This week I've been working with my frontbench Labour colleagues to press the Government over lobbying and the Greensill scandal. I challenged a Minister at an Urgent Question (see here) and I voted in favour of a parliamentary inquiry to get to the bottom of this. The Government's majority meant this initiative was defeated but the Public Accounts Committee will be investigating alongside other select committees. See my round-up for further details.
The high cost of Home Office fees means too many young people in Hackney and London are priced out of citizenship.
Throughout the pandemic there’s been too little transparency from the Government about how it spends our money.
I pressed the Minister over whether a six-week inquiry is enough to shine sunlight on the millions of taxpayers’ money given to organisations such as Greensill.
See this powerful film about mothers learning of their son's death.
Calling with information about knife crime may feel hard - but there are harder calls. If you ever have any information about knife crime, you can anonymously call Crimestoppers and help prevent further deaths.
See here for further information and to learn more about these mothers' stories.
Every child deserves to start their day with a healthy breakfast. That is why I joined Emma Lewell-Buck MP in urging the Government to scale up school breakfast funding and make support to schools permanent. See more here.
The continued disruption to pupils’ learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic meant the Government cancelled GCSE and A-Level exams this year.
The Joint Council for Qualifications has now released a fact sheet with helpful guidance on the system that will be used to calculate grades for pupils impacted by the exams cancellation. There is also further guidance on Vocational and Technical Qualifications. Click the pdf document below for further details.
The COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective, and the best way of protecting ourselves and our loved ones.
It is vital we all take the vaccine as soon as it is our turn to do so. I've recently had my first jab and it was quick, easy, and pain-free.
Hackney Council has produced an excellent booklet with further information about the vaccines and Hackney's vaccination centres. Click the pdf link below to read it in full.
Too many young Londoners are priced out of citizenship because of the high cost of fees. Currently a young person applying for citizenship must complete five separate costly applications. A single ‘leave to remain’ application costs £2593. This must be renewed every 30 months for ten years.
Calling all young Hackney creatives aged 18 or under.
Newington Green Meeting House: Revolutionary Ideas project and Hackney Museum are still accepting entries for their Mary Wollstonecraft art project. They are asking students to create a piece of art inspired by Mary’s story and her time at Newington Green.
You have until the end of the month to submit. See here for further details.
I voted against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill at the first parliamentary opportunity. This bill was an opportunity for meaningful sentencing reform. There is an all-time record high backlog of more than 56,000 cases awaiting a hearing. Victims of crime are being asked to wait up to 4 years to get to court.