All students are due to return to school in the coming weeks. I’m clear that getting children back to school safely and a having plan in place for any Covid-related disruption must be the Government's top priority.

 

A number of constituents contacted me expressing concerns about how schools can re-open safely. I have now received this response from the Department for Education. I welcome the £650 million catch-up premium for schools and the £350 million National Tutoring Programme that will target support for the most disadvantaged pupils.

 

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A number of constituents contacted me calling for the Government to set up a food standards commission ahead of post-Brexit trade talks. I wrote to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and received this response from the Minister for the Department.

I’m pleased the Government has agreed, in principle, to a food standards commission. I will continue pressing the Government to keep its commitment to high food standards in any post-Brexit trade deal.

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At today’s statement on the Windrush Lessons Learned review, I challenged the Home Secretary to remove the barriers for citizenship for young people who've been in the UK since childhood.

They are passionate about the country that is their home. 

I’ll keep pressing the Government to learn the lessons from the Windrush scandal.

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A number of constituents contacted me to raise their concerns about Israel's plans to annex parts of the West Bank. I wrote to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and received this response from the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa.

 

I am pleased to see that the Government has condemned these actions. I believe the best way to end this conflict would be a two state solution. 

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The systemic injustice of low-pay and poor working conditions in the NHS needs to end.

Many NHS trusts and hospitals, including Homerton hospital, depend upon low-paid workers and outsourced agency staff in order to remain financially solvent. This is unacceptable.

The Government needs to step up and fund the NHS so that poverty pay and poor working conditions are not baked into funding models.

Every person working in a hospital – from cleaners to doctors – face an increased risk of catching COVID-19; they all deserve to be paid a wage they can afford to live on.

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Like many constituents I was shocked and saddened by the scenes of police brutality in the United States. That is why I joined Dawn Butler MP in calling for the Government to suspend the export of rubber bullets, tear gas and other equipment to the US.

I unequivocally condemn the killing of George Floyd and the ugly scenes in the US since. President Trump is stoking a divide his country along racial lines and we must have no truck with this.

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I share the anger of many of my constituents who wrote to me about the sad case of Belly Mujinga. Belly was a transport worker who died from COVID-19 after being spat at whilst at work. I am clear no one should be in fear of assault for simply going to work.

I wrote to the Department for Transport  to press the Government over the lack of PPE provided to transport workers. See the Department for Transport's response above.

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I share the anger of many of my constituents who wrote to me about the sad case of Belly Mujinga. Belly was a transport worker who died from COVID-19 after being spat at whilst at work. I am clear no one should be in fear of assault for simply going to work.

I wrote to the British Transport Police (BTP) to press them on why they failed to pass the case on to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). I welcome its decision to invite the CPS to conduct an independent review of the available evidence. You can read the full response to my letter above.

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