Dear John,

Today, I was extremely saddened to hear of the death of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His decades of extraordinary public service will be sorely missed by our country. His steadfast support to the Queen and the Royal Family over seven decades has been an inspiration and symbol of stability for many.  
 
My condolences go to The Queen and the Royal Family and I hope over the coming days that we come together as a nation to mourn and to remember his extraordinary life. 

From Monday 12 April, we will see pubs and restaurants re-open to outdoor hospitality and non-essential retail will join them in opening their doors once more. This is a positive step forward and one which has been made possible by us all playing our part in what must be the last national lockdown.  
 
While Covid rates are significantly decreasing, it is still active and present in all of our communities. That is why we must keep following the guidelines being issued that include maintaining the 2m social distancing rule, wearing a face mask where appropriate and getting tested regularly. This is how we continue to keep each other safe.  

A list of all locations in Birmingham where free lateral flow tests are available can be found in the link below.

Over the last few weeks several constituents have written to me to tell me about the increasingly dangerous problem with speeding in Quinton and parts of Bartley Green. I understand what a worry this is and how it can really impact residents. That’s why I have put together a survey that has been designed to identify the worst-affected areas and ask residents about their experiences. The findings will be used to lobby the council and the local police for more help in tackling this issue. 
 
I am keen to take decisive action, but to do so I need to build a clear evidence base to back up the individual cases I have been dealing with. If you are aware of the issue and would like to join me in tackling this issue, you can complete the survey using the link below. 

In the last month I’ve had numerous residents who have written to me about the issues with mobile phone and internet connectivity in and around Court Oak Road in Harborne after new equipment was installed on the grass verge.  
 
A new planning application was submitted for installation of further telecommunications equipment including a mast to be erected. After speaking with residents, I lodged an objection to the council asking that they first find and eliminate the source of existing network issues. 
 
I am pleased to say that I received confirmation that permission for the new equipment has not been granted. While there could be an appeal, this is a positive step in ensuring that our communities have stable and consistent access to basic internet and telephone services. 

This week the Government published the overseas aid budget for 2019/2020. It showed us that as our economy shrunk, so did the aid budget by £712 million. This is exactly why the Government committed to in their manifesto to pledging 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI). So that if the country was faced with a difficult time like the pandemic which affected our economy, the overseas aid budget would change to reflect it.  
 
While £712 million is a huge figure that will have a devastating impact on lifesaving support for some of the poorest and most vulnerable people, what is more objectionable and callous from the Government is that they have chosen to reduce the budget even further for 2020/2021 to 0.5%. This in effect is a double cut that will cost so many lives around the world and even have an impact at home via the cuts to the international research and development funding. These last-minute plans will mean that many university projects, including those at the University of Birmingham, will have their funding taken away mid-way through programmes of work. That work includes tackling pandemics, improving health systems and tackling the climate crisis. All things the world is in vital need of as we try to recover from Covid19. 
 
I wrote to the Secretaries of State, Dominic Raab MP and Kwasi Kwarteng MP, to ask them to rethink this approach which seemingly lacks any strategic basis and will damage our international reputation.