Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas break.
Venezuela and European Security
On Saturday 3 January, the US captured Venezuelan President Maduro in a military operation, and he is now standing trial in New York on various charges.
The UK government has consistently rejected Nicolas Maduro’s legitimacy and called for a peaceful transition in Venezuela. He was known dangerous dictator, killed his own people and threatened neighbouring Guyana with invasion when oil was found there.
The Foreign Secretary has spoken to our chargé d’affaires in Caracas, and travel advice has now been updated to advise against all travel to Venezuela.
As the Prime Minister has made clear, we support international law. I support International Law. My concern is for the Venezuelan people, and I want a transition without bloodshed to a democratic government that respects the rights and will of its people.
Trump’s actions have most people worried, particularly about their impact on European security, including Greenland and Ukraine.
On Tuesday, 6 January, the Prime Minister issued a joint statement with other European leaders, reiterating that Greenland’s sovereignty is a matter for Greenland and Denmark.
The Prime Minister also made a joint announcement with the French President, committing to the deployment of British and French troops in support of Ukraine’s defence, reconstruction, and strategic sustainability once peace has been secured.
Please know that these matters are a top priority for the government and at the top of my mind going forward.
Christmas Announcements
Employments Rights Bill
Just before Christmas, the government made several major announcements, highlighting Labour values and Labour wins.
First off was the passage of the Employment Rights Bill, bringing the UK’s outdated employment laws into the 21st Century and turning the page on an economy blighted by insecurity, poor productivity, and low pay.
- Key measures include:
- Ending exploitative zero-hour contracts and fire and rehire practices.
- Establishing day one rights for paternity, parental and bereavement leave for millions
- of workers.
- Strengthening statutory sick pay.
- Launching the Fair Work Agency to ensure good businesses aren’t undercut by bad employers.
This legislation was passed, despite shameful attempts from the Tories, Liberal Democrats, Green Party, and Reform to block this legislation and deny upgrades to rights to millions of workers across the UK.
A National Plan to End Homelessness
Homelessness is a huge problem in Lewisham and in London generally. The Housing Crisis is one of the most serious issues Labour inherited. Homelessness doubled under the Tories, and there are 170,000 children stuck in temporary accommodation. I receive daily emails from constituents saying that they and their families are at risk of homelessness and are crying out for decent and secure homes.
The new strategy incorporates previous announcements, such as £39bn investment into new social and affordable homes, ensuring Awaabs Law covers both social and private renting, and reforming the rental sector, with new measures such as a national target to prevent homelessness, £3.5bn investment over the next 3 years to support homelessness and rough sleeping services, and new duties to public services to identify, act and collaborate to prevent and address homelessness.
Public Safety
Public safety is one of my top priorities as an MP, and for the government as a whole. In December, the government announced that the Police forces across the country will receive up to £19.5bn, a £798m increase over the previous year.
This funding will help tackle crime and drive out antisocial behaviour from town centres, as well as increase Counter Terrorism Policing, and will come ahead of our landmark white paper to modernise policing as part of the Plan for Change, which will follow this year.
The Metropolitan Police is receiving a 4.4% increase in funding, which will be used to prioritise crimes affecting our communities, including knife crime, antisocial behaviour, and shop theft. It will also help fund our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee to put named, contactable officers in every community, increase peak-time patrols in town centres, and tackle antisocial behaviour in every force.
This funding is going hand in hand with reforms which the Metropolitan Police are conducting, prompted by the Casey Review and the documentary released last year about Charing Cross Police Station.
International Development Committee
My work on the International Development Committee continues, including a trip to Geneva in December to visit the World Health Organisation (WHO). Whilst there, we heard from WHO officials about the hard work they do to improve health outcomes in the developing world, as well as the impact of cuts from countries like the US.
The humanitarian disasters in Sudan and Gaza remain at the top of the committee’s agenda, and I will continue to scrutinise the government support for these areas, both in committee and in the House of Commons Chamber.
Children’s Health and Justice
My passion for the health and rights of Children continue. At the start of January, I spoke at a Westminster Hall debate on Therapeutic Play and Children’s Healthcare. There, I spoke about the work I did as a Minister on Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, and the benefits this can bring to children’s mental health and development.
Right to Equality recently celebrated the government’s decision to end the presumption of parental involvement in family court cases. This change will protect vulnerable children from parents who are convicted of serious crimes, as well as domestic abusers. This is something I am happy to support.