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MY WEEKLY UPDATE

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Welcome to my weekly update, John.

It is testament to the tireless work and preparation of teachers and
parents that so many schoolchildren here in Birmingham were able to return
to the classroom this week.

However, there are still a number of outstanding issues of concern from
parents, education professionals and the Labour Party that the government
needs to get a grip of.

The test now for the government is to ensure that pupils continue to
receive a full education throughout the year, and catch up on the learning
they have lost during lockdown.

The impact that time away from the classroom has had on our children is
already starting to show. For instance, this week we learnt that the
learning gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers has widened by 46
per cent since the start of the pandemic.

We know that inequalities become more entrenched when schools are closed,
and that those from disadvantaged backgrounds lose out the most.

That's why, after a summer of chaos, incompetence and confusion from the
government, they must prioritise keeping schools safely open to guarantee
pupils receive the education they deserve and ensure that no schoolchild is
left behind.

READ MORE [4]

TAKING ACTION TO TACKLE CRIME IN NORTH EDGBASTON

Following a spate of burglaries and other criminal activity in North
Edgbaston, I met with Sergeant Short to relay residents' concerns and to
urge for extra resources to be deployed in the area.

The local police teams in Birmingham Edgbaston have also agreed to take
part in a monthly public meeting which will provide an opportunity for
residents to raise any issues and share experiences, as well as to hear
from local police teams about their work in the area.

If you would like to join the public meetings with the police, please email
me at [email protected] and I will let you know once we have
dates and other details confirmed.

NEW 'DROP AND COLLECT' TESTING SERVICE FOR BIRMINGHAM RESIDENTS

Birmingham City Council has launched a new, free ‘drop and collect’
Covid-19 testing service for residents in Birmingham.

Staff from across the council, NHS and wider public sector have volunteered
to take part. They will visit households across the city to offer test kits
on the doorstep, even for those without symptoms, to support more testing.

Once dropped off, a volunteer will come back and pick up the completed kit
within the hour.

Anyone requiring an immediate test should still request a test online or by
ringing 119.

FIND OUT MORE [5]

COULD YOUR TRAINING VENUE HOST INTERNATIONAL STARS DURING THE
BIRMINGHAM COMMONWEALTH GAMES?

The West Midlands is home to some of the world's best sports facilities.

Hosting international athletes is a chance for venues to raise their
profile, spread the economic benefits of the Games across the region, and
inspire communities through their involvement with Birmingham 2022.

Interested local sports clubs and facilities in Birmingham Edgbaston can
find out more, as well as how to apply, by clicking the button below.

FIND OUT MORE [6]

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT NEWS

DFID SCRAPPED BY THE PRIME MINISTER

This week saw the Department for International Development (DfID)
abolished, with development responsibilities folded into the new Foreign,
Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

However, the government has offered little in the way of reassurance that
FCDO will continue the world leading work of DfID or even that poverty
reduction will be a priority.

The British people are rightly proud of the impact UK aid and development
has had in supporting the world’s poorest and most vulnerable. But under
this government, the future of the UK’s commitment to lead on
international development is uncertain.

Boris Johnson's completely unnecessary large-scale Whitehall restructure
will see the Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, be handed control of the UK's
aid budget. This is despite countless independent reviews consistently
ranking DfID as more effective, transparent and providing better value for
money than the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

DfID focuses its spend on the poorest countries in the world, whereas the
majority of UK aid spent by other government departments, like FCO, goes to
middle income countries, like China. More on this below.

Even the Taxpayers' Alliance found that “when the aid budget is spent by
departments other than DfID, it is often spent in ways that are neither
contributing to poverty reduction or the national interest”.

BORIS JOHNSON SENT MILLIONS IN AID TO CHINA

It emerged this week that Boris Johnson gave tens of millions of pounds of
UK taxpayers' money to China in the form of UK aid while he was Foreign
Secretary.

UK aid must be used to tackle poverty but it’s clear time and time again
that this government can’t be trusted with it.

DfID has been a world leader in providing life-changing and life-saving
support to millions of people in the world’s poorest countries, but now
the Prime Minister wants more aid to be spent by departments routinely
criticised for their lack of transparency and accountability, and ones
which have spent almost one hundred million pounds of UK aid in China
between 2014 and 2018.

READ MORE [7]

RISHI SUNAK WANTS AID MONEY TO FUND CYBER WEAPONS

There were worrying reports this week that the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak,
wants to raid the UK aid budget to fund cyber weapons and AI drones.

This irresponsible retrograde step would signal a retreat from the world
stage, harm the world's poorest and, at a stroke, irrevocably reverse our
hard-won soft power and reputation as a global leader on international
development built up since DfID's inception.

READ MORE [8]

TORY PEER ACCUSED OF BREACHING MINISTERIAL CODE

In other news, I have called on Boris Johnson to launch a full
investigation into a potential breach of the ministerial code by Tory peer,
Baroness Verma, after it was revealed that she signed deals worth £88
million for her family firm with Uganda’s government.

As I told the Guardian this week, ministers cannot be allowed to abuse
their position for personal gain, and if Baroness Verma is found to have
broken the code then the Prime Minister must act to reassure the public
that he will not tolerate such violations.

READ MORE [9]

© 2020 Printed from an email sent by Preet Kaur Gill. Promoted by A.J Webb
on behalf of Preet Kaur Gill, both at 56 Wentworth Road, B17 9TA.

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