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Good morning, John

I started this week by representing Northern Ireland at a gathering of female parliamentarians from across the British Isles and Mediterranean region of the Commonwealth in Edinburgh and I ended the week at the Shankill Women’s Centre where we were recognising the role of women as leaders in our communities.

Whilst the Commonwealth event in Edinburgh was a long way from the Shankill, the two events had a common thread. There were people at both who cared enough about their neighbour that they decided to try and change things and make life better for everyone in their community.

Whilst the women in Edinburgh now hold elected office, most started their life in politics as campaigners for a cause close to their heart. They wanted to see a change made. They believed in a cause.

One such person will be laid to rest later today. Our late colleague, Alderman Beth Adger MBE gave Northern Ireland a life of service. As a mother, she fostered children and gave a home to those in need. As a Councillor, she stood up for what she believed in. A passionate unionist and a strong believer in making Northern Ireland a better place. Today, we remember Beth’s family and friends who grieve her passing and we assure them of our prayers.

There are some who argue that to be a woman in leadership requires quotas or some other artificial aid. I am against such ideas. Hard work and belief in a cause are the character traits of everyone in leadership whether they are male or female or whether they are in business or in public life.

Of course, in Westminster and Stormont, most of our opponents can’t make up their mind about what a woman is. As a long-time supporter of Northern Ireland Women’s football, I am glad there are no such debates in the DUP, and we will never have to debate whether biological men should be playing in women’s sports.
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Another woman in the headlines this week was the Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall. Labour’s proposed welfare reforms are deeply troubling. With an anticipated £5 billion in savings, Northern Ireland’s share of the saving could be in the region of £150m. Faced with our existing budget pressures and demands in areas such as health, the Executive simply does not have the financial capacity to mitigate the effects of these cuts.

Our Party Leader Gavin Robinson was in the House of Commons for the announcement and immediately challenged the Government. [insert link to Gavin] We were amazed, that with a plan to save £5bn from benefits, there was not a single mention in the Government’s announcement about cracking down on benefit fraud. Rather than penalising everyone, it would be much wiser for the Government to fund investigators to root out those who are robbing our schools and hospitals of funding.

Whether in Stormont or Westminster, we will be making a strong case to the Government to reconsider its approach. There must be a solution which safeguards those in need and taxpayers.

On Thursday, Lord Murphy was in Belfast discussing his review of the Windsor Framework. We had a frank but constructive meeting where we reminded him that Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom must be restored. That includes removing the application of EU law in our country and the internal Irish Sea Border it creates. This Tuesday, my colleague Gregory Campbell will lead a debate in the House of Commons specifically focusing on the challenges faced by the horticultural sector in Northern Ireland who continue to struggle with many of their GB based supply chains.

Finally, it was fantastic to see Their Majesties getting such a great welcome this week in Northern Ireland. #LongToReignOverUs

Have a great weekend!

Michelle McIlveen MLA
DUP Deputy Leader


** Weekly review with Phillip Brett MLA
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