In Parliament

I won’t give too much space to the Government and the various scandals that have engulfed them over the last couple of months. Suffice to say I joined others in refusing to give Boris Johnson an easy ride after his so-called apology.

By contrast, Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner’s responses to ‘beergate’ have been honest and principled. As you are no doubt aware, both are confident that they did not break any covid rules but have said that they will resign if the investigation by Durham police finds otherwise. Our Prime Minister could learn a lot from them.

PMQ

I was also lucky enough to get picked for PMQs last month. I asked the Prime Minister about Evusheld, a prophylactic drug which has the potential to give immunocompromised people protection from covid for six months. It was approved by the MHRA in March but the Government has yet to place an order, despite the fact that many other countries (including the US and France) have done so. Astra Zeneca, who developed the drug with the University of Oxford, have warned that stocks may run out if an order is not placed soon. Following my PMQ I met with health minister Lord Kamall and will be keeping a very close eye on any developments.

Queen’s Speech

Today’s Queen’s Speech (delivered by Prince Charles in the Queen’s absence) marked the opening of a new session of Parliament. The speech offered 38 new bills, including a new Media Bill which allows for privatising Chancel 4; a so-called Levelling Up Bill; a new Mental Health Bill and a bill related to education reform.

However, the speech and the Government’s promised legislation were nowhere near bold enough. It felt like a missed opportunity: the Government has yet again failed to address the cost-of-living crisis properly or to produce the much-anticipated Employment Rights Bill, which Ministers have been promising for years now.

With veiled references to plans to abandon the Northern Ireland proposal, no real proposals on climate change, the Human Rights Act at risk of being repealed, and a half-baked proposal on banning LGBT+ conversation therapy, it is clear that we still have a lot of work ahead of us in challenging this government.

Shadow Minister for Disabled People

The cost-of-living crisis is having a huge impact on disabled people and over the last couple of months I have heard from many who are frightened about how they will manage. Disability benefits are being cut in real terms and some people are having to go without other basics in order to prioritise running life-saving medical equipment. At Work and Pensions Questions on March 21st I questioned DWP ministers over what extra support they were pushing the Chancellor to deliver in his Spring Statement (unsurprisingly, nothing was forthcoming).

Alongside my PMQ, Andrew Gwynne (Shadow Minister for Public Health) and I have written to Sajid Javid to ask for clarity around what support will be available to immunocompromised people over the coming weeks and months. I know that some are still shielding after all this time, and we must find a way for them to join everyone else in getting back to as normal a life as possible.

 Our roadshows with disabled people and disabled people’s organisations have also continued over the last two months. We have now held four, with another taking place later this week. We have covered a wide range of topics, including transport, benefits, employment and accessible and affordable housing. This will form a vital part of our policy development ahead of the next election.

If you’re interested in reading the roadshow write ups, they are available on my website.

In the Constituency

There was no let-up in the casework in March and April, especially with ever-increasing numbers of people wanting to help Ukrainian refugees get to the UK. Despite the Home Office setting up a dedicated Ukraine support hub for MPs’ staff, my caseworkers have been facing three hour waits to speak to the helpdesk and even when they do get through, there is very little information available.

In total the office has opened more than 500 new cases over the last couple of months and responded to over 1000 emails and letters about various policy concerns, including the Elections Bill, the privatisation of Channel 4, Priti Patel’s Rwanda refugee plan and the Prime Minister’s breaking of lockdown rules.

As ever, if you know anyone who is in need of support, please do encourage them to email vicky.foxcroft.mp@parliament.uk or call 020 8469 4638. Details of my upcoming surgeries are available here.

Although many of my weekends have been taken up with campaigning, I have continued with my usual constituency visits as well. Here are a few highlights.

Cockpit Effect Panel Discussion

As some of you will know, my background is in the arts and I was pleased to join a panel session organised by Cockpit Arts on April 25th. We covered a wide range of topics, including enterprise, skills and training, equality and diversity in the arts and the importance of place. I am incredibly proud of our constituency’s thriving arts scene, and it is always a pleasure to join events like this.

999 Club

On April 22nd I visited the 999 Club to see their new Women’s Sanctuary. The sanctuary has been designed as a safe and supportive environment for women, where they will be able to access advice, links and referrals to further focused support and services. The 999 Club has partnered with Refuge to offer workshops, events and activities.

If you would like to know more about the sanctuary, get in touch with the 999 Club at office@999club.org. If you are in need of support, you can call 020 8649 5797.

Eid in the Park

On May 2nd I joined Councillors Tauseef Anwar and Brenda Dacres and Mayor Damien Egan for Eid in the Park, along with many members of our local Muslim community. It is always a joy to see everyone coming together to celebrate, especially when the weather is decent for once!