Category: My work

Dear friends,

I am very proud to represent Islington North: our communities, mutual aid groups,community centres, faith groups; our voluntary legal advice organisations, Islington Council, the Whittington Hospital and all NHS, public services and key workers. Many continue to work effortlessly to ensure that we all have access to essential services. The positive bonds of mutual aid and solidarity that have grown throughout 2021 will be built upon to give us an even stronger sense of community in the future.

I will continue to highlight the devastating impact that a decade of government cuts has had on local authorities, public services, and schools, children, families, and the wider community. Many on Universal Credit (UC) are worse off, especially since the Government’s callous and cruel decision to scrap the £20 uplift, and in not applying the uplift to legacy benefits, affecting the disabled, and the most vulnerable.

Schools, teachers and other staff, pupils, and parents have faced enormous challenges. The pandemic brought additional tasks of having to study and/or teach from home, return to school, and with ongoing limited resources. I will recommence regular school visits very soon because I’m always inspired by the students.

Our NHS deserves better than more privatisation, and clapping never was going to pay any bills. To all our health and care workers at the Whittington and elsewhere, my enormous thanks for all that you do.

Islington Council continues to provide new housing, despite its very limited resources – and that’s a tough call. For many years I’ve lobbied the Government on this, especially for more regulation and secure tenancies in the private rented sector, and more and better Council Housing for all.

Cladding is a very high priority for many Islington residents who have this ongoing hardship to cope with. It is wrong that leaseholders are left to pay for building safety works that have arisen through no fault of their own. The situation of freeholders passing on costs to leaseholders,many of whom will challenge these charges, will mean we continue to see works delayed, and all residents, including private renters, will remain at risk. I will continue to raise these concerns at any given opportunity.

Well done to all those who do so much positive campaigning on behalf of women. We have witnessed atrocious acts of violence against women, no doubt exacerbated by the pandemic and lockdowns. Trust in the police has suffered enormously, and more needs to be done by the Government and the police to ensure women’s safety: investing in local services that provide support to the victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence, and ensuring all legislation protects their fundamental right to protest.

We must also honour and remember the 27 people who expected safety in the UK but who lost their lives in that tragic November channel crossing, and at the end of a year of disturbing humanitarian emergencies, Afghanistan being the most memorable and for all the wrong reasons. Many Islington residents contacted me seeking help for their family members who were frightened in the face of a Taliban led future. I stand in solidarity with the global community and everyone who continues to face human rights abuses as a result of war, poverty and hostile immigration policies. A humane government approach and a constructive role is needed so that we can address the underlying causes of international human rights violations.

If you haven’t yet seen the Windrush memorial statue outside the Whittington Hospital do go along. It had a truly memorable unveiling as many of the Windrush generation and their descendants worked in the hospital over the years. I thanked them for their work in the NHS and other services. The racism they faced was abhorrent. Racism faced by anyone is appalling.There is no place now, or ever for any form of racism in our society.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which is the United Nation’s environment body, issued a (June 2021) report declaring a“Code Red for humanity” due to quickly rising global temperatures. We know the severe impact a 1.5 degree global raise in temperature will have on the environment. The future of our planet depends on the choices we make now.
Then, at COP (Conference of the Parties) 26 global leaders were called upon to commit to more ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and prevent a global temperature increase above 1.5 degrees. This didn’t happen because too many world leaders are more interested in representing the interests of fossil-fuel exploiting billionaires, than in people and the planet. So leading up to COP27, while the UK shares the presidency with Egypt,we’ll have a lot of work to do in setting ambitious emission targets. This past year motivated so many more people on the environment and we must harness that enthusiasm.

I fully supported Nadia Whittome’s Private Members Bill to have climate education included in the school curricula.
It is important to remain hopeful here, and the school student climate strikes showed that the next generation cares about putting the interests of people and planet ahead of those of corporate greed; their message must be heard.
Low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) must be seen in the above context and for this reason I support their rollout in Islington North, in consultation with local residents. LTNs meet legislative commitments for citizens to live in a clean and safe city, by decreasing thru traffic on certain roads and thus making our streets friendlier and safer, especially for cyclists,wheelchair users, mobility scooters, and babystrollers.

I am pleased that our council has agreed the installation of an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system, allowing registered blue badge holders to move through restricted areas of traffic. Islington Council and Disability Action in Islington met with me to discuss these issues.

Alongside other MPs, GPs, residents and campaigners, I have publicly expressed my opposition to the ongoing development of the Edmonton Incinerator. I cannot support a project when there are serious health concerns about the ultra-fine particulate emissions on local residents. Burning our waste is also too carbon-intensive at a time when we should be reducing waste and increasing recycling; an urgent pause and review is essential.

Let’s look toward 2022 with optimism, and build on the mutual compassion and respect we share. We must build back better, to create a more equal, prosperous and hopeful future for all.

I am pleased to represent our community, locally and in Westminster. I wish everyone a safe and happy festive season and look forward to meeting up in 2022.

I support adequate funding for London’s Transport System.

In parliament last week I asked the Secretary of State for Transport:
“Will the Secretary of State assure the House that when he meets and gets into discussions with Transport for London, hopefully today or tomorrow, he will take into consideration the effects of rising fares, reduced services and possible closure of lines on the environment, job opportunities and air quality for the people of London? Will he also consider the effects on the mobility of young and older people who have campaigned for years for the ability to travel around their city, which has a higher use of public transport than many other places around the world because of progressive transport policies?”

Grant Shapps responded:
“I assure the right hon. Gentleman that we want to see this resolved, and we are in constant contact with TfL and the Mayor’s office. He is right to say that we want to ensure that TfL’s rail service, bus service and all the rest of it are there for Londoners, and those who travel into London, to use. We are well on the case, and I look forward to a resolution.”

I also, along with many other colleagues, added my name to a letter to TfL’s Commissioner, Andy Byford:

“Dear Commissioner,

We welcome Transport for London’s decision to review its outsourced cleaning contract with ABM and to consider bringing in-house the heroic cleaners who have put their lives on the line to keep London’s transport system clean and safe during the Covid -19 pandemic.

For too long, London’s transport cleaners, the majority of whom are from Black, Asian and ethnic minority and migrant worker communities, have been overlooked and outsourced on the mistaken assumption that they were ‘non-core’ to transport operations. The pandemic has shown beyond doubt however that our cleaners are vital to the safe and efficient operation of public transport in London. We believe there is a strong safety, efficiency and equality case for ending the outsourcing of public transport cleaning in London, bringing these essential workers in-house and integrating them with other core publicly operated Transport for London functions. With this review, you have a historic opportunity to do the right thing by this workforce and London transport passengers and in the process set a new standard in the treatment of cleaners. We urge you to seize this opportunity.”

Heating our homes accounts for 30% of the energy consumed here in the UK. It is genuinely alarming that heating accounts for 14% of all carbon emissions in the UK, and that figure could be even higher, up to 20% of all carbon emissions.

Outdated housing stock, outdated boilers, and of course poor insulation are a recipe for disaster here.  To combat this, we would need to retrofit all our housing stock with energy efficient heating and insulation.  A previous government study estimated that 5,000 homes per day would have to be retrofitted with green technologies to have any hope of meeting the then 2050 carbon targets.
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So in fact, we almost always know what needs to be done to avoid further Climate crises, but our current political leaders lack the political will to employ the tools. 

I spent the COP26 week in Glasgow speaking up for the solutions we need that have social and environmental justice at their core.  There were many passionate campaigners alongside me, and plenty of political will.  This is an an article I wrote following my trip to Glasgow which may be of interest: COP26 was greenwash from a global elite

I was elected on a manifesto which was clear about the threat of the climate emergency and clear about the radical action necessary.  IT IS ALL DO-ABLE.  We must work toward an economic model that prioritises green jobs and poverty elimination over the consumption of the super-rich and the profits of shareholders.  Far too many fossil-fuel lobbyists at COP26 were listened to, and too many environmental voices were drowned out.

I will continue to advocate that the investments required come from taxing wealth, so that those who are disproportionately responsible for causing the climate emergency, pay the greatest share to repair the damage.

I will also continue to pressure the Government to take the urgent actions required and implement a real Green New Deal to avert climate catastrophe. 

Let’s not forget that in Islington we must of course pay attention locally to ensure we work toward living in a greener, cleaner environment.

Many are voicing their concerns about preserving our green spaces and grasslands, and these concerns are not only justified, but also crucial.  The UK has already lost 97 per cent of its meadows and other species-rich grasslands.

The government must recognise the importance of protecting our grasslands, meadows and natural habitats as a means of tackling climate change effectively.  For all of my time in parliament I have argued for stronger and broader environmental protections and I will continue to do so.  I will always be a supporter of our natural environment.

Similarly, there has been widespread concern about the killing of wildlife and the threat posed to our biodiversity.  We need legal protection of the natural world, and in every major planning and investment decision we make we should take on board the need to enhance our protections of biodiversity and recognise we must live as one with nature.

You’ll find my name on Tracy Crouch’s excellent EDM (Early Day Motion) 335, alongside 45 others:
Protecting Grasslands at COP26 and beyond.
“That this House recognises that species-rich grasslands offer ways of reducing the impact of greenhouse gases that cause climate change by reducing flooding risk, locking up pollutants and acting as critical ecosystems for pollinators and supporting sustainable and resilient farming; regrets that in the last 100 years the UK alone has lost 97 per cent of its meadows and other species-rich grasslands leading to bumblebee extinctions and butterfly population declines; welcomes the formation of Grasslands+, a growing coalition that has come together to protect and restore the planet’s grasslands, savannahs, plains, heaths, steppes and meadows; urges Government Ministers to use the opportunity of COP26 in Glasgow to seek international recognition and protections for species-rich grasslands, to lead by example in taking action to mitigate the effects of climate change and increase biodiversity and to ensure that those areas of natural beauty are preserved for future generations to enjoy.” Under my leadership the opposition’s environmental manifesto planned to set legally binding targets to drive the restoration of species and habitats.  This included properly funding local councils to enable them to breathe new life into local nature reserves, parks and networks.  You may be interested in reading my piece on the environment, uplands and wildlife. It can be found here: http://jc-staging-site.local/our-environment-uplands-and-wildlife-12-october-2021/

Even though the Government has said that it is “accelerating other elements” of its long-term strategy to tackle bovine TB (bTB), including vaccination and improved testing, in order to “start to phase out” badger culling in England, it has been dragging its feet over taking action.

I support the Badger Trust’s argument that the “science doesn’t support the culls” and that “cattle measures are the answer to solving the bTB problem” and that badgers are a distraction from the cattle-to-cattle transmission.

The key priorities now are to develop a cattle vaccine; phase out intensive badger culling; reduce the direct cow to cow transmission and to stop unsafe trade practices.

It cannot be a stretch to say that intensive factory farming practices are partly responsible for the spread of bTB. Where you have cows packed inside a barn, literally shoulder to shoulder in close proximity, it cannot be a surprise that any disease will spread quickly.

I am personally against such intensive farm practices, but where it is not possible to stop those practices, it is the responsibility of the farming industry to ensure that cow to cow transmission of bTB does not take place. One of the ways to do that is via a Bovine vaccine.

I was elected on a manifesto that committed to end the ineffective cull of badgers. Immunisation, combined with measures including investing in, and incentivising farmers to reduce the likelihood of cattle-to-cattle transmission should be the Government’s strategy.

The discharge of untreated sewage into inland waters is a serious matter for our environment and communities and something we should all be worried about.

I am aware that, per year, there are up to 40 hours of monitored storm overflows in Islington North which discharge raw sewage into rivers – putting the health of my constituents at risk and damaging the environment.

I totally support the Sewage (Inland Waters) Bill, which would require companies to set out plans to reduce their reliance on combined sewer overflows over time. This would mean that companies would have to report publicly on the discharge of sewage from combined sewer overflows.  The Bill also seeks to drive up standards in other ways.

Sadly, the Government defeated a Lords amendment (45) on the 8 November that would have ensured that Water companies were compelled to reduce sewage overspills and to report on that reduction. Water companies are now only asked to reduce sewage pollution without any enforcement.  It is not enough, and I’m aware that campaigning organisations such as Surfers against Sewage are active on this meanwhile.

I was elected on a manifesto that committed to bringing water back into democratic public ownership.  So, I think we should take the spirit of the Sewage (Inland Waters) Bill forward, and go further, by putting water back under public ownership.