Category: My work

The disabled seem to have been forgotten by the Government during this pandemic. And it is heart breaking that such a disproportionate number of disabled people have died as a result of Government neglect.

The decade of austerity under Conservative-led governments that preceded this pandemic has already had a devastating impact on the lives of disabled people in the UK. Two separate United Nations reports described the Government having committed “systematic violations” of the rights of disabled people.

Although the Government said last year that “emergency powers would only be used if demand pressures and workforce illness during the COVID-19 outbreak mean that local authorities are imminently at risk of failing to fulfil their duties”, it is clear that this has been used as an excuse to erode the hard won disability rights that have been built up over at least 30 years.

Last year I wrote to the Prime Minister calling for emergency support for people affected by the coronavirus epidemic. He did next to nothing, which is unforgivable.

The Government have thus failed to properly support disabled people and their families and I support the calls from Scope for the Government to provide immediate, targeted support for disabled people to protect their health, their finances and to support the families of disabled people.

I also want to see this support extended beyond the end of this pandemic and I will continue to speak out on behalf of the disabled as I have done over many years.

For some time now I have spoken out in support of the use of medical cannabis in order that it be decriminalised and made readily available via the NHS. Given that there is an All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) devoted entirely to this cause I’d have expected significant and steady progress to be unfolding here.

Though the Government did accept in 2018 that the therapeutic use of unlicensed cannabis would be permitted, its availability via the NHS has been restricted to two cannabis-derived drugs, Epidyolex for seizures and Savitex for multiple sclerosis.

Although nineteen unlicensed cannabis-based medicines are known to have been prescribed on the NHS so far, these are mostly exceptions. The NHS is faced with significant costs to be able to routinely prescribe medical cannabis which means that the Government must step in to ensure it gets the funding it needs.

It is outrageous that those in need must continue to resort to private means to obtain these medicines for their children.

I will continue to press the Government in and out of Parliament to provide funding that would enable the NHS to routinely prescribe medical cannabis whenever it is needed.

I remain deeply concerned about the widely acknowledged humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Britain’s continued role in providing weapons and military support to Saudi Arabia while they are conducting military action against Yemen, including inflicting massive civilian casualties, is totally unacceptable.

The situation in Yemen has worsened as the impact of Covid-19 has led to a significant reduction in the amounts pledged by governments to aid humanitarian relief.

I was elected on a manifesto that committed to immediately suspending arms sales to Saudi Arabia and to reforming the “international rules-based order to secure justice and accountability for breaches of human rights and international law, such as the indiscriminate bombardment of civilians in Yemen. I stand by those commitments.

I am therefore deeply disappointed that the Government is now continuing to licence arms equipment for sale to Saudi Arabia and at the same time is cutting aid to Yemen

I am the original sponsor of the parliamentary motion below (dated 25 January 2021), which continued to acquire support:  EDM 1399 Yemeni human rights and Saudi arms sales
That this House notes the continued disaster of the war on Yemen which has helped create what the UN has designated the worst humanitarian catastrophe anywhere in the world, threatening the lives of millions of Yemenis; further notes that the Government continues to allow arms sales to Saudi Arabia, the main foreign protagonist of the war, and continues to provide logistical support to Saudi forces in Yemen; recognises that new US president Joe Biden has committed to ending US support for the war; and calls upon the Government to end all support for the war and suspend all arms sales to Saudi Arabia immediately.

I will continue to press the Government to resume significant aid levels to Yemen and to stop arming Saudi Arabia, both inside and outside Parliament.

For many years I have been an advocate for a woman’s right to safe and legal abortion, and I am committed to ensuring that this right continues to be protected in law.

Allowing the use of Abortion Pills was designed to limit the transmission of Covid-19 and ensure continued access to early medical abortion services.

It meant that women who found themselves with an unwanted pregnancy were not forced to choose between exposing themselves (and healthcare workers) to the risk of Covid-19 infection in clinic waiting rooms, or to continue with a pregnancy they did not want. It also reduced the risk of women choosing to access abortion medications online illegally and/or resorting to using unsafe methods.

Evidence so far suggests that telemedicine has worked well – requests to illegal services have ceased, and the most vulnerable women, including those suffering domestic abuse, have been able to access the care they need.

Telemedicine has worked very well over the last year, and if it continues to do so for the remainder of the temporary legislation, I cannot see any reason why it cannot be made permanent. There seem to be additional advantages that are not necessarily Covid-19 related, such as reducing the cost to women living in deprived conditions. This will become increasingly important post Covid-19 as more and more people experience increasing financial hardship.

I support the continuing availability of the campaign that is currently being called “Pills by Post”.

For many, cinemas are an important cultural and community space and have been particularly hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

I was very concerned that the Government stated they would only be supporting “viable” jobs through the pandemic. I believe this is a misguided approach because many jobs and businesses that were viable before the pandemic will be viable after the pandemic.

I am a strong supporter of our local highstreets and their importance to people’s lives up and down the country. Cinemas are a part of what draws people to spend time in our town centres with the obvious consequences for our social lives and local economies.

While the Government has provided some financial support to the hospitality, entertainment and arts sectors, it hasn’t been enough to avoid significant job losses and business closures.

I commend the work of the Unions in fighting for jobs and safety of hospitality workers, and the actions of local leaders representing their communities.

Conversion therapy has no place in our society.

Conversion therapy covers a range of inhumane and cruel practices that falsely claim to change a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. A national survey of 108,000 members of the LGBTQ+ community suggested that two per cent have undergone the practice, with another five per cent having been offered it. Such abhorrent practices must be outlawed to provide protection to members of the LGBTQ+ community.

There’s been global support to ban conversion therapy around the world. In 2017, there was a joint document (Memorandum of understanding) signed by 20 health, counselling and psychotherapy organisations which aims to end the practice of conversion therapy. Following this report, various religious leaders and organisations have echoed their support, including the Church of England.

Moreover, in 2018, the government pledged to ban conversion therapy, but this has not yet happened. Whilst I was glad to see that a debate was held in Parliament on 08 March 2021 following overwhelming support of the e-petition to ban conversion therapy; it has been more than 2 years since the government made the commitment to ban conversion therapy.  It is time for the government to start acting and ensure legislation and debate in parliament on this.

The UK government should take inspiration from countries like Brazil, Malta, Ecuador, and Germany who have banned such practices.  I am in support of banning conversion therapy and any such practices that do not allow for free expression.