My monthly newsletter for
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MY 2021-22 ANNUAL REPORT

THANK YOU FOR READING MY JUNE NEWSLETTER.

 

I'M DELIGHTED TO HAVE BEEN RESELECTED THIS MONTH BY LOCAL LABOUR PARTY
MEMBERS AND AFFILIATED TRADES UNIONS TO STAND AS LABOUR’S
PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATE FOR CARDIFF CENTRAL IN THE NEXT GENERAL
ELECTION, WHENEVER IT COMES. 

 

IT IS SUCH AN HONOUR TO REPRESENT THE PEOPLE OF CARDIFF CENTRAL IN
PARLIAMENT AND I HOPE YOU WILL PUT YOUR TRUST IN ME TO CONTINUE
REPRESENTING YOU AT THE NEXT GENERAL ELECTION.

 

Over the last week, I've been out across Cardiff Central delivering my
seventh annual report as your Labour Member of Parliament. 

 

The report to you is a snapshot of my work during the past year on
your behalf.

 

You can expect a copy through your letterbox over the coming days and
weeks - but you can also read a digital copy online here:

 

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COST OF LIVING SURVEY

In recent months, I’ve heard from lots of Cardiff Central residents
about the impact of the rising cost-of-living – with many people
frustrated and angry with the Prime Minister and Chancellor for their
lack of focus on addressing the problem and for their lack of support.

 

I want to get a fuller picture of the situation locally so that I can
continue to press the government on the issues that are really
impacting on lives and livelihoods here in Cardiff Central.

 

If you have a few minutes to spare to take part in my Cost-of-Living
 2022 survey, I'd really appreciate it. You can complete the survey
here:

 

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 IN PARLIAMENT 

NO CONFIDENCE VOTE IN BORIS JOHNSON

Boris Johnson finally faced a vote of confidence from Conservative MPs
this month, and narrowly survived after  41% of them voted against
him. The utter chaos in government continues because his focus and
that of his ministers continues to be saving his job rather than
solving the cost-of-living problems facing the country. 

 

The public however, delivered a resounding vote of no confidence in
him and the Conservative Party in two by-elections in Wakefield, and
Tiverton and Honiton, both taking place because of the resignation of
Conservative MPs. One had been convicted of a sexual offence against a
child and the other, for watching pornography on his mobile phone in
the House of Commons chamber. 

 

In Wakefield, Simon Lightwood was elected as the city's Labour MP with
a 12.7% swing from Conservative to Labour. I visited Wakefield several
times to campaign for Simon, an NHS worker, and he'll be a brilliant
representative for Wakefield. It was such a pleasure to welcome him to
Parliament with fellow Labour MPs and see him sworn in.

 

TORY SLEAZE CONTINUES

June also saw further revelations about an as yet uninvestigated
lockdown party in the Prime Minister’s Downing Street flat, attempts
to get his then girlfriend a job in the Foreign Office and attempts to
get a Tory Party donor to pay for a £150,000 tree-house in the garden
at Chequers. In the last few days another Conservative MP has
resigned from Government following allegations of sexual assault.

 

The Privileges Committee in Parliament has begun its investigation
into whether the Prime Minister deliberately lied to Parliament about
what went on in Downing Street during the pandemic lockdown and what
he knew about it. It will report later in the year. 

STANDARDS IN PUBLIC OFFICE

After months of headlines about the appalling conduct of the Prime
Minister and some of his colleagues, you would think Conservative MPs
would have voted in support of Labour's proposal to clean up standards
in public office. But instead they abstained from the vote.

 

Boris Johnson has presided over 13 months of sleaze, shame and
scandal and he's putting the standards that underpin our democracy
through the shredder – even his own Ethics Advisor couldn't stomach
it and has resigned, the second one to do so. 

 

But it remains the case that only Conservative MPs can get rid of him,
unless a general election is called and then, of course, you have the
opportunity to vote him and his party out.

RWANDA

There was some relief this month as the first planned deportation
flight to Rwanda was halted at the last minute thanks to successful
legal challenges. Unfortunately,  Priti Patel is intending to
continue with this inhumane, expensive and unworkable scheme. 

 

Instead of deporting people to Rwanda, the Government should be
working with governments in France and Belgium and with Interpol, to
break the people traffickers' criminal business, providing safe and
legal routes for vulnerable people seeking asylum and fix the Home
Office asylum system that is at breaking point. 

BBC RADIO 4'S WESTMINSTER HOUR

This month I was on BBC Radio 4's Westminster Hour where I talked
about the government's deliberate failure to avert the rail strikes,
the cost-of-living crisis, the broken asylum system and the
government's lack of compassion towards refugees. 

 

You can listen to the discussion here:

 

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#DEMANDBETTER MARCH AND RALLY

I joined workers from across the UK at the TUC rally in London to
demand better  for workers. From midwives to train drivers, teachers
to shop workers.  People who worked on the frontline throughout the
covid pandemic, who looked after us all and got us through. People who
put their lives at risk for us. They and we deserve better than this
Prime Minister and his Government.

 

It was especially good to see so many trades union members from
Wales on the march to Parliament Square – including many from
Cardiff Central and across Wales.

REFUGEE WEEK 2022

I work with refugee organisations throughout the year and as a City of
Sanctuary, I'm very proud that Cardiff is a safe and welcoming place
for adults and children from around the world who have fled war,
torture and persecution. 

 

So it was a particular pleasure to mark Refugee Week at Oasis
Cardiff's 'Restore' photography exhibition. The work there was created
by photographers who have experienced being a refugee and going
through the asylum process and it explored the concept of new
beginnings, new homes and new lives. Thank you to Oasis Cardiff for
inviting me. 

VISITING TRANSPORT FOR WALES HQ

I visited the Transport for Wales new depot being built in Taffs
 Well  to find out more about how the Core Valleys Lines
electrification and South Wales Metro project is progressing.

 

I met with the main companies involved in the project as well as TfW
and Network Rail and heard more about their apprenticeships and skills
training which is benefiting local people and the local economy. 

These are really exciting  times for public transport in
#CardiffCentral - the Metro will mean more trains and faster trains
stopping at more locations (including at  Crwys Road and Roath Park)
and a public transport system fit for the demands of a 21st century
capital city. 

 

Thank  you, Transport for Wales and the Railway Industry
Association for hosting me.

PENSION CREDIT: ARE YOU ELIGIBLE?

With the current cost-of-living crisis biting it's worth checking to
ensure you're claiming everything you are entitled to.

 

Pension Credit can help with the extra costs you may be facing - yet
currently 1 in 3 pensioners eligible are not claiming it. It also
opens access to a raft of other benefits and discounts - including
free TV licences and Council Tax reduction schemes. 

Check your eligibility and apply here:

 

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£4M EXTRA ENERGY SUPPORT FROM WELSH GOVERNMENT

Our Welsh Labour Welsh Government has announced an extra £4 million
in targeted support for people with pre-payment meters and households
not connected to mains gas.

 

Nearly 120,000 people on prepayment meters will be eligible for
approximately 49,000 vouchers to support them during the
cost-of-living crisis. Vouchers will range from £30 in summer months
to £49 in winter, with households receiving up to three vouchers over
a six-month period.

 

The £4m will also include a Heat Fund, which will provide direct
support to eligible households living off the gas grid who rely on
heating oil and liquid gas. This will help an estimated 2,000
households across Wales.

 

Applications for the Welsh Government's £500 Support Payment for
Unpaid Carers close on 15th July. For more information, and to apply,
please click here:

 

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£5M FOR BUSINESS SUPPORT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN WALES

The Welsh Government has announced plans to support 1,200 young people
to start their own business as part of plans to foster a new culture
of entrepreneurship among the younger generation in Wales.

A total of £5 million will be spent over the next three years to
deliver on the self-employment aspect of the Young Person’s
Guarantee, which will provide everyone under 25 in Wales with the
offer of work, education, training, or self-employment.

The aim of the initiative is to make Wales a place where more young
people feel confident in planning their future.

COUNSELLING FOR SURVIVORS OF RAPE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT

With Shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry and other female Labour
MPs, I wrote  to the Prime Minister about the Government's proposed
changes affecting the rights of survivors of rape to seek counselling
prior to a criminal trial of their attacker.

 

New guidelines set out by the Attorney General risk opening the door
to disclosure of pre-trial counselling medical notes.

 

It’s  absolutely vital that survivors of rape have the confidence
to safely and privately access counselling before a trial. 

CALLING ON THE UK GOVERNMENT TO RATIFY THE ISTANBUL CONVENTION WITHOUT
EXCEPTION

I joined 56 MPs and Peers at an event in Parliament to call on the
Government to ratify the Istanbul Convention on violence against women
without any exclusions. 

 

The Convention is a gold standard legal framework to tackle violence
against women and girls, and a lifeline to survivors. 

 

Ratification of the Convention is something for which I have
campaigned for  many years now - and in my time as your MP I've
received hundreds of emails from constituents desperate for action. 

 

Last year,  the UK Government finally announced that they would
ratify the Convention, ten years after the UK signing up to it, but it
intends to ‘opt out’ of key parts of the Convention that provide
life-saving support and protections, particularly for migrant women.

 

I will keep pressing the Government to ensure that all women are
protected under the Convention.

CONVERSION THERAPY

583 people in Cardiff  Central signed the recent UK Parliament
petition about banning conversion therapy. I have campaigned for a ban
and was a co-sponsor of a previous Bill to outlaw it. It is
an abhorrent practice and should not be taking place anywhere in the
UK.

 

The UK Conservative Government promised to legislate to ban it but has
not kept its word. It has demonstrated complete contempt for the
safety and wishes of the LGBT+ community and the views of  the
majority of the public.

 

Instead it has used the issue to stoke the flames of a “culture
war” rather than keeping to its promise and legislating against a
dangerously harmful and totally unacceptable practice.

 

Thank you to everyone who signed the petition, and to everyone who
wrote to me with your thoughts on this very important issue.

AWARD WINNING ROATH PARK PRIMARY SCHOOL COP26 SUMMIT

I was thrilled to see that Roath Park Primary School have won 2
awards for their excellent Roath COP26 summit. I was very pleased to
have had the chance to meet the pupils during the summit to hear about
their priorities for tackling the climate emergency. 

 

Congratulations to the excellent staff and pupils at Roath Park
Primary on their awards! 

WORLD MUSIC DAY

In June we celebrated World Music Day.

Cardiff has a vibrant live music scene. I am delighted to have played
my part working alongside campaigners to save Womanby Street and
ensure that our city's music venues have a thriving future ahead.

LLAFUR 100 EVENT

This year Welsh Labour celebrates 100 years of the Labour Party
winning the majority of  seats in every general election in Wales. 

 

In the one hundred years since  1922, we've seen transformative 
achievements from Welsh Labour politicians like the establishment of
the National Health Service, form a key part of the legacy of Labour
Governments across the UK.

 

To celebrate this achievement I spoke at a reception in Parliament
alongside Labour leader Keir Starmer MP, First Minister Mark Drakeford
and Deputy leader of Welsh Labour, Carolyn Harris MP. I spoke about
Cardiff Central's key role in Labour's history as it was a trade
unionist from Cardiff Central, James Holmes, who moved the motion at
the 1899 TUC Annual Congress calling for the formation of the Labour
Representation Committee that led to the creation of the Labour Party.
James lived on  Dogfield Street in Cathays. 

INJURY PREVENTION WEEK

This year, around 43,700 people were injured in the workplace in the
UK. We all have a responsibility to take reasonable care so that
others do not suffer injury.

This #IPWeek2022
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please consider the reasonable adjustments we can all make to prevent
avoidable injuries.

FUTURE ADVICE SURGERIES

• 7TH JULY - CITY CENTRE

• 8TH JULY – LLANEDEYRN 
* 15TH JULY – ADAMSDOWN
* 22ND JULY – ROATH
* 21ST JULY – CATHAYS
* 29TH JULY – ROATH

OFFICE APPOINTMENTS

As my constituency office is now fully back open following the end of
COVID-19 restrictions, we're operating on an appointment basis.

If you need help with an issue, please contact 02921 329736 or email
me at [email protected] for an appointment.   

You can also make an appointment to see me at one of my advice
surgeries - details of these can be found on my website here:

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