My latest update from Harrow and
Westminster ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏


Dear John,

 

The Festive period is upon us in Harrow and it has been a delight to
visit many of the Christmas Bazaars and Fairs across the borough.
I’m certainly looking forward to even more of the carols,
pantomimes, and Bazaars that make this period special. I look forward
to meeting with residents in the weeks ahead, whether at an advice
surgery, or at any of the festive functions taking place across the
borough.

 

WISHING EVERYONE A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR! MY OFFICE
WILL BE CLOSED FOR THE CHRISTMAS PERIOD FROM DECEMBER 23RD AND WILL BE
REOPENING ON JANUARY 3RD.

 

Below is my newsletter covering some of my work in Parliament and
locally in Harrow too – as always, through out the month, you can
find regular updates from me on FACEBOOK
[[link removed]], TWITTER
[[link removed]] and INSTAGRAM
[[link removed]].

 

 

TOURS,  SURGERIES AND LITTER-PICKS

Last year, I held at least one walk-in surgery in every ward of Harrow
West, collecting hundreds of cases in surgeries across local churches,
temples, mosques and community centres. I am also working with the
Harrow Litter Pickers to organise a clean-up of local parks and
sometimes neighbouring roads…

 

If you have a suggestion of where you would like me to host a surgery
or park clean-up, do please drop me a line. I also continue to run my
regular appointment-based advice surgery, taking on casework at my
constituency office at 132-134 Blenheim Road, appointments can be made
by calling my parliamentary office on 020 7219 4243.

It has been a privilege to show a number of families around Parliament
over the past few months – as always, great questions about
political decisions in Westminster and the impact they have locally on
people in Harrow.

If you would like to join a tour, please fill out the form on my
website and my staff will be sure to keep you in the loop with 2024
tour dates: [link removed]
[[link removed]]

 

 

 

CAREERS FAIR

COULD YOU SPEAK ABOUT YOUR CAREER WITH HARROW STUDENTS?

 

We are still looking for people working in the legal profession,
creative/media industries, and hospitality who might be willing to
speak with Harrow students for even a few hours on 25th January!

 

A huge thank you to everyone that has been in touch to support us so
far - On Thursday, 25th January 2024, we are returning to another
in-person Careers Fair format at Rooks Heath and would love to hear
from Harrow residents from a variety of occupations. If you or your
business/company are able to speak with students from 9:30AM-5PM, or
even for a few hours in the morning or afternoon – we would love to
hear from you.

 

E-mail [email protected] with Subject: CAREERS FAIR

 

PROGRESS ON THE HARROW SEN CAMPAIGN: MEETING THE EDUCATION SECRETARY

After months of campaigning in Harrow and in Parliament, I was
delighted to meet with the Education Secretary alongside the
headteachers of Shaftesbury High School and Alexandra School to
discuss the strong case for a new SEN School in Harrow and the urgent
need for more funding for Special Educational Needs in all Harrow
schools. 

 

Harrow recently lost out on its third application for a new SEN
school, despite meeting the criteria. It was really useful to talk the
Education Secretary and her colleagues through the serious need for
more places in a specialist SEN school and the deep concern that our
existing mainstream schools are woefully underfunded. 

 

I will keep the pressure up on this important issue. There is still
time to support and share the campaign, full details
here: [link removed]
[[link removed]]

 

 

CHALLENGING THE PRIME MINISTER ON EAT OUT TO HELP OUT

(Watch here: [link removed]
[[link removed]] )

 

Many families in Harrow who lost loved ones during the Covid-19
pandemic, will have been watching the ongoing Public Inquiry with
horror as more evidence emerges which exposes a chaotic, callous and
dangerously out of its depth government.

 

I backed calls for this Public Inquiry so that the government can
learn the lessons of this crisis and families can get the answers they
deserve.

 

At Prime Minister’s Question Time last week, I challenged Rishi
Sunak on the claims he made in Parliament that he had always asked for
and took scientific advice.

 

The Government’s former Chief Medical Officer for England, Chris
Whitty, and Chief Scientific Adviser, Patrick Vallance, told the
Covid Inquiry that the now-Prime Minister had not asked for advice
about his “Eat Out To Help Out” scheme.

 

Sir Patrick said it would have been "obvious" the hospitality scheme
would cause an increase in transmission risk. No wonder the scheme was
nicknamed “Eat Out To Help Out The Virus”.

 

Now the Prime Minister has admitted at the Inquiry that he did not
take advice from scientific advisers on the controversial scheme. I
have therefore called on the Prime Minister to come back to the House
of Commons to apologise and correct the record.

 

You can see my question to the Prime Minister
here: [link removed] [[link removed]]

 

PRESSURE ON OUR HOSPITALS

 

[gareth northwick park]

Our health service is under immense pressure. Despite the incredible
efforts of staff, there are record waiting lists, lengthy waits in A&E
departments and longer waiting times for cancer patients. So, I was
disappointed to see very little promised for our NHS in the recent
King’s Speech – the Government’s opportunity to set its agenda
for the forthcoming year.

Over the past decade, we have seen the pressures in the NHS building,
as three walk-in centres— based at the Alexandra Ave clinic in
Rayners Lane, Belmont Health Centre and the Pinn Medical Centre— all
closed due to lack of funding. This reduced the pressure on local
doctors and, crucially, on the A&E department at Northwick Park
Hospital. 

 

Not surprisingly, waiting times in Northwick Park A&E have rocketed,
having not met the target of seeing 95% of patients within four hours
of arrival since before 2016. Given that Northwick Park has the
busiest A&E department in London, clinicians have identified that a
50% expansion in intensive care beds is now essential. 

 

Cancer services are also under intense pressure nationally and
locally. The failure of leadership on cancer by the party in
government is best epitomised by the continuing uncertainty around the
future of one of Britain’s world famous cancer units, at Mount
Vernon Hospital. With an independent review commissioned by the NHS
describing the estate as “crumbling” and urgent resolution needed
on the future location of the service.

 

You can view my speech in the Parliament on the pressure on Harrow’s
hospitals here: [link removed]
[[link removed]]

 

 

A DISAPPOINTING AUTUMN STATEMENT

 

On 22 November, the Chancellor delivered the Autumn Statement to the
House of Commons. 

While the Chancellor billed the Autumn Statement as a “statement for
growth”, the growth forecasts were in fact reduced. The Office for
Budget Responsibility cut its estimate for growth next year from 1.8%
to 0.7% and in 2025 from 2.5% to 1.4%. And while the Chancellor said
he was offering tax cuts, taxes are still heading to their highest
level for decades, mainly due to the five-year freeze on personal
allowances. 

Before the statement. the Government was increasing taxes by the
equivalent of 10p on National Insurance – the statement has now only
reduced that by 2p. 

Furthermore, living standards are still falling. During the course of
this Parliament, they will have fallen by 3.1%. Unfortunately, I
believe that after this Autumn Statement it is clear that by the end
of this Parliament we will have an economy with little or no growth
and people paying more in tax and feeling worse off.

 

COP 28

 

COP28, the UN climate change conference, came to a close in Dubai
earlier this week. At the conference, nearly every country in the
world agreed to “transition away from fossil fuels”. The
conference also saw international pledges on how the world can better
integrate action on climate change and biodiversity loss.

I welcome some of the key outcomes from COP28, particularly
commitments on renewables and a transition away from fossil fuels.
However, despite these advances, the world is still a long way off
course for keeping the goal of limiting global heating to 1.5°C
alive. We need a reduction in emissions by 2030 of over 40% but are
currently on track for emissions to rise, and for temperatures to
increase by nearly 3°. We need the good words agreed at COP28 to be
matched by actions that meet the scale of the emergency.

Here at home, we need the Government to act in a way that is
consistent with what we are asking of governments overseas. By opening
a new coalmine, watering down emissions targets and seeking to max out
North Sea oil and gas, it has sent a terrible message to businesses,
investors and other countries. We need a Government that will show
climate leadership, to cut bills, deliver energy independence, grow
our economy and protect future generations.

 

 

Promoted by David Evans on behalf of the Labour Party, Labour Central
Kings Manor, Newcastle, NE1 6PA, United Kingdom

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Promoted by David Evans on behalf of the Labour Party, Labour Central Kings Manor, Newcastle, NE1 6PA, United Kingdom
[link removed]