2018 February

6 February 2018 marks 100 years since Parliament passed the 1918 Representation of the People Act which granted some women over 30 who owned a property, and all men, the right to vote in the UK for the first time.

I met with Mark Hoda of Shaw Trust on Monday 5 February 2018. Shaw Trust is the largest third sector provider for existing employability and learning and skills programmes. It support 50,000 people a year across the UK to enter work and lead independent lives, and plans to transform the lives of a million people a year by 2022.

I supported Tan Dhesi MP’s campaign to create a permanent national monument in London to commemorate the extraordinary bravery and sacrifices of Sikh soldiers.

As Shadow Leader of the House, I responded to the debate on Baby Leave for Members of Parliament.

This week I raised the quarterly police figures which show a 14% rise in recorded crime in England and Wales. Domestic burglary is up 32%. That is mirrored in Walsall South: a young couple who just got married had their wedding jewellery stolen, and another constituent gave me a video of a gang entering a home and marching people upstairs to rob them. There is only one police station in Darlaston, and that is closing. It is unfair to say that the Government are protecting the police budget. I asked for an urgent debate or a statement from the Minister on how much more money will be given to local councils to protect local services?