MY WEEKLY UPDATE

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Dear John,

This week our party leader, Keir Starmer, carried out a reshuffle of the
shadow cabinet. The changes made show how Labour is relentlessly focused on
the priorities of working people and serious about winning the next
election.

Keir and Labour are ready to fix the mess the Tories have got the country
into and to inspire voters to believe that Britain’s best days are ahead
of us.

I am especially pleased that Labour has recognised that International
Development must remain as a cabinet role. It is an honour to continue my
work to tackle poverty and inequality around the world and, to continue to
challenge the Government on vaccine equity given the new Omicron variant
now posing a huge global danger.

Vaccines remain our greatest tool in the fight against the pandemic.
However, the Government has allowed 600,000 vaccines to be destroyed
instead of donating them to low-income countries. They knew the virus would
mutate unchecked and despite Omicron they are still hoarding surplus doses.
This only makes us all less safe.

Moreover, we now have 42 cases of the Omicron variant detected in the UK.
The latest variant is a wake-up call that the pandemic is not over. We need
to act with speed to bolster our defences to keep the virus at bay.

Labour is calling for the Government to immediately re-introduce
pre-departure Covid tests for anyone travelling to the UK. We’re
extremely worried that there are major gaps in the Government's Covid
surveillance arrangements. But crucially, the Government must learn the
lessons from previous waves of the pandemic to ensure that the same
mistakes are not made again.

CHALLENGING THE HEALTH SECRETARY ON GP APPOINTMENTS

Many of you have written to me to ask why it is now so hard to get an
appointment with your GP. However, it is no wonder given we’ve lost 1,800
fully qualified GPs since 2015.

Boris Johnson pledged to increase number of GPs by 6,000 by 2025. On this
he has broken his promise, just as he has also failed to increase the
number of GP appointments by 50 million. This is important as it puts
patients' health at great risk.

We went into the pandemic with an NHS already on its knees: with 17,000
fewer NHS beds, 100,000 full-time NHS staff vacancies, hospitals crumbling,
public health services cut, GP numbers down. We were promised a plan to
bring down waiting list times and it is now crystal clear that the
Government doesn’t have one. If they want to see what one looks like,
they need only look at what the last Labour Government did. Waiting times
down from 18 months to 18 weeks.

Without a serious workforce strategy, millions of people will continue to
wait in pain for months on end for their treatment because there simply
aren’t the people, we need to treat them. It is staggering that Boris
Johnson will be breaking another promise.

I wrote to the health secretary to outline how the unmanageable workloads
for GPs are causing experienced doctors to quit and as the crisis worsens,
so will the skills gap. The NHS is in crisis not simply because of Covid.
The NHS is in crisis because of the Conservatives.

For more on this, catch me on Midlands Politics this Sunday at 10am on
BBC1.

SUPPORTING THE BIRMINGHAM CHRISTMAS APPEAL FOR TOY DONATIONS

Today I visited local drop-off points where residents were donating toys to
the Birmingham Live Brum Wish Christmas Appeal which aims to ensure no
child in Birmingham goes without a new toy or game on Christmas morning.

Working with the fantastic Quinton and Harborne Labour Party volunteers who
have offered their time to help with the collections, I attended Edgbaston
Cricket Stadium to help organise and take-in donations.

Every child should have the joy of opening a present on Christmas morning.
Yet, it’s shocking that 110,000 children across Birmingham will wake up
in poverty this Christmas, with many going without a present.

The number of children living in poverty has dramatically risen since the
Conservatives came to power in 2010 and now stands at 4.2 million –
that's 31% of children in every school classroom. That is a shameful figure
and one which needs to be rectified immediately. However, with the
Government’s planned benefit cuts and no plan to address soaring fuel
prices, people on low incomes are facing a difficult winter.

That is why I am so pleased to see Birmingham Live, local organisations and
of course, our Labour Party volunteers coming together to see that, at the
very least, we can ensure every child in Birmingham has a gift this
Christmas.

Donations of new or nearly new toys are being requested for children aged
between 0 and 16 years old. Donations can be made at any of the following
locations:

- Royal British Legion Quinton at 211 Worlds End Lane, B32 2RX on Friday
3rd December between 2:00pm and 6:00pm
- Harborne Street Stall on the High Street on Saturday 4th December between
11:00am and 1:00pm
- Edgbaston Cricket Stadium on Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th December between
11:00am and 3:00pm

For any further information on what you can donate or if you would like to
get involved with the appeal, please get in touch with me at
[email protected]

MARKING WORLD AIDS DAY

On Wednesday I marked World Aids Day by calling on the Government to stop
cuts to AIDS projects.

New analysis shows that women now constitute more than half of all people
living with HIV and AIDS-related illnesses. 55% of those living now with
HIV worldwide are women and AIDS-related illnesses have now become the
leading cause of death among 15–49-year-old women globally.

After Conservative cuts to international aid causing programmes dedicated
to tackling HIV and AIDS to have a reduced scope of targeted countries
earlier this year, I'm calling for government cuts to be halted.

While HIV infection fell in 13 key countries, 2020 saw infection rates
amongst women increase by 20 per cent in Zambia. Sub-Saharan Africa has
also seen a similar disproportionate increase in the rise in gendered HIV
infections. Six in seven new HIV infections among adolescents (aged 15 to
19) are among girls, and young women (aged 15 to 24) are twice as likely to
be living with HIV than men.

The Government’s cuts to international aid programmes have seen research
into diseases like HIV and AIDS drastically reduced and the Voluntary
Service Overseas’ programmes no longer being able to reach countries
where vital support is needed.

So, on World AIDS Day, I called on the Government to stop cutting aid to
programmes and projects protecting lives, providing healthcare and
preventing transmission. The fight to tackle HIV and AIDS remains as
important as ever and a global effort is the best approach to tackle the
crisis and save lives. And with women disproportionately impacted we must
work to address this stark inequality.

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SUPPORT NEEDED FOR THE EMOTIONAL WELLBEING SERVICE AT ST GERMAIN’S
CHURCH

St Germain’s Church in North Edgbaston has been running a free mental
health drop-in service that has delivered over 800 one to one sessions to
people who have been struggling with emotional difficulties like anxiety
and depression.

With sessions running twice a week, the team joins up with the benefits
service and community network support officers to provide a rounded
approach.

It was born out of the pandemic in May last year. However, since its
launch, it has seen demand grow and grow and now needs help to continue to
run the service.

It’s so important to give people hope that things can change. With NHS
waiting times for mental health taking month, this is a vital service. If
you can and would like to support the service, please visit their
Crowdfunder campaign page.

YOU CAN DONATE HERE

© 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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