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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:
https://www.jostevens.co.uk/2022/06/16/my-annual-report-to-you-2021-22/
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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:
https://www.jostevens.co.uk/2022/06/10/cost-of-living-crisis-survey/?fbclid=IwAR2Xz1aK32efG-XCZ5zMJ6b-P-3gRpRVwpRPPqDLoXUPJzcKA5y7vJSUXj4
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No Confidence Vote in Boris Johnson
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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.
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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.
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Standards in Public Office
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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.
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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.
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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:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0018fsz
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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:
https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit-calculator
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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:
https://gov.wales/unpaid-carer-financial-support-scheme
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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
, please consider the reasonable adjustments we can all make to prevent avoidable injuries.
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• 7th July - City Centre
• 8th July – Llanedeyrn
15th July – Adamsdown
22nd July – Roath
21st July – Cathays
29th July – Roath
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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:
https://www.jostevens.co.uk/get-help/surgeries/
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