From Jo Stevens MP <[email protected]>
Subject Jo Stevens MP - My January Newsletter
Date March 2, 2024 9:01 AM
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IN CARDIFF CENTRAL

 

VISITING BARCLAYS COMMUNITY BANKING SITE IN PENYLAN

I was very disappointed by the decision of Barclays to close their
Wellfield Road branch in July 2023. During my discussions with
Barclays, I reiterated the need for bespoke assistance for regular
customers who do not use other types of banking, like online or mobile
banking.
 
I visited the new Community Banking Site in Penylan Library that
Barclays have now set up and met the staff there to see what services
are available. Advisers are on hand Monday to Friday between 9.30am
and 4.30pm to offer banking related support.

 

CARDIFF FOODBANK

I was pleased to meet with the Chief Executive of Cardiff Foodbank,
Rachel Biggs in Parliament following the publication of the Trussell
Trust's Impact Report for 2022 to 2023. 

 

We had a very useful discussion, not just about ensuring constituents
who need help get it, but also about preventative measures that need
to be in place so that foodbank use does not continue to rise.

 

SUPPORTING EMERGING WRITERS AND DIRECTORS

BBC Studios in Cardiff is the largest drama production centre in the
UK outside of London, generating over £40 million each year and
supporting thousands of jobs in Cardiff's Creative Industries.

 
Its great to see the studios investing in the talent our city has to
offer with the launch of a new TalentWorks initiative. This will offer
training and development opportunities for writers and directors on
the BAFTA-winning BBC medical drama Casualty. 

 
Click here for more information
[[link removed]]

 

 

A NEW SQUARE IN CARDIFF CITY CENTRE

Exciting plans have been revealed for a new public square in the
centre of Cardiff. The vacant Debenhams site will be transformed and
with proposals to include a music venue and space to host Cardiff's
growing street food scene.
 
A consultation is now open to hear your views on what the new square
should look like. Click here to take part.
[[link removed]]

 

 

CELEBRATING HEART UNIONS WEEK

Unionised workplaces are safer, better paid and unlock a range of
opportunities to enhance skills and training. During the annual
“Heart Unions Week”, I celebrated the hard won rights at work that
trades unions have secured and I also spread the word about Labour's
commitment to go further with a New Deal for Working People. 
 
Hear why it’s a real benefit to be a trades union member in my video
[[link removed]]
and, more importantly, if you’re not a union member, find out how
you can join and which union is the right one to consider joining
[[link removed]] today.

 

STAY STRONG FOR OWS PRE-SIX NATIONS LUNCH

I'm a proud supporter of Cardiff Rugby and a keen supporter of the
Cardiff Rugby Community Foundation. It was a pleasure to attend their
annual Stay Strong for Ows pre-Six Nations fundraising lunch.

 

ACROSS WALES

 

STANDING UP FOR WELSH STEEL

The steel industry is the lifeblood of communities across Wales, but
whilst other countries push ahead with investing in clean steel
projects, the Tories are holding our industries back. 
 
We are now over halfway through TATA Steel's 45-day redundancy
consultation period which could see up to 3000 steel jobs lost, almost
all of them in Port Talbot. We cannot let this happen. Urgent action
must be taken to secure jobs and protect our sovereign steel making
capability for economic and national security reasons too.
 
No irreversible decisions should be taken before a general election.
Working in lockstep with a Welsh Labour government, the next UK Labour
government will invest £3billion to ensure that the transition to
green steel comes with jobs in Wales.

 

Watch my recent speech here
[[link removed]].

 

MORE DITHER AND DELAY ON NEWPORT WAFER FAB

Newport Wafer Fab offers us a glimpse at the high-skilled jobs and
economy of the future that the UK Government should be facilitating in
Wales. Sadly, continued dither and delay from the Tory government has
left investment on hold and placed jobs at risk. 

 

I have repeatedly called on Ministers to act to protect livelihoods
and encourage investment in this strategically significant sector. 

 

Read my comments in full in the Western Mail
[[link removed]] and The
Guardian
[[link removed]].

 

Finally, yesterday, 1st March, the UK Government has listened.

 

TORY WELSH SECRETARY REFUSES TO CONDEMN RACIST LANGUAGE OF TORY MP,
LEE ANDERSON

The removal of the Tory whip from Lee Anderson was the correct
decision after his disgusting racist and Islamophobic remarks aimed at
the Mayor of London.
 
It is deeply disappointing that the Conservative Welsh Secretary David
T.C. Davies has refused to condemn Lee Anderson's disgusting rhetoric.
This is part of a growing tolerance of conspiracy theories at the top
of the Conservative Party.
 
Language is important. The public knows that. He knows that.
 
Listen to his refusal to condemn Lee Anderson here
[[link removed]].

 

TACKLING KNIFE CRIME

The Tories talk tough on knife crime, yet on their watch, it is rising
at an alarming rate. It's no longer just an issue affecting inner
cities, it is wreaking havoc on communities across Wales.
 
Urgent action is needed to keep our communities safe and to
particularly protect young people. That's why I have called on the
Tory Government to close the loopholes in their knife crime plans.
 
The next Labour government will get neighbourhood police back on our
streets and deliver a serious preventative programme to tackle this
violence once and for all.

 

Read my comments in full here
[[link removed]]
or listen to my recent radio appearance here
[[link removed]]. 

 

IN PARLIAMENT

 

ST DAVID'S DAY DEBATE

This week, I joined my Welsh Labour colleagues in the chamber of the
House of Commons to celebrate St David's Day.

 

I used the opportunity to take a stand for Wales' steelmaking
communities. Instead of having a proper industrial strategy,
Conservative ministers have compounded the risk to livelihoods,
forking out £500m in taxpayers’ money to see up to 3,000 people
made redundant and forfeiting our ability to make virgin steel.

 

I again pressed the Secretary of State to save jobs and protect our
national security. You can watch my speech in full here
[[link removed]]. 

 

RISHI'S RECESSION

The Prime Minister can no longer credibly claim that his plan is
working or that he has turned the corner on more than fourteen years
of economic decline. 
 
The recent news that Britain has entered a recession confirms the
reality for families here in Cardiff Central and up and down the
country: prices are continuing to rise, pay packets are being
stretched and GDP is now lower than when Rishi Sunak became Prime
Minister.
 
Working people deserve better. Labour's long-term plan will create new
jobs, boost investment in our broken economy and bring down bills for
good. 

 

CALLING FOR A IMMEDIATE HUMANITARIAN CEASEFIRE IN GAZA

The appalling terrorist attack on Israel and the taking of hostages,
followed by absolutely intolerable loss of life and a dire
humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza, is absolutely
unacceptable. I have repeatedly said that the long-term solution to
this conflict will involve an end to the fighting and a political
process towards two states.
 
In line with this, Labour tabled a strong proposition setting out our
position on the conflict which I put my name to and voted for. This
addressed not only the need to stop the fighting now, but the pathway
to stopping the fighting permanently.

 
You can read more about Labour's calls for an immediate humanitarian
ceasefire here
[[link removed]].

 

MORE BY-ELECTION VICTORIES FOR LABOUR

It was wonderful to welcome two more Labour by-election winners to
Parliament this month. Voters in Wellingborough and Kingswood have
sent a strong message that enough is enough. People deserve better
than a Tory government which has presided over 14 years of failure and
left our economy in tatters. It's time for change and Labour is ready
to deliver it for all parts of the UK. 

 

MINISTERIAL SEVERANCE PAY

Years of Tory chaos has resulted in taxpayers footing the bill for
nearly a hundred severance packages for dismissed Tory ministers. Some
of these ministers only served for a few weeks, whilst others returned
after a brief stint on the backbenches. This reward for political
chaos is completely unacceptable.
 
Labour sought to change the rules to stop the flagrant abuse of the
system that we saw in 2022/23. But Rishi Sunak ordered Tory MPs to
block our proposed reforms. No prizes for guessing why.
 
The next UK Labour Government will bring back this legislation and
ensure the system is changed for good. 
 
Read more about Labour's proposals here
[[link removed]].

 

LABOUR'S GREEN PROSPERITY PLAN

Keir Starmer has confirmed that Labour's Green Prosperity Plan will be
a central part of our general election manifesto. This is a
world-leading agenda which will invest in Britain's future, create
good green jobs and bring energy bills down for good. 

 

* SWITCHING ON GREAT BRITISH ENERGY
* A NATIONAL WEALTH FUND
* A BRITISH JOBS BONUS
* A WARM HOMES PLAN
* A PLAN TO REWIRE BRITAIN
* A PLAN TO MAKE THE UK THE GREEN FINANCE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD

 

To deliver clean power 2030 requires investment and leadership. 

 

Read more about our Green Prosperity Plan here
[[link removed]]. 

 

ODDBALLS TESTICULAR CANCER DROP IN

Approximately 2,300 men in the UK are diagnosed with testicular cancer
each year, with the highest number occurring among young men aged 15
to 49.
 
This month, I joined representatives from the Oddballs Foundation to
learn about their work to raise awareness of Testicular Cancer. 
 
For more information and advice visit the OddBalls website here
[[link removed]].

 

ST PHILIP EVANS R.C PRIMARY SCHOOL  VISIT PARLIAMENT

It was absolutely brilliant to meet pupils from St Philip Evans R.C.
Primary School in Llanedeyrn during their recent visit to Parliament.
They were fascinated by what they had seen and gave me an enthusiastic
grilling with excellent questions. 

 

It was a pleasure to give them a mention at the dispatch box. They,
like all children in Wales are our future and we all have a
responsibility to give them the opportunities they deserve. 

 

You can watch my shout-out here [[link removed]].

 

CARDIFF LABOUR STUDENTS VISIT PARLIAMENT

Great to welcome so many members of Cardiff Labour Students to
Parliament. They enjoyed a full tour of the parliamentary estate and
met a number of other Labour Members of Parliament during their visit.

 

MEETING WITH THE NEW COLOMBIAN AMBASSADOR

It was an honour to meet with the new Colombian Ambassador, Mr Roy
Barreras to discuss the current peace efforts in Colombia. I wish him
all the best in his new role.

 

WALES WEEK

Each year, ahead of St David's Day, we celebrate Wales Week in London.
A chance to celebrate and promote everything that is great about
Wales. 

 

It was a real pleasure to speak at the Swiss Embassy’s St David’s
Day reception about Wales and Switzerland’s growing partnership
based on tourism, culture, cuisine and sport.

 

[Labour Rose]
 

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