It’s been an incredibly busy fortnight – and I apologise for not sending an update last week.
The Budget
Hanging over discussions of this budget is a very simple question: what kind of society do we want?
What’s clear – not just from this budget, but from 6 years of relentless cuts – is that we have a Government driven almost entirely by its obsession with 'fiscal restraint'. This project has failed in its own terms – with the debt and deficit targets being missed by a wide margin. The human toll of such austerity has already been severe, and further cuts will make things even worse.
I’m pleased that the Government has reversed its disastrous plan to cut Personal Independence Payments to people with disabilities but the bulk of their regressive agenda remains. I was particularly concerned that the budget handed tax breaks to oil & gas firms and failed to invest in the green infrastructure we so desperately need.
You can read my reaction to the Budget here: https://www.facebook.com/
The EU Referendum
Last week the Green Party Launched our European Referendum campaign called ‘Greens for a better Europe’.
The Green Party has a unique voice in this debate. While we completely agree that the EU needs reform to make it more democratic (as does Westminster), we’re going to run a bold, positive campaign that celebrates the benefits we gain from EU membership. Not only has the EU brought us key environmental protections and rights at work – but it’s been central to securing a lasting peace within this continent after centuries of conflict.
At the launch we revealed our new EU Campaign video, described by the Guardian as ‘relentlessly positive’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Last Tuesday I spoke about the launch of our campaign with the Daily Politics. You can watch part of the discussion here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-
Students for In
As part of my campaigning around the Referendum I’ve been taking part in a number of events aimed at different audiences. One such event took place the week before last in Westminster and focussed on what the EU means for Students and young people.
There is a common misconception that young people are not interested in politics. This is wrong. Young people are political. But they distrust the democratic process and are disengaged with traditional politics and institutions.
So, with voter turnout historically low among 18-25s, there is no room for complacency: those of us invested in building a better Europe all have a duty to ensure that on the 23rd June young voters engage with this referendum and take their future into their hands.
I wrote a piece on the subject here: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/eu-
Forcing Schools to become academies
One of the many damaging proposals to come from the Government in recent weeks is their plan to force all schools to become academies.
At Prime Ministers Questions I challenged David Cameron on the issue – asking why he was forcing this change upon parents in Brighton who have overwhelmingly rejected Academisation.
This change would leave schools unaccountable to local communities, and it’s clearly the wrong approach. Local authorities are needed to ensure good planning and fairness across a local area. They can provide for the efficient pooling of resources, including legal help and support services for pupils with special educational needs.
From a Government that bangs the ‘localism’ drum this attack on local authorities is particularly shameful.
PrEP Drugs for those at risk
I was deeply disappointed to learn this week that NHS England has shelved plans to make a lifesaving HIV drug widely available.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can be taken on a daily basis – in a similar way that women take the contraceptive pill – by men who have sex with men to dramatically reduce the risk of HIV transmission. Sadly NHS England has scaled back its plans to make the drug available to those who need it – thus leaving people in Brighton & Hove and elsewhere exposed to unnecessary risk.
You can read more about the NHS England proposal here:http://www.theguardian.com/
Gift Aid Rule change
I was pleased to see a small piece of good news emerge in the last few weeks – thanks to the campaigning of one of my constituents.
Anthony Smith became aware of this issue in January when Just Giving removed the gift aid from a donation he made to my daughter Nia’s fundraising efforts linked to a marathon she was running in aid of the Motor Neurone Disease Association. Just Giving seemed to be randomly removing gift aid around 24 hours after donations were made, without telling either the donor or the fundraiser. When he looked into it, Just Giving told him that under HMRC pressure, they were reading donors’ private messages of support and deleting the gift aid wherever more than one name was mentioned.
I wrote to HMRC in February demanding they change their stance and, thankfully, they did so!
JustGiving has now reached an agreement with HMRC that will see thousands of charities regain Gift Aid income that had been rejected by HMRC because it appeared to come from more than one family member.
The Immigration Bill
The Immigration Bill is currently nearing the end of its passage through Parliament after fifteen sessions of line-by-line scrutiny by a committee of MPs, and four lengthy Committee Stage sessions in the Lords. Yet, despite so much time being spent on the Bill, there is a very worrying provision hidden away inside the draft legislation which hasn’t been scrutinised properly. This clause in the Bill – which I’ve written about in detail – could mean that vulnerable people - including pregnant women – could be left homeless and destitute on our streets.
Going to Calais and Dunkirk
On a grey day a couple of weeks ago I crossed the Channel and entered a different world.
Upon arriving at the camp at Calais – commonly known as the ‘Jungle’- it became immediately clear to me just how grim the reality of the situation is, with NGOs widely reporting that people living in the camps are exposed to squalid and often dangerous conditions. But what you don’t hear is how difficult it will be to walk away once you’ve seen it for yourself.
I wrote about my day in Calais and Dunkirk here: http://www.politics.co.uk/
Debate on Safe Passage for Refugees
Last week I secured a Westminster Hall debate in Parliament today calling on the UK government to support a UNHCR meeting which is taking place at the end of this month, and is designed to secure pledges for safe and legal routes for refugees, particularly from Syria. I’m asking ministers to assure us that the Government will take a strong leadership role at the UN meeting on the 30 March.
Specifically I urged Ministers to:
- Give refugee children the same rights to be with their family as adult refugees: The UK is one of very few EU countries not to allow unaccompanied refugee children to sponsor their parents in order to be safely reunited in the UK. Family reunion should be expanded to allow children to be reunited with their parents in line with the best interests of the child principle and the right to family unity.
- Widen rules to allow adult refugees to be reunited with their parents, siblings and adult children in the UK. As it currently stands, an 18-year-old girl cannot be reunited with her family because of her age. Similarly, a woman who has lost her immediate family to violence can only join her brother in the UK if she embarks on a long and dangerous journey.
- Afford British citizens and those with indefinite leave to remain the right to bring to the UK their family members with international protection needs. This should be done on terms that are no less favourable than those on which refugees can be reunited with family members, save in the matter of recourse to public funds.
The discussion was really interesting - you can read it here: http://www.publications.
NHS Bill
Friday 11th March saw a fantastic day of action in support of the NHS Bill. Campaigners should be proud. Tens of thousands of people contacted their MPs to make sure the NHS Bill was across their desks. We saw demonstrations up and down the country in support. At a rally outside the Commons, speaker after speaker got up to say what a public NHS means to them. Toots of support from taxis, lorries, cyclists and cars didn’t stop.
I only wish the activities inside Parliament could have matched that spirit. A tiny group of clown-like backbench Tory MPs deliberately prevented the NHS Bill from being debated. For four and a half hours, they bored on about a crass two clause Bill that they’d picked off a shelf to stop any real debates going forward.
Though the debate on the Bill was cut short this is not the end of the campaign. I’d urge everyone to sign this petition to stop Tory filibustering and to get involved in the NHS Campaign in the weeks and months to come.
You can read more about what happened with the NHS Bill in this piece I wrote for Open Democracy: https://www.opendemocracy.net/
Voting against HS2
Yesterday I was one of just 42 MPs to vote against HS2. Not only is the project extremely expensive but it will be environmentally damaging too. The Green Party will continue to oppose HS2 and make the case for the huge sums of money to be invested elsewhere.
The Investigatory Powers Bill
I was really disappointed to be in such a tiny minority of MPs who opposed the Government’s Investigatory Powers Bill. Indeed the cosy consensus on surveillance that appears to have taken hold in Westminster is troubling. Many of the aspects of this bill are deeply unsettling and need far more scrutiny – it’s crucial that politicians from all sides of the house don’t hide behind a false veil of bipartisanship when examining legislation that could have huge repercussions for the rights we hold dear in this country
You can read more about the Bill here: https://www.liberty-human-
International Women’s Day
On International Women’s Day I joined campaigners outside the Home Office in protest at the detention of female asylum seekers. In my speech I said:
“At this time of crisis, we can do far more to offer safe haven to many more people than the Government is currently prepared to welcome.
“We can treat refugees with dignity, respect and humanity. And we can offer them safety, security and freedom.
“This is why I will continue to call for an end to indefinite detention here in Parliament and end to detention for all torture victims, sexual violence survivors and pregnant women.
“An end to immigration detention for administrative convenience.
“And for an immigration system which upholds fundamental human rights.”
I also wrote an opinion piece for the Huffington Post about why the EU is good for Women. You can read that here: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.
Parliament is on recess for the next couple of weeks. I’ll be focussing my work in Brighton & Hove and I’ll send my next update in April.
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