Hello and welcome to this week's edition of the Denton and Reddish weekly news! 

As always, there's lots to update you on. In fact, I thought I'd try something a bit different this week, and provide a 60-second recap of my week in Parliament and locally. Click the video below to see the highlights!

A reminder too that we'll be marking Armed Forces Day tomorrow in Victoria Park from 1-4pm. Please do come along if you can, it promises to be a great day and Victoria Park has been prepared beautifully by Tameside Council staff.

There’s been an awful lot of political noise over the past week or so. Boris Johnson’s honours list; his resignation; the findings of the Privileges Committee that he did deliberately mislead parliament; all have all meant that we are once again furiously debating the importance of standards in public life.

Over the last few days, the point has been made by some that this Conservative psychodrama doesn’t matter to the general public – it’s a ‘Westminster Bubble’ story that doesn’t affect people’s day to day lives.

I couldn’t disagree more, and I think it’s important to set out why. When I was elected by the people of Tameside, I was chosen to represent them in Parliament. But democratic representation only works if we have functioning democratic institutions, where debates are held with the correct information and politicians are held to account.

What Boris Johnson did was give incorrect information to the House of Commons. He did so knowingly and repeatedly chose not to correct the record. If we let this slide and dismissed it as ‘Boris being Boris’, we would be setting a dangerous precedent that lying in Parliament doesn’t matter.

The similar is true of the honours system. Boris Johnson has handed out various peerages to his friends, some of whom are under 30-years-old and others who boasted about getting away with breaching Covid restrictions in Number 10. A peerage is not just a flashy title, it means that for the rest of your life you are given a seat in the House of Lords, making and scrutinising laws directly effecting ordinary people. That this privilege should be given out to the pals of a disgraced former Prime Minister makes me incredibly angry, and I suspect I am not alone.

So yes, there is an enormous amount to focus on across the country at the moment, but if we let someone ride roughshod over our democratic institutions then we all suffer. I sincerely hope that the current Prime Minister takes a stand against this kind of behaviour, and sends a message that integrity, honesty and accountability are absolutely essential to modern political life in Britain.

If he is too weak to do so, then he should do the decent thing and call a General Election so that the British people can put an end to this Conservative soap opera once and for all.

Labour analysis has revealed that the average household in Denton and Reddish is set to be put under more pressure than ever by Conservative mismanagement of the economy.
 
In Denton and Reddish, it is estimated that 9,300 home owners will see a rise of around £2100 on their annual mortgage increase.
 
It follows the news that many mortgage deals are being withdrawn by Banks and interest rates increased, with Moneyfacts data suggesting the typical rate on a two-year fixed-rate loan had increased to almost 6%.
 
This week, economists warned that there is a real risk of job losses and a sharp recession. The latest forecasts of economic growth this year suggest that the UK is struggling to get out of the slow lane, with growth of just 0.2% forecast on the year.
 
Commenting, MP for Denton and Reddish Andrew Gwynne said:
 
““The Tory mortgage penalty is devastating for family finances and is holding back our economy.
 
“The country is buckling under 13 years of Conservative mismanagement and a crashed economy, and it is families being asked to pay more on their mortgage once again. 
 “People are asking themselves whether they or their family are better off under the Tories. The answer is no. 
 
"Labour will bring financial and economic security back, so that families are not constantly on a cliff edge, and so that we can urgently grow our economy to grab hold of opportunities of the future."

Thank you to Vernon Building Society for inviting me in to their recently refurbished branch in Reddish. Once Halifax close Denton branch there will be zero banks in the constituency and this building society will be the ONLY high street presence for proper face to face financial services locally.

I had a good chat about the importance of financial inclusion and having a presence in the community with Chief Executive Steve Fletcher and Ian Wilson. Vernon’s get it. They’re a mutual still, and their ethos is very much to be there for their members.

They are even looking to open new branches, either as stand-alones or in partnership with other businesses/spaces, which is very encouraging. I’m happy to support the work they do!

It was my pleasure to join the Mayor of Stockport, Reddish Labour Councillors and local residents and volunteers to the opening of the brilliant dementia-friendly garden at St Agnes Church yesterday.

The work that’s been put in is just transformational and it’s down to a partnership between the church, Re:dish and Virgin Media staff and contractors who’ve spent corporate social responsibility days making the garden a reality.

What a great community asset it now is. Well done everyone!

Cafe Plus, Denton… a new fusion of English and Turkish cuisine in the old King’s Head Hotel building at Crown Point.

Councillor Allison Gwynne and I popped in for a Turkish breakfast over the weekend and it was amazing. We shared a breakfast for one it was that big! I can neither confirm nor deny we had pancakes afterwards.

This is another great addition to #DestinationDenton. They open at 9am and do great food throughout the day. The menu changes at 3pm. If you like cakes and patisserie, they have a fantastic range too.

Give them a try if you can and help support this fantastic new business.

𝙂𝙊𝙊𝘿 𝙇𝙐𝘾𝙆, 𝙂𝙐𝙔𝙎!

 WATCH: We have a debate in Westminster Hall on 'Smokefree 2030'. I respond in my capacity as Labour's Shadow Public Health Minister.

The Government has set a goal to drive down smoking prevalence to 5% by 2030. However, since this pledge was made, progress has moved at a snail's pace.

I set out Labour's plans to help people quit smoking, clamp down on underage vaping and tackle health inequalities.

 WATCH: The Kept Animals Bill was promised by Tory MPs at the last election. They ditched it.

Labour have today attempted to bring it back to Parliament, but Tory MPs are obstructing it, with the Minister suggesting that they can solve the problem by introducing a number of single-issue bills.

You couldn't make it up. Why introduce lots of bills when the Kept Animals Bill - a Government Bill - had the support of the Commons?! The answer, sadly, is because Rishi Sunak is too weak to take on the Tory MPs who want to block action on animal welfare.

 WATCH: We have a debate in Westminster Hall about ultra-processed foods, which are often very high in salt, sugar and fat. I respond in my capacity as Labour's Shadow Public Health Minister.

Labour has a bold vision to improve health outcomes across the country, and give every child a healthy start to life. That includes action to tackle childhood obesity and fully-funded breakfast clubs for all primary schools.

📰READ: Thanks to the Tameside Reporter for covering my thoughts on Irwell Valley’s proposal for the Old Rectory site.

It's my belief that this proposal falls way short of the SPD planning requirements for the site and will work closely with local Councillors to challenge it. Read the full piece here.