Category: My work

See below for Jeremy’s letter to the Home Secretary on the proposed changes to careworkers’ visas.

Many people across our community are rightly angry that a basic human necessity like water has been treated as a cashcow for private shareholders and creditors while our rivers are polluted and our infrastructure crumbles.

The current proposal from Thames Water’s creditors is an insult to every household in the region. To suggest that a company should be allowed to bypass environmental laws and pollute our waterways for another fifteen years, just to protect the profits of lenders, is a clear example of why the current system is fundamentally broken. I have long argued that the privatisation of our water industry has been a multi-billion pound heist. Since 1989, we have seen massive sums extracted in dividends while the public is left with the bill for cleaning up the mess.

In June I asked the Secretary of State, “Would it not be better to bring it [Thames Water] into public ownership and set a share price based on the costs of pollution and on the exorbitant executive pay and bonuses, so that the public as a whole can control their water supply and no longer be left to the vagaries of the private sector, with all the devastation and damage it has caused over the past 30 years?” 

We need a system that puts the environment and public health first, and that means ending the failed experiment of water privatisation once and for all. I will continue to work toward this aim.

See below for Jeremy’s letter to the Foreign Secretary on the situation in Syria.

2025 Christmas and New Years’ Newsletter

It is an honour to represent the people of Islington North in Parliament, and to campaign alongside you for a fairer society. Our People’s Forums have been very effective and I’ve enjoyed interacting with a range of people. The aim has been to create a shared space where everyone’s voice can be heard, and where we can work together to campaign on the issues that matter most to our community: housing, disability rights, pollution, mental health and asylum support. At these forums, we decide the campaigns we will wage together.

I wish everyone a restful Christmas break and a Happy New Year. Thank you to those who are working over the festive period to keep us safe and healthy. I also want to send a special festive message from my alter-ego, the Wizard of Oz-lington (above), whom I had the honour of playing in a local pantomime at Pleasance Theatre. It was a joyful and inclusive production and I was honoured to participate. The real wizardry is local theatre!

EDUCATION

Sadly, two of our schools, St Jude and St Paul’s CofE, and Highbury Quadrant, were closed this year. I am proud to have stood with the wonderful local community that was brought together by parents and staff to oppose the closure. The root cause of falling school rolls is high rents in the private sector pricing people out of Islington. I want to say a huge thank you to the dedicated youth workers for providing a range of after-school activities to young people across the borough. I hope there will be an expansion of youth centres in the future.

SAFETY

This year, many constituents have raised concerns about anti-social behaviour, particularly around Finsbury Park and Archway. I continue to attend regular meetings which bring together council officers, the police, local community leaders, and local businesses to discuss solutions to the long-standing issues we face in the area. I have always stressed the importance of strong connections between the local community, the council and the police, in creating a safer Islington for everyone.

COST OF LIVING

Thank you to the many local community groups and faith organisations who continue to come together in support of those who are struggling with the cost of living. I meet many people at our People’s Forums (below right) struggling to heat their homes or put food on the table.

Foodbanks are a lifeline for so many, and are symptomatic of a society where people are paid too little, yet pay too much in rent. That’s why, in Parliament, I will continue to speak up for an end to austerity, a reversal of privatisation, and a transformation of our broken housing system.

HOUSING

Housing has always been the most pressing issue for my constituents. I have spoken to renters, social housing tenants and leaseholders about the changes they would like made to the housing system. I have challenged housing associations to become more transparent and democratic, and I will continue to advocate for constituents who have been trapped in unsuitable and unaffordable housing. That means campaigning for a massive council-house building programme and rent controls!

OUR NHS

I am delighted that our local maternity ward will remain open and receive significant upgrades to improve care for mothers and babies. This decision follows years of consultation through the NHS North Central London Start Well Programme, and is a huge win for our community, ensuring families continue to receive high-quality care close to home.

I have continued to support healthcare workers on strike (right). They are at the frontline of our campaign to defend a fully-public, fully-funded NHS. Thank you to all the incredible staff at the Whittington whose dedication makes a real difference to the wellbeing of our community.

PEACE

We have continued to demonstrate in support of the Palestinian people. In September, we held our own ‘Gaza Tribunal’, after the government blocked my bill calling for an inquiry into Britain’s involvement in war crimes. We heard from a range of witnesses, experts, lawyers and whistle-blowers in order to uncover the scale of our government’s complicity.

The people of Sudan continue to endure unimaginable suffering. I have spoken up in Parliament about the involvement of the UAE, and why the UK’s continued sale of arms to the UAE is indefensible. We want peace around the world: in Palestine, Sudan, Ukraine, Yemen, West Papua and beyond. After years of campaigning, the Chagosssians have won the right to access their homeland in the Indian Ocean, from where they were deported many years ago, overturning a shameful period in British history.

DIVERSITY

I am proud to represent a diverse constituency made up of people from all over the world. There is growing fear among many residents in our borough about recent and planned changes to asylum and immigration policies. I will be holding a series of consultations with people of all communities. Together, we can stand up for an inclusive society where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.

It is the honour of my life to represent you in Parliament. Thank you to all those who supported our election campaign on July 4th. Our result was about our community, and there was only one way we could win this election: together. My role as an MP is to listen to you, learn from you, and work with you to improve the lives of everybody in our community. Since the election, we have held two Islington North “People’s Forums” – a shared, democratic space for all local residents to discuss the issues affecting us all.

HOUSING

Our first forum was on housing. Following the forum, I was able to raise the major issues in parliament via the Renters’ Reform Bill. Although I welcome the bill, it doesn’t go far enough in tackling the core issue of private rent. I will continue to speak up for rent controls and for a huge council-house-building program. We need to treat housing as a human right.

I am pleased to see that the government has begun work on consultations for Leasehold Reform. However, I urge them to provide a time frame and commit to speedy progress so that those who are being victimised by this outdated system no longer suffer.

The Archway Campus development site is a hugely contentious issue, and along with many other constituents I strongly oppose the current proposal, and have made this clear to the Council. It fails to offer adequate social housing and would be incongruous with the existing architecture and skyline.

Seven years on from the Grenfell Tower fire, many families remain trapped in unsafe buildings still awaiting urgent remediation. At least five buildings in our constituency require remediation and are still ina battle with developers. I’ve met with the relevant leaseholders and managing agents and have raised concerns directly with the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government.

EDUCATION

Sadly this year saw the closure of one of our beloved schools, Montem Primary School. Since then, two more schools have been earmarked for closure, Highbury Quadrant and St Jude & St Paul’s. Schools are such an important part of the community. I don’t want to see any of our schools close, but prefer that unused space in school buildings be used for the community. I have spoken in parliament and with the council about the issues caused with the current system of per-pupil funding, and passionately lobbied fora long-term strategy that secures funding within schools.

COMMUNITY SAFETY

Over the summer we witnessed horrifying riots led by the far right.This didn’t come out of nowhere, but from anti-migrant rhetoric from mainstream politicians who scapegoat refugees. I was proud to join people of all backgrounds outside Finsbury Park Mosque to promote our message of unity, inclusion and hope!

There exists a great deal of concern about the increase of anti-social behaviour (including knife crime) in Islington over the past year. I regularly meet with council representatives (including executive members for safety at the council) as well as the police on this. During these meetings I have always stressed the importance of strong connections between the local community, the council and the police in creating along-term strategy. These regular meetings will continue as a matter of the utmost importance.

POVERTY AND INEQUALITY

The Chancellor’s budget was a missed opportunity to bring about the transformative change this country needs. I remain appalled by the government’s decision to keep the 2-child benefit cap, cut winter fuel allowance and slash disability benefits. Instead of trapping thousands of people in poverty, the government needs to tackle the root cause of our country’s economic crisis: inequality. I will continue to campaign for wealth taxes so we can invest in a more equal and sustainable future.

HEALTHCARE

The NCL ICB and NHS England Specialised Commissioning are carrying out an extensive consultation to change the way some maternity, neonatal, and children’s surgery services are delivered in north central London. In the meantime, there will be no immediate changes on the services being delivered. On all visits to the Whittington I remain very impressed by the dedication of staff there. I would hope that all future decisions fully consider the level of expertise we see at the Whittington. Healthcare is not just about hospitals: it is also about mental health. We need to recognise that mental health stress comes from other pressures in society such as poverty, poor housing, low wages and debt.

PEACE

This year, we have watched in horror as the death toll in Gaza and Lebanon continues to climb. Many of us have attended demonstrations together to call for peace. Our marches are made up of people from all faiths and none, united in a belief that all human life has equal value. We will continue to call on our government to end all arms sales to Israel.Meanwhile, as the people of Syria come out of the horrors of war, I will continue to speak up for the rights of Kurdish people, and oppose Israel’s illegal occupation of the Golan Heights.

We want peace in Gaza, Syria, Ukraine, the DRC, Sudan and beyond. Real security is not endless military spending. It’s about ensuring everybody has a decent home and securing a habitable future. That is what unites us, and as we look to the new year, we must renew our commitment to building a more peaceful, just and sustainable world.

If you need support, call my office on 020 7561 7488, email me at corbynj@parliament.uk or write to me at Jeremy Corbyn MP, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA.

Many of you have written in to me about the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill and that is as it should be, given the very serious nature of the bill.

I wanted to take the time to explain my opposition to this legislation.

I understand why many people feel so passionately about their right to die, when suffering from a terminal illness. Under the existing system, people endure real, lasting and unbearable pain. That includes those who are seriously or terminally ill, as well as those around them.  Nobody should face indignity in death.

Any legislation of this kind must robustly safeguard against abuse, and guarantee that those who are seriously ill would not feel coerced or pressured to prematurely end their life. I am not satisfied that this legislation provides these safeguards – and that is why I cannot support it.

Choice at the end of life can only be meaningful in a system where everybody has access to the best palliative care possible, but chronic under-funding has left many of those suffering from terminal illness without the support they need.  Without addressing these deficiencies, this legislation puts the poorest, the elderly and disabled people at risk of serious neglect and discrimination.

We urgently need to address the appalling state of palliative care by reversing years of austerity and privatisation.  This should be part of a broader imperative to build a National Care Service, freely available to all who need it, whenever they need it, wherever they need it.  This would be a care system that treats those with serious illnesses and disabilities not as burdens but as people whose lives have equal worth.

As history shows us, legislation on complex matters can have serious societal repercussions.  I do not believe today’s procedures allow for the kind of debate and scrutiny that is required for legislation of this importance.  I would welcome an independent review on the existing law and a public consultation on proposals for change.

As always, I remain open to people’s views on this important issue, and indeed I appreciate receiving them. 

There is much to be done to guarantee care and dignity for all and we must get on and do it, and without delay.  Let that be what we take from this debate.