On Tuesday 19 March 2024 the House of Commons considered the Trade (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) Bill. In July 2023, the UK formally agreed to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), an Asia-Pacific trade bloc of 11 other countries: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. To complete the UK’s accession process for the bloc, the Bill makes limited, mainly technical changes to domestic law to make it compliant with the CPTPP. I support the UK’s accession to CPTPP. I therefore did not oppose this Bill. However, I have a number of reservations about the agreement and supported several efforts to amend the Bill to address some of these concerns. I supported a new clause that would have required the Government to publish a report and give Parliament a vote on any new country joining CPTPP. This is needed because of the security issues and the impact on particular sectors of the economy and on jobs in the UK of a country’s accession to the agreement.

I am also concerned at the inclusion of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions in the CPTPP agreement. ISDS is secretive, avoids perfectly effective domestic public legal systems, discriminates against small and medium-sized businesses and holds back environmental and other progressive public policy changes. I therefore supported an amendment that would have required the Government to place before Parliament a review of the financial risk of the implementation of the ISDS provisions in the CPTPP’s investment chapter. In addition, I supported amendments that would have required the Government to publish a comparative analysis of the impact of the implementation of the CPTPP on UK trade and GDP and an assessment of the impact of the performer’s rights provisions in the CPTPP will have on qualifying individuals in the UK. Unfortunately, all of these amendments were defeated by the Government. The Bill passed its Third Reading.

I do not consider joining CPTPP will make up for the Government’s failure to deliver a good trade deal with Europe or its broken promise to cover 80% of the UK’s trade with free trade agreements. I consider there are benefits to joining and welcome the opportunities that will be opened up for some British businesses.

There was 4 votes on the amendments and I voted in favour. 

I was pleased to meet a delegation form the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo on Monday 19 March 2024. In the delegation was Ms Arbereshe Kryeziu Hyseni MP Chair of the Foreign Affairs ands Diaspora Committee, other members of the Foreign Affairs Committee,  Ms Time Kadrija MP; Ms Fitore Pacolli Dalipi MP and Mr Gazmend Gjyshinca MP. 

With other members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, there was a useful exchange of views on NATO and other international issues.    

On Monday 18 March 2024  the House of Commons considered the Lords Amendments to the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill. I supported all ten amendments, which were all defeated. The Bill will now return to the House of Lords for further scrutiny.  It has recently been reported that the removal of the first 300 asylum seekers to Rwanda will cost nearly £2 million per person. Altogether, this will be £570 million of taxpayer money, and will account for just 1% of the 30,000 asylum seekers who crossed in small boats last year. I want to know what the plan is for the remaining 99% of cases that are ineligible to be processed under the Illegal Migration Act 2023. Lords amendment eight would have required the Government to report on a timetable for removing asylum seekers who have been declared inadmissible under this legislation. We need to see accountability for the creation of the so-called perma-backlog of 56,000 asylum seekers who are stuck in limbo and unable to be processed.

Furthermore, Lords amendment 10 sought to exempt individuals who have worked in support of the UK Government or armed forces from removal to Rwanda. In my view this amendment is driven by a moral responsibility, similar to Lords amendment nine, which would have prevented the removal of potential victims of modern slavery to Rwanda. I also supported Lords amendment 7, which reversed changes to age assessment procedures established by the Illegal Migration Act 2023 in relation to removals to Rwanda. It would have restored the ability of domestic courts and tribunals to consider claims taken on the basis of an age assessment of unaccompanied children. Last year, the highest court in the UK unanimously declared that Rwanda is not a safe country to send asylum seekers to. Lords amendments one to six related to the safety of Rwanda and principle of the rule of law. Crucially, Lords amendment one would have placed a responsibility on the Government to comply in full with its obligations under domestic and international law. Disappointingly, this was defeated by a majority of 78. I strongly consider that this Bill is unaffordable, unlawful and unworkable. It will not fix the chaos of our asylum system.

There was 10 votes and I supported all the Lords amendments. 

 

 

 

The Premier League approached Walsall FC Foundation about a project providing Kits for Schools.  I was delighted to visit and meet the girls team at Caldmore Primary wearing their kit. This also included a Hijab if required.  This was provided in the Schools colours. The girls were excited about football, their kits and an upcoming tournament.  

I visited Delves Junior School on Friday  15 March 2024 to see FerreroUK's unbranded social responsibility programme the Joy of Moving at first hand. The Programme is delivered by Walsall FC Foundation as part of Ferrero's long term partnership with the English Football league. 

The first part of the programme was listening in on a class room based activity where the children learn about the different food groups using the Eatwell Guide. 

Then the children went to the Hall and formed teams where each member of the team picked up cards of each food group.  It was good to see the children active and using their knowledge in a game which made them move. The programme helps children to develop key skills in four major areas, physical fitness, motor coordination, cognitive functions and creativity and life skills.  

The children were also given T shirts. The Joy of Moving is celebrating its 10 year of the programme in schools and want play based learning to be part of the curriculum.