On Wednesday, 18 October, I attended the University of Wolverhampton reception in the Lords to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Lord Swraj Paul as Chancellor and the achievements of students at the Walsall Campus. The University of Wolverhampton provides the West Midlands and beyond with highly qualified, professional graduates, and its mission is to create opportunities for graduates.

The University's Walsall Campus has a multi-million pound Sports Centre, with excellent facilities, expert staff and highly equipped sports science laboratories, and a 12-court, multi-activity sports hall, a six-lane, floodlit athletics track, all-weather floodlit pitch, throws and jumps area & a dance studio. The Walsall Campus is also home to the British Judo Association who live, train and compete right on campus. 

I met Abi Daré, (above) a Nigerian University of Wolverhampton alumni and author of the New York Times Bestseller 'The Girl with the Louding Voice'. I also met alumni Theo Johnson, a Film Maker, Actor, Script Writer, BBC 1Xtra Presenter and Motivational Speaker.

The University of Wolverhampton is once again in the top ten universities for social mobility, and at the reception, presented its widening participation credentials: 

71% of students are the first in their family to enter university – this ranks the University of Wolverhampton first in the country for such students;
More than half of students are mature (aged 21 and over);
55% are from Global majority backgrounds;
77% live within a 20-mile distance of the University;
89% of alumni are employed or continuing their education within 15 months of graduating, and 77% of those are within the West Midlands region.

If you want to find out more, or are looking to apply, please visit www.wlv.ac.uk

I chaired an evidence session on Wednesday 18 October 2023. In the year leading to the 75th anniversary of the Genocide Convention, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute, and the Coalition for Genocide Response hosted a series of Parliamentary events engaging with several issues pertaining to the implementation of the duties under the Genocide Convention and look at recent and contemporary cases of genocide.  Todays session covers the Genocide against Rohingya and Myanmar and the question of justice and accountability.  

The Rohyngya are indigenous people to the Western Rakhine State of Burma, and are predominantly Muslim. Despite their indigenous status, the Burmese Government refuses to recognise their identity as Rohingyas, labelling them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. After the events of October 2016, when nine Burmese police officers were killed by an armed militia, the situation deteriorated. The killings led to widespread, systematic, and indiscriminate attacks against Rohingya Muslim civilians. The events of October 2016 put Burma firmly onto the United Nations radar.  What followed can only be described as genocide and crimes against humanity. 

The two speakers were Tun Khin (in the main picture), co-founder and President of Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK, Tun was born and raised in Arakan State. His grandfather was a Parliamentary secretary during the democratic period of Burma. His mother's grandfather was the first Judge in Northern Arakan State. Although well established and respected alongside a million other ethnic Rohingya Tun Khin is not recognised as a citizen of Burma.  Zoya Phan (left) is a Burmese political activist and Campaign Manager of the human rights organization Burma Campaign UK.  Zoya is also the author of the memoir 'Little Daughter', and in 2010 she was recognised by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader. She was forced to flee her village after an attack by the military junta when she was just a teenager. 

The Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill was sent back to the Commons by the Lords with amendments, and there were multiple votes on Tuesday, 17 October 2023.

The Bill is to make provision for the setting of levelling-up missions and reporting on progress in delivering them; about local democracy, town and country planning, Community Infrastructure Levy, the imposition of Infrastructure Levy, environmental outcome reports for certain consents and plans, regeneration, the compulsory purchase of land,  information and records relating to land, the environment or heritage, for the provision for pavement licences to be permanent,  governance of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors,  vagrancy and begging; 

The Bill also abolished the post of Police and Crime Commissioner without a vote by the public who voted for the PCC in 2021. The Bill gives the Mayor power to take on the powers of the PCC at any time.   

There were 17 votes and all were lost to the Government's amendments.

On Tuesday, 17 October, I dropped into the Estee Lauder Companies Breast Cancer Campaign event in Parliament, as it is #TimeToEndBreastCancer. The Campaign unites and inspires people globally in its mission to help create a breast cancer-free world for all. Founded in 1992 by the late Evelyn H. Lauder with the launch of the iconic Pink Ribbon, The Campaign is The Estée Lauder Companies’ largest corporate social impact programme. Together, The Campaign and The Estée Lauder Companies Charitable Foundation have funded more than £100 million for lifesaving global research, education, and medical services with more than £80 million funding medical research through the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). BCRF is dedicated to advancing the world’s most promising research to eradicate breast cancer.