimidating women and causing distress at what is often an incredibly difficult time. Our joint letter to the Home Secretary also noted that the failure of the Home Office to take action has put further pressure on the City Council and Hospital Trust, who despite taking all available actions have been unable to resolve this issue in the past. I hope the Home Secretary will look closely into this and consider taking appropriate action to stop constituents being intimidated when trying to access healthcare.
• There will be a jobs fair on Friday 16th November 2018 at the Motorpoint Arena from 10am to 2pm run by the National Jobs Fair Network and open to all sectors/industries. There are currently over 20 local businesses registered to attend looking for local jobseekers. You can find out further information about the event here.
• I had a useful catch-up meeting with the management at Intu shopping centres in Nottingham yesterday – they manage both the Victoria Centre and the redevelopment due in the Broadmarsh. It is long overdue, but I am told that works look set to commence on Broadmarsh around January time and will take two years, but the designs look as though they could make a significant improvement to the retail and leisure facilities available in the city centre. The ownership of Intu is potentially going to change shortly but it is not thought that the Nottingham plans will be adversely affected by this.
• Several local GPs have contacted me with concerns that stricter data control regulations are affecting their ability to work and costing local practices a lot more. In particular, insurance companies are asking patients to use ‘subject access request’ applications as a route to obtaining information, which soaks up a lot of GP Practice time and cost. I met with Nottinghamshire’s Local Medical Committee to discuss the situation on Friday and will be working with other MPs to see if the Department for Health can find a common sense solution.
• Thank you to the many local residents who came to talk with me yesterday in the city centre at the Nottinghamshire People’s Vote stall, where we were doing a survey about local attitudes towards Brexit, the impact on the NHS and jobs and what people want to see happen next (see picture below). I was struck by the strength of feeling expressed – especially among younger people – about the prospects for the future of the country, and I will continue to campaign as best I can on this issue.

 

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• On Monday a short debate took place in Westminster Hall on the need for greater autism and learning disability training in the NHS. This was especially relevant to the circumstances surrounding the tragic death in 2014 of four-year-old Harry Procko from St Ann’s. Harry’s family have been actively campaigning for Emergency Departments to have greater awareness of the behaviours and characteristics of autism so that a more appropriate assessment of medical symptoms can take place, which can be communicated differently than for patients without the condition. I have pressed the Government to review autism awareness training in the past, and the fact that other MPs have voiced similar concerns means that Ministers are now more aware of changes that should be considered.

• On Wednesday, MPs voted convincingly in favour of an amendment tabled by my colleagues Stella Creasy and Conor McGinn, which takes a small but significant step towards equality on abortion and marriage rights in Northern Ireland. Their proposal gives the Northern Ireland Secretary additional responsibilities to address “the incompatibility [between] the human rights of the people of Northern Ireland” and current province-wide prohibitions on abortion and same-sex marriage. While the law on these issues remains a devolved matter, the amendment – which passed with the support of 45 Conservative MPs – is a symbolically important statement of intent on Parliament’s part. It follows a majority vote earlier this week in favour of a bill to legalise abortion in Northern Ireland altogether, although this will not take effect in the absence of Government support. I would like to see British citizens in Northern Ireland enjoy the same civil rights available in the rest of the UK, and it’s clear that a substantial majority of MPs take the same view. The absence of a functioning government at Stormont has left the ball in Parliament’s court for now, and this was a well-crafted amendment which I was happy to support. I have always made my support both for a woman’s right to choose and equal marriage clear. Whilst I accept that the devolution settlement in Northern Ireland is of vital importance to maintaining peace, Parliament also has a responsibility to legislate on behalf of the people there.

• This week a new report from the Committee on Climate Change – the Government’s official advisory body on climate science – offered stark warnings about the impact of rising seas on Britain’s coastline. Their key finding: it is now looking inevitable that sea levels around Britain will rise by at least one metre, and potentially reach this level by the year 2100. This will put more than 1.2 million homes at risk of severe damage or destruction, alongside a combined 2,200 kilometres of roads and railway lines and 92 train stations. This damage imposes a huge economic as well as human cost, with current coastal protection policies – described in the report as “not fit for purpose” – forecast to require up to £30 billion. These warnings are squarely in line with the scientific consensus, and time is running out to take action on reducing emissions.

 

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  

You’d be forgiven for not noticing it, but amidst the Brexit turbulence the Chancellor of the Exchequer will present his Budget on Monday at 3:30pm. Normally this is a major political occasions, but with everything else going on (and the Government lacking a sturdy majority in the Commons) it is widely expected to be a ‘treading water’ event, with very little controversy or difficult decisions being taken.

The British economy is in a state of limbo because of Brexit, with business investment and even consumer spending in abeyance before Parliament decides on whatever ‘deal’ the Prime Minister and the EU reach, if indeed they do reach a deal. If we are out of the Single Market, then British trade prospects may be weaker in the medium term, certain industrial sectors more adversely affected than others and potentially the strength of sterling could affect inflation rates and real wages too.

Rumours are that the Chancellor will give some discount to small retailers on business rates to help the High Street economy, and that the Office for Budget Responsibility have become more optimistic about tax revenues giving the Treasury some breathing space so taxes may not need to rise to match the Government’s promises on NHS spending.

So it is likely to be a story of big issues kicked into the long grass – which is particularly worrying for long term problems such as elderly social care funding, UK productivity and pensions reforms.

I’d love to know what you think the Chancellor should prioritise? I’m hoping to speak in response to the Budget and if you’ve particular suggestions I will try to raise them. Universal Credit has been a major concern recently so I’d expect the Chancellor to ease that transition and scale back some of the unfair cuts involved. Personally I think we should prioritise education and training far more, so that future skills are developed for the longer term. Let me know what your thoughts are?

 

Regards

 

Chris Leslie

Labour & Co-operative Party MP for Nottingham East

Universal Credit is hurting our city – greatly. Foodbanks report their busiest year ever.

Universal Credit dossier

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