With both Conference and summer recess over, I am looking forward to heading back to Parliament to represent Lewisham East as well as getting on with the job as an Education Minister for Children and Families to help break down the barriers to opportunity for our children and young people– more on that later.

The £22 billion blackhole that the Tories left will not stop Labour’s long-term plan to deliver economic growth across the country, build an NHS fit for the future, break down the barriers of opportunity, make our streets safer and deliver clean and cheap power.

Nevertheless, it is important to remember that whilst there may be bumps in the road, and tough decisions have and will be made, a country under a Labour Government is better off than if it was governed by any other party. For instance, at the Conservative Party Conference, their leadership candidates, who all played their part in 14 years of chaos and decline, have failed to take responsibility for the mess they made.
Only with Labour will we get the confidence, the vision and purpose to build a better future. Furthermore, I am determined that we will deliver the reform that families and children across the country voted for just 4 months ago.

As your Member of Parliament, if there is something you would like to bring to my attention, please email me via janet.daby.mp@parliament.uk

Minister for Children and Families

It was fantastic to have the Prime Minister announce that care leavers, along with veterans and victims of domestic abuse will be given protections to reduce their risk of homelessness and give them the security they deserve.

In the King’s Speech it was announced that there will soon be legislation to improve the lives of children and young people, and I will help take this forward. In addition, I will keep meeting external stakeholders, answering written and oral questions as well as responding to debates. I am privileged to be in a position to pass reforms to help our children’s social care.

International Instability

It has now been over one year since the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. This was a horrific and brutal terror attack, and my thoughts are with the Jewish community one year on. Now we must put all our efforts into achieving an immediate ceasefire and the return of all hostages, and more urgent humanitarian aid allow more lifesaving aid into Gaza. This is to prevent further casualties in a conflict that has killed over an estimated 42,000 people and almost 2 million people displaced.

Additionally, the human cost of the conflict in Lebanon is clear for all to see. With Iran aggressively firing missiles into Israel alongside rising regional tensions and rising civilian casualties, the situation is deeply concerning. Israel has a right to defend itself, but we also need an urgent focus on a negotiated political solution to end this cycle of violence. A conflict which continues to grow is in nobody’s interest.

Furthermore, my colleagues in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) have been making sure all preparations are in place to support British Nationals as the situation deteriorates.

The UK Government has chartered flights to help British Nationals who wanted to leave Lebanon. If you know of any British Nationals still in Lebanon or know anyone with relatives there, they should register their presence to receive the latest updates using the following link: https://www.register.service.csd.fcdo.gov.uk/lebanon-20140925/tell-the-uk-government-youre-in-lebanon.

As the Prime Minister said in his statement to Parliament, this Government continues to lead calls for an immediate ceasefire, and for the return to a political plan for Lebanon based on Security Council resolution 1701, which requires Hezbollah to withdraw north of the Litani river.

As the conflict in Ukraine has now lasted over two and a half years, it is vital that we as a country continue to do all we can to support Ukraine and stand up to Putin and his illegal invasion. Recently Keir Starmer highlighted the Government’s steadfast support for Ukraine at the UN General Assembly.

Interfaith Walk for Peace

Earlier this month I joined the first part of the annual Lewisham Interfaith Walk for Peace. As many of you will know, the route visits many places of worship in our borough, and it serves as a fantastic opportunity to strengthen the bonds of our community. It was great to join faith groups, local Councillors and residents to highlight how diverse and tolerant our local area can be. My thanks go to the Lewisham Interfaith Forum and the organisers for their work on this.

Ella Roberta Ado-Kissi-Debrah Service of Remembrance

Last month I was privileged to attend a service of remembrance to celebrate the life of Ella Roberta Adoo-Kissi-Debrah. Ella died in 2013 and she was the first person to have air pollution listed as a cause of death on her death certificate.

Her family members sang and played the piano in her memory and we also heard from Ella’s oldest friend who campaigns on clear air. It was a deeply moving event. As the Member of Parliament for this area I will continue to champion clean air to stop residents breathing in toxic and dirty air.

My work responding to constituents

I always try to connect with local people, and it is one of my many priorities to reply when a constituent contacts me asking for help or has a policy question. Therefore, I wanted to share with you the breakdown on what I am asked about and the volume of cases that I deal with. For instance in September, in total I received 962 emails from constituents and sent 938 emails to local residents.

You can see the statistics on the breakdown of cases I work on below:

Thank you for reading this newsletter.

Best wishes,

Janet