It was good to meet with the Co-Chair of Walsall FC, Leigh Pomlett, at an event held by the English Football League EFL on Monday 20 January 2025.This was a well supported event, to hear about the progress of the Football Governance Bill now in the House of Lords. The culture secretary Lisa Nandy MP said she was not going to let the Lords delay the Bill.The panel answered questions and included Rick Parry, the Chair of the EFL and Minister Stephanie Peacock MP who is responsible for the BIll. (pictured below left)Frank Lampard, former Chelsea and England footballer responded to a Q and A. He is currently the manger of Coventry City EFL Championship club. I am pictured with Leigh Pomlett and Frank Lampard. 

January marks Tamil Heritage Month, and I attended the Thai Pongal celebration in Parliament on 15 January 2025, hosted by the British Tamils Forum.

Thai Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated in colourful fashion- we were treated to folk dances, musical performances and Tamil traditional food, including the sweet pongal dish- rice boiled with milk and jaggery. It is traditionally dedicated to the sun deity, Surya, and marks the end of the winter solstice.

We also took the opportunity to remember the atrocities Tamil people faced during the genocidal war in Sri Lanka, including the Mullivaikkal massacre in 2009. It is said that those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it, and I have pledged my continued support for justice for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and paving the way for a permanent political solution for Tamil people in Sri Lanka to live in peace and harmony with equal rights.

British Tamils have strongly contributed to culture in the UK.

 

The House met on 14 January 2025 to debate on the third reading of the Renters' Rights Bill. The bill aims, amongst many other improvements, to: Abolish Section 21 ‘no fault evictions’-increasing tenant security, strengthen tenants’ rights to challenge unreasonable rent rises and rental bidding, and apply a Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector.

I added my name to New Clause 6 and Amendments  7, 8 and 9.

New Clause 6 (Help for Care Leavers)

This new clause would place a duty on local authorities to help care leavers pay or guarantee any required deposit to enable them to agree a tenancy in the private rented sector.

Amendment 7 (the new national database)

This amendment would introduce specific requirements for landlord and dwelling entries on the Private Rented Sector Database.

Amendment 8 (Decent Homes Standard and Temporary Accommodation)

This amendment would make the Decent Homes Standard apply to all homeless temporary accommodation provided under the Housing Act 1996 by adapting the definition of “residential premises” in the Housing Act 2004 to remove a requirement for such temporary accommodation to meet certain Government regulations.

Amendments 9 (Rent Stabilisation/Cost of Renting)

These amendments would introduce rent stabilisation measures and are focused on the cost of renting in the PRS.

The Bill passed it's third reading with the result: Ayes 440 Noes 111.

 

I chaired another session of the Employment Rights Bill Committee on Tuesday 14 January 2025. The House of Commons appoints committees to consider proposed legislation in detail, line by line.

The Employment Right Bill seeks to: ensure that jobs provide a baseline of security for workers, prioritise fairness, equality and wellbeing of workers, ensure workers get fair pay for a fair day’s work, modernise trade union legislation giving trade unions greater freedom to organise, represent and negotiate on behalf of their workers, improve enforcement of employment rights and establish the Fair Work Agency to bring together existing state enforcement functions including the enforcement of the National Minimum Wage and Statutory Sick Pay. The Fair Work Agency will also incorporate a wider range of employment rights, such as holiday pay.

This session considered, among other things, increasing time limits for making claims in employment tribunals, seafarers’ wages and working conditions and rates of statutory maternity pay. 

On 16 January 2025, the committee had its final session considering the Bill, and will now report its conclusions and any amendments made to the House where it will be debated further on the next stages of the Bill.

Together with other MPs and Peers I signed Tonia Antoniazzi MP's letter to the England and Wales Cricket Board calling for the Men's team to consider a boycott of next month's ICC Champion's Trophy group stage match against Afghanistan.

The EWCB has taken action in 2024 confirming that as long as Afghanistan maintain their ban on women participating in sport, England would not schedule a bilateral series against them. This stance must be maintained in all competitions as we stand up for values of equality and access to sport and civic life for women and girls in Alghanistan.