It was good to meet with some of the finalists of the Living Bridge awards and the unveiling of the Living Bridge Magazine which celebrates the achievements of the Indian Diaspora, in particular Indian students who study in different educational Institutions around the world, India UK Achievers. 

Tanya Paul came all the way from Toronto, Canada where she is working in marketing. Tanya is a finalist in the Arts and Culture category.

Ruhi Khan, to my left is  the Editor of Living Bridge and is currently undertaking research for a PHD in feminism and technology . She also teaches Data and Society.  Also on hand to congratulate the nominees is my colleague Catherine West MP for Hornsey and Wood Green. Catherine is the Shadow Foreign Minister for Asia and the Pacific.  

I wish all the attendees a very successful future.

I was pleased that Deborah Williams from Heritage England agreed to meet to discuss the iconic status of St Matthews Church and how we can preserve the important Town's heritage.

At the meeting on Friday 23 February 2024 also present at the meeting Dr John Edlin and Revd Jim Trood to discuss the background to St Matthews and the support the Church estate needs form funding bodies to preserve its Grade II* status.  That morning there were nearly a dozen volunteers present who were helping with tidying up and cleaning outside and inside the Church. It was good to see people drop in for coffee and tea and to have a chat. The Church provides an excellent safe space for the community. 

For more information go to: https://www.stmatthewswalsall.co.uk

  

I have received a number of emails about the SNP opposition day debate on Wednesday 21 February 2024. I want to start by explaining the procedure that took place that evening. The Opposition parties are allocated Opposition Days which means the Opposition can choose their debate. As it was the SNP Opposition day, the usual procedure means the SNP motion would be taken and voted for first. Unusually and against the advice of the Clerk of the House,  Mr Speaker chose to put the Labour Party motion first and the Government and SNP chose not to vote against it and so it passed. I am setting out the motions below. I would have voted for both the SNP and the Labour motions if they had both been put to the House. Only the Labour motion was put to the House.      

The SNP Motion was as follows but was not put to the vote:
“That this House calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Israel; notes with shock and distress that the death toll has now risen beyond 28,000, the vast majority of whom were women and children; further notes that there are currently 1.5 million Palestinians sheltering in Rafah, 610,000 of whom are children; also notes that they have nowhere else to go; condemns any military assault on what is now the largest refugee camp in the world; further calls for the immediate release of all hostages taken by Hamas and an end to the collective punishment of the Palestinian people; and recognises that the only way to stop the slaughter of innocent civilians is to press for a ceasefire now.”

This was HM Opposition labour Party Motion which was not voted against and so it passed:
“That this House believes that an Israeli ground offensive in Rafah risks catastrophic humanitarian consequences and therefore must not take place; notes the intolerable loss of Palestinian life, the majority being women and children; condemns the terrorism of Hamas who continue to hold hostages; supports Australia, Canada and New Zealand’s calls for Hamas to release and return all hostages and for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, which means an immediate stop to the fighting and a ceasefire that lasts and is observed by all sides, noting that Israel cannot be expected to cease fighting if Hamas continues with violence and that Israelis have the right to the assurance that the horror of 7th October cannot happen again; therefore supports diplomatic mediation efforts to achieve a lasting ceasefire; demands that rapid and unimpeded humanitarian relief is provided in Gaza; demands an end to settlement expansion and violence; urges Israel to comply with the International Court of Justice’s provisional measures; calls for the UN Security Council to be meet urgently; and urges all international partners to work together to establish a diplomatic process to deliver the peace of a two-state solution, with a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable Palestinian state, including working with international partners to recognise a Palestinian state as a contribution to rather than outcome of that process, because statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people and not in the gift of any neighbour.”

As you know, I called for a ceasefire publicly on the 27 October 2023 by video and when I appeared on the Sunday Politics Midlands Show which was broadcast on 29 October 2023.  

When the first opportunity arose to vote in Parliament for a ceasefire, I spoke on 15 November 2023 during the King’s Speech debate and I voted for an immediate ceasefire.

The Conservative Government voted against this motion.  Even though this vote was lost, we sent our message to the people of Gaza and the international community that there are British parliamentarians calling for an immediate ceasefire.

I signed the Early Day Motion 1 tabled on the 7 November 2023 and Early Day Motion 177. I have heard directly from a doctor when I attended a meeting where Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah spoke about his work at the Shifa Hospital. He said of the 50,000 who were wounded, 70% still need help and everyday is worse than the day before.

Last week I attended a meeting with NGO’s such as International Rescue Medical Aid, Action Aid, and Oxfam who said that the basic needs of food, water and medicine are being denied. They said that the air drops are not efficient.

I have also heard from the Palestinian Ambassador to the UK Dr Husum Zomlot who frequently updates MPs about the situation. He has recently lost members of his family in Gaza.   

I will continue to press for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, release of all hostages and a just and lasting peaceful future for the Palestinian people in their own independent state and I will continue to use my voice to call, unequivocally, for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to end the bloodshed and suffering and to allow a sustained effort to salvage the hope of a two-state solution.

It was wonderful to attend the discussion with Elizabeth Hallam Smith and Mari Takayanagi  who work for the House and are the authors of Necessary Women over lunch on Monday 5 February 2024. The book recounts the many women who have worked behind the scenes in the Palace of Westminster ensuring the place works. 

At the Parliamentary Book Awards, on 6 February 2024 in the Churchill Room, one of the winners was Matt Chorley a radio journalist and presenter won an award for his book Planes Trains and Toilet Doors. The other winners were Rt Hon Jesse Norman MP for his novel The Winding Stair and Danny Finkelstein for his family memoir Hitler Stalin Mum &Dad. A family memoir of miraculous survival- all worthy winners.       

On Tuesday 5 February 2024, the House of Commons debated the Finance Bill. The Bill enacts various tax measures announced by the Chancellor in the Autumn Statement 2023. One measure included in the Bill is full expensing – a capital allowance tax scheme that lets UK companies deduct 100% of the cost of capital equipment from taxable profits in the year the investment was made – which the Bill makes permanent. I have consistently supported calls for permanent full expensing, as a means to support greater business investment and economic growth. However, I am concerned that repeated changes to capital allowances, without any clear long-term plan, have had a cost to our economy by undermining prospects for investment, innovation and growth. I therefore supported a new clause to the Bill that would have required the Chancellor to publish an assessment of the impact on investment and growth of the measures to make full expensing permanent, and to consider what other policies could support the effectiveness of permanent full expensing. Unfortunately, this new clause was voted down by Government MPs.

I also supported a new clause on air passenger duty. This is because, for domestic flights, the Bill freezes this duty for those flying by private jet, while raising it for people flying economy and business class. The new clause I supported would have required the Chancellor to publish a review of the multipliers used to calculate the higher rates of air passenger duty, and to propose options for closing the current loophole that has allowed private jet passengers to enjoy a tax freeze while everyone else is seeing a tax rise. Unfortunately, this amendment was also defeated. I did not oppose the Bill as it contains some measures that I support. However, I do not believe it provides the comprehensive and effective plan for growth that families and businesses across the country need.

Finance Bill Report Stage: New Clause 6, I voted Aye and the result was: Ayes: 185 and Noes: 285
Finance Bill Report Stage: New Clause 7, I voted Aye and the result was: Ayes: 182 and Noes: 289

That the Bill be now read the third time. I abstained at third reading. The House divided. Ayes: 283  Noes: 39