Ukrainian refugees have been through hell and back but are still being put through more difficulties by the Home Office. I pressed the Home Secretary, Priti Patel MP, on what security risk a 90-year-old woman fleeing war in Ukraine poses, or people in their sixties, or mothers with small children? See here. The Government’s approach to Ukrainian refugees just underlines the chaos at the heart of the Home Office. It needs to urgently get a grip.
The Public Accounts Committee published a report calling out the Government for its meagre ambition to fix the backlog in cases at courts. It means victims of rape and serious sexual offences are facing unacceptable delays to justice. Since the start of the pandemic, the number of these cases waiting longer than a year to be heard has increased by more than 400 per cent. It is extending victims' suffering and leading to too many cases collapsing. See here to read a summary and see here to read the report.
And it was a delight to visit two Hackney schools this week. I visited Gayhurst Primary School alongside the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of Hackney, Phil Glanville, and Hackney's representative in the London Assembly, Sem Moema. We saw first-hand the positive impact that school streets were having for parents and children. And this morning I visited Olive School to see their new permanent site and listen to some excellent poetry from the pupils.