MP’s UPDATE FOR BRENTFORD AND ISLEWORTH RESIDENTS April 2023

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March was a busy and sometimes shocking month in and around Parliament. Gary Linekar compared the language being used by Home Secretary Suella Braverman to that of 30’s Germany, which I take to mean particularly the climate that led to Hitler all too easily taking power in 1933.  That othering and scapegoating of people was used in speeches by Tories during the passage of the “Illegal Migration” Bill.  This terrible piece of legislation puts Asylum Seekers into further indeterminate limbo, provides no safe routes to safety, and does nothing to address the people trafficking gangs or the backlog of applications for Asylum for those who have every right to seek refuge.  I hope more sense will prevail when the Bill goes through the Lords.  On a slightly more positive note, the Windsor Agreement which finalises a post-Brexit deal for Northern Ireland passed easily with Labour support.

 

We should have had, but are still awaiting,--+ the results of the probe into Dominic Raab’s alleged bullying of civil servants and for Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list.  We’ll be waiting a bit longer for the decision of the Privileges Committee on Boris Johnson’s claim he did not intentionally mislead Parliament over No10 lockdown parties.  If the committee agrees to punish him with ten or more days’ suspension from Parliament, he faces a recall vote by his constituents in Uxbridge & South Ruislip.

In the Chamber

At PMQs I challenged the Prime Minister over the contrast between the growing levels of rough sleeping with how Tory Donors at a recent fundraiser spent £25,000 on a crystal-encrusted portrait of him and £40,000 on a shooting trip

I visited three local hotels housing Asylum Seekers living in limbo in poor conditions, many for over a year. Following this I expressed my concerns to Ministers, twice in the chamber and again with the Immigration Minister in private.  Millions of ££s of taxpayers money are being syphoned off to a network of contractors and sub-contractors, with hotels and food providers left with a fraction of what the Home Office ministers believe is being paid.

Parliamentary Events

To celebrate the power of women working together, I joined thousands of women and men on the Women’s Freedom Bike Ride round Central London just prior to International Women’s Day

As part of the Transport Committee’s inquiry into self driving vehicles, we visited Wayse in North London.  It was strange being driven round public roads in a car with a driver who was not touching the steering wheel or controls; but this could be the future of road transport!

Feargal Sharkey, once lead singer of the Undertones, is now a vocal campaigner against the water companies’ habit of dumping sewage into our rivers.  I joined him and Shadow Environment Secretary Jim McMahon at the launch of Labour’s plan to fix the Sewage Scandal – automatic fines, tough sanctions and the ending of systematic sewage discharges by 2030.

The Covid Memorial Wall opposite parliament celebrated its 2nd anniversary – so I met up again with Amanda whose brother lived in Isleworth and died at the start of Covid. Also there is Lynn, who along with her late husband Gareth, taught Lee Thomas at the school they both worked at in Stoke, and encouraged him to go into teaching.  Lee is now the Headteacher at Green School for Girls.

COMMUNITY UPDATE

Isleworth Station will soon get a lift to each platform having been awarded “Access for All” funding.  It was useful to see the plans and discuss the project with local Councillors, Network Rail, South West Railways and Hounslow Council. We raised other concerns about Isleworth Station’s environs (such as pigeon poo!).  I will continue to campaign for step-free access to the rest of the rail and tube stations in the constituency.

Adrianne Mead, landlady of the Royal Oak pub in Isleworth told me they are paying four times what they were a year ago in energy costs because they were forced to sign up to a new contract last Autumn when prices were at their highest.  The business energy support scheme has now ended and despite falling prices British Gas have refused to even review their case, yet BG will get nothing if the business folds thanks to their intransigence.  In Parliament I raised the impact this has for this pub, and for businesses across the country; while Adrianne was interviewed the next day on Radio 4Today and Channel5 News.  

Age Concern Chiswick provides a warm welcome and a range of activities for older people two days a week at the Friendship Club in Oxford Road North, W4. They hope to expand their activities and open up a further day but need more volunteers to do so. If interested do contact them; [email protected] 

The Isleworth Society organised an Environment Summit involving many local residents.  The action plan drawn up during the evening will the lay the groundwork for a number of community initiatives in and around Isleworth.

I joined the annual Nagar Kirtan procession through the streets of Hounslow alongside the float carrying the Sri Guru Granth Sahib – the Sikh holy book.  The Nagar Kirtan takes place before Vaisakhi (later in April) and involves Sikhs and non-Sikhs following the float and local people offering food and drink across front garden walls all along the way.

It was a pleasure to formally open the Sky Hub at the Bridgelink Centre on Ivybridge estate in Isleworth.  The partnership between Sky and the IvybridgeLink Trust means that several rooms have been fully refurbished and a suite of IT kit and public wifi provided.  Sky volunteers will also offer a range of IT skills and other support to local people for the next three years. 

 

I hope you find this regular update of my activities useful,

 

Best wishes    

Printed from an email sent by Ruth Cadbury MP