Black women are four times more likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth than their white counterparts. This statistic is a snapshot of the wider health inequalities faced by black and minority ethnic mothers and their children. I’ve signed the Five X More MPs Pledge to draw attention to this overlooked issue and join forces with other MPs in campaigning for the Government to act.
It is two years since the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests that followed. See below for an update on my work in fighting for racial justice.
After much delay, the Government has announced plans to introduce legislation to ban conversion therapy. However, it has confirmed that trans conversion therapy will not be included in the ban. Any form of therapy to convert people away from being who they are, whether they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or trans, is wrong.
I wrote to the Minister for Equalities to press him to ban conversion therapy in all its forms. Click the link below to view his response. I will continue to press the Government on this issue.
The Big Plastic Count kicks off today. Join me and take part in the UK’s biggest ever investigation into plastic waste.
The UK produces more plastic waste per person than almost any other country in the world (only the US is worse). If things do not improve, then the global amount of plastic waste is set to double by 2040.
The Government unveiled a number of bills at this year's Queen Speech aimed at 'levelling up' the country. However, levelling up must include inner city boroughs like ours. Hackney is the seventh most deprived local authority area in the country, but the Government is choosing to prioritise more affluent areas in its levelling up agenda.
Valerie’s law is a proposal named after a constituent, Valerie Forde, who was brutally murdered with her 23-month-old daughter, Jah-zara, by her ex-partner. Valerie’s law would mandate specialist cultural competency training for police officers, relevant government agencies, and domestic violence safehouse staff so that black and minority ethnic women affected by domestic abuse are appropriately supported.
Residential buildings with communal heating systems are not protected by the Energy Price Cap. I organised a debate to press the Government on how it will support struggling families impacted by this.
Watch the full debate here.
From 6 April people with biometric residence cards, biometric residence permits, and frontier working permits will have to prove their status online to work or rent in the UK. From this date, physical copies of these documents will no longer be accepted. However, many people struggle to use the online system. It is typical of the Home Office to have set up a system that does not understand the interactions that people will have to have whilst proving their status.
I spoke in a debate about support for black victims of domestic abuse and urged the Government to support Valerie’s law. This proposal is named after a constituent, Valerie Forde, who was brutally murdered with her 23-month-old daughter, Jah-zara, by her ex-partner. Valerie’s law would mandate specialist cultural competency training for police officers, relevant government agencies, and domestic violence safehouse staff so that black and minority ethnic women affected by domestic abuse are appropriately supported.
After a recent IT refresh a local tech business, Logixal, asked for help in distributing over 100 pieces of high-quality PCs, monitors, mice, and keyboards. I put them in touch with Hackney youth groups and organisations that work with young people, including the Gascoyne and Morningside Youth Club, Evergreen adventure playground, the Pedro Youth Club, Mouth That Roars, and Tropical Isles.