I was delighted to attend the St Patrick Day's celebration hosted by Conor McGinn MP and Karen Smyth MP.  His excellency Ireland's  Ambassador to the UK Martin Fraser was present and it was good to extend greetings on this special day. ☘️
 

On Tuesday 12 March the Budget resolutions were debated following the Chancellor's speech last Wednesday 6 March 2024.  I was called to speak during the debate just as  

Madame Deputy Speaker imposed a 7 minute time limit on backbench speeches: Here is my speech: 

Seven is my favourite number, Madam Deputy Speaker. It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for North West Norfolk (James Wild).

It is a fact that when we speak in the Budget debate, which is the bread and butter of our work, we may not get the hearing we want. We have to live with the sad fact that the song “Murder on the Dancefloor” will be streamed more than our speeches, or maybe just my speeches. I refer hon. Members to a line from that song:

“better not steal the moves”.

However, it seems the Chancellor did, because he abolished non-dom status—a move that had been trailed for some time by the Opposition. I suppose imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

I say to the residents of Walsall that, yes, we can work within the fiscal envelope, but our choices will be different. What did the Chancellor actually do to solve the problems of the country? Nothing. He said nothing about hedge fund managers having made £53 billion in profits for investors. Why is that not harnessed for society? The water companies pour effluent into our rivers. They broke the law, and awarded themselves £10 million in bonuses and £14 million in incentive payments, but they want to charge us £156 extra to plug a financial gap. What would we do? We would end self-monitoring and force companies to monitor every single outlet, so that they cannot cover up illegal sewage dumping.

The Chancellor mentioned a new tax on vaping—we have seen vape shops proliferate on the high street—and the freezing of alcohol duty, which helps pubs, but he said nothing about the high street. Those working on the high street worked during the pandemic and beyond, and they still face abuse in work, but there is nothing for them. They are on low pay or in insecure work. He could have given them the real living wage, based on the cost of living. There was nothing for the high street that would help retailers compete with online businesses.

What about local government? Schools are struggling with dilapidated, toxic buildings or a lack of staff. The staff are paid less than they would be for working for an online company, so when they leave school, they go and work for that company. Special educational needs pupils are being failed. Councils still have to bid for money. Walsall Council cannot even respond to fly-tipping, manage trees or invest in a rat-catcher. That is a public health issue and affects people’s lives. People need to know the connection: the Government cut the grants to local authorities, and the council is forced to raise council tax just to stand still. There may be a cut in national insurance, but people will have to pay for it through increased council tax.

As a lawyer and a member of the Law Society, I know that the legal system is shaky. It is the quiet and calm place where disputes are settled. It is there to keep communities safe and it is worth £60 billion. There is a dearth of duty solicitors. Legal firms are small and medium-sized enterprises, and they are struggling to attract staff. Will the Minister work with the Law Society and support firms to increase civil legal aid so that they can give people the right advice to prevent their becoming homeless, as well as giving opportunities for legal apprentices to make their way in careers in the law?

What about the NHS? The Government are only funding additional roles. NHS Facts and Stats states that England does not have a shortage of GPs, but rather a practice funding shortage, with a 20% reduction in pounds per patient since 2016. What would Labour do? The shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has said that we would deal with waste: the £1.7 billion spent on hospital beds because patients cannot be discharged; the £3.5 is paid to recruitment agencies because the Government have failed to train enough staff; the £626 million spent by the Department of Health and Social Care on management consultants. Further, £1 billion could be saved through bulk buying equipment. We have not even started on the personal protective equipment fiasco! We would work in partnership with businesses in the private sector, just as we announced yesterday for the national wealth fund, so that for every £1 the public sector spends, £1 is raised in the private sector from the green finance initiative.

From the international situation, our constituents are numb to just getting by with the cost of living. We say to them: “We believe in you. We will give you the skills and your rights at work. We will do what is needed for public services and support you with a safety net as needed. We believe in you and support you to live safe, happy, productive and secure lives.”

 

You can see my speech below in the video:

I was delighted to drop into the World Book Day launch in the Attlee Suite , as a World Book Day Champion, to support  their mission to promote reading for pleasure.  The National Literary Trust found that 1 in15 children do not own a book of their own.  the theme this year is to encourage children to just pick up any book and read... just for pleasure. 


This year 105,000 £1 book tokens will be donated by publishers and distributed directly to children. I donated the books and book tokens to Old Church Primary C of E School. 3 in 5 children told the National Literacy Trust that during lockdown that reading made them feel better. And a survey of primary school children in 2022 , 42.6% said they read more books as a result of World Book Day. So lets encourage everyone to let go of pressures and expectations and Read Your Way.    

On Tuesday 5 March 24 there was a debate for Primary Care and I have ask the House the question:

"Equal access to primary care is so important, but the use of physician associates is downright dangerous. Does the Secretary of State agree that patients have the right to see a qualified GP and not be fobbed off with a two-tier primary care system?"

On Tuesday 27 February 2024 the House considered the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill.

The Bill would make long-term changes  intended to improve homeownership for leaseholders and freeholders in England and Wales. The Bill seeks to implement Government commitments to improve choice and make leasehold fairer. It also takes forward many of the leasehold reform recommendations made by the Law Commission in 2020. Although I consider this legislation lacks ambition, I recognise that this limited Bill will provide some relief from the unjust and discriminatory practices that our archaic leasehold system facilitates. For that reason, I supported the passage of the Bill at this stage.

I supported amendments tabled by the Opposition which attempted to strengthen the Bill and rectify some of the problems within it. For example, I was in favour of proposals to prohibit landlords from claiming litigation costs from tenants, other than under limited circumstances determined by the Secretary of State.

Additional Opposition amendments which I supported, would have ensured leases on new flats required a residents’ management company to be established, and would have removed the power of repossession of a freehold property where a freeholder fails to pay. These amendments were not voted on. Three of the Opposition’s amendments were voted on, including one to ensure that all leaseholders have the right to vary their lease and replace rent with peppercorn rent.

In addition, an amendment was considered to stop landlords being able to terminate a lease and seek repossession for a breach of terms or an unpaid debt of more than £350. Finally, the House considered a change that would have made sure that when determining deferment rates, consideration should be given to allowing leaseholders to acquire the freehold at the lowest possible cost. I backed these amendments but unfortunately, they were defeated by Government MPs. I supported the Bill overall at Third Reading. It will now progress through the House of Lords.

Mr Marcus Jones signified King’s consent, as far as His Majesty’s interest is concerned.

Mr Marcus Jones signified Prince of Wales’s consent, as far as his interest is concerned.

The Bill was read the third time and passed.