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Thank you for reading my July newsletter.
Throughout July, I’ve been out and about in Cardiff Central delivering my annual report to residents. It provides you with a snapshot of my work as your Labour Member of Parliament over the past year.
If you are yet to receive a copy, you will very soon – but you can also read it online here:
https://www.jostevens.co.uk/2022/06/16/my-annual-report-to-you-2021-22/
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It has been an eventful month in Parliament. At the start of July the Secretary of State for Wales was Simon Hart and by the end of it, Robert Buckland was in post. Who knows who my opponent will be by September?
In Wales Questions this month I questioned the Secretary of State on rail investment in Wales.
Despite the promises and talk from Tory ministers on supporting infrastructure investment in Wales, we all know the reality is very different. The Tories have denied Wales
£4.6bn of funding from the HS2 project.
HS2 will also hit the Welsh economy by £150 million a year.
And as a result of the Spending Review, Welsh Government’s capital budget will be 11% lower by 2024-25 compared with last year. Less money, so less infrastructure spend.
Instead of focusing on his media appearances defending his indefensible boss, I asked the Secretary of State when is he instead going to focus on the people of Wales?
You can watch my Questions here:
https://fb.watch/eqrW6Y13GJ/
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This month also saw a debate in the chamber on the funding Wales receives from the Tory UK government. I spoke about how Tory promises on funding to Wales have been broken again and again.
Wales is now set to lose more than £1bn in vital funding. Only 6 Welsh Councils will benefit from the first phase of the 'Levelling up' fund, and the Tories are now trampling all over the devolution settlement. Wales deserves better than more Tory broken promises.
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It was a real pleasure to visit the Royal Welsh Show - which returned this month to Llanelwedd after a 3-year absence due to the pandemic.
It was a good opportunity to meet again with NFU Wales, RSPB Cymru, the Farmers Union of Wales along with others from across Wales'
world-renowned food, drink & agricultural sectors.
The show is a truly world class event - attracting 250,000 visitors as well as food producers, competitors and exhibitors from around the world.
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After more than 50 Government resignations, Johnson finally resigned, but it should have happened long, long ago. As Keir Starmer said, the sinking ships started leaving the rat.
He's been responsible for lies, scandal and fraud on an industrial scale, trashing the UK’s reputation abroad. Each and every Conservative Minister and MP who defended him and kept him in post for so long was complicit in that.
Every day he is in Downing Street he does more damage. He should have left Downing Street when he resigned. We now have a situation where his Tory MPs have allowed him to stay over the summer when he will have no Parliamentary scrutiny and be able to do what he wants.
Earlier in the month, Johnson broke more Parliamentary convention by blocking our Labour motion of No Confidence in his Government and refusing to allow it to take place. He then decided to table his own Confidence motion in the Commons. His refusal to allow our no confidence motion was totally unprecedented.
Of course, thanks to the large Tory majority in the House of Commons, the Government survived their vote. Tory MPs who just days ago had published resignation letters detailing their concerns, lined up to vote that they had confidence in Johnson and his Government and many have stayed serving in his Government until he leaves. They’re all just as bad as each other.
In the weeks since he announced his resignation, we’ve not seen an ounce of humility, sorrow or contrition from Johnson for the mess he has presided over.
He should be going immediately, not in the autumn.
We don’t have any confidence in him, his own MPs don’t and most importantly the public don’t. The Tories can’t pretend to separate the Prime Minister and the government he leads.
After 12 long years of economic stagnation, declining public services and empty promises, people in Cardiff Central and across the entire country need real change. Not another Tory leader.
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The fight to replace Johnson as Tory leader is underway, and has been whittled down to either Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak. Each trying to out-do each other on their hard-right economic credentials – floundering on promises to reach net-zero while the country was quite literally on fire during the heatwave.
For all the talk of a 'fresh start' it's just more of the same from the Tories.
Despite their attempts to trash the Tory record of the last 12 years, both Truss and Sunak have backed every Johnson decision along the way and both reliably parroted his lies when the whole country could see the truth.
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Dire stats from the Trade Union Congress (TUC) this month showed that the UK is set to face the biggest fall in wages (6.2%) in the G7. This is in the same month that inflation has hit a staggering 9.4%.
We’ve barely heard a peep from Conservative leadership challengers on how they plan to deal with this and help with the cost-of-living crisis they’ve presided over.
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Remember just 2 months ago, Tory MPs howling with feigned outrage about P&O risking safety by replacing skilled workers with agency staff?
The Tory UK Government has now changed the law to allow employers to temporarily hire agency workers during strike action. These plans not only totally undermine the ability of workers to organise themselves against unscrupulous employers – but also present safety risks to the public.
Employer organisations and even the body that represents agency worker recruitment firms were against the move. But the Government went ahead anyway.
I obviously voted against the new regulations.
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Some of the Tory leadership candidates have benefitted from non-dom status whilst at the same time, raised your taxes.
The UK has over a thousand tax reliefs. Many of them are completely justified, but some of them, like the private equity bonuses tax break, are wasteful and inefficient.
Labour has already announced that we would end tax breaks for private schools, private equity bosses and the unfair non-dom rules. We’ll also crack down on hidden offshore trusts.
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I attended a celebration with Ramblers Cymru to unveil the start of the Cambrian Way long-distance trail.
The trail begins in the heart of Bute Park in Cardiff Central and stretches right to Conwy in North Wales. The trail is 479km
(298 miles) in total with around 22,500m (73,700ft) of ascent.
Between Cardiff and Conwy lies glorious countryside with steep-sided valleys, streams and waterfalls, picturesque rolling hills, an abundance of high ridges and, in the north, rugged, cragged and challenging mountains.
Much of the route runs through two national parks – Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia.
Ramblers Cymru are the group who work to maintain the route - and you can find out all about it, and them, via this link:
https://www.ramblers.org.uk/go-walking/the-cambrian-way.aspx
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I really enjoyed listening to and meeting young writers at the Wales Arts Review 10th Anniversary Reception in Parliament.
For the last 10 years, Wales Arts Review has sought to publish some of the best critical writing from Wales and about Wales. To mark that decade, an anthology of writing titled “Home To You” has been published describing the intricate and not always obvious cultural ties between Wales and the wider world.
Thanks to my friend and neighbour Jessica Morden MP, for organising the event.
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In July, we celebrated the official opening of the brand new Maelfa Wellbeing Hub in Llanedeyrn.
The new centre is built onto the current Powerhouse Community Hub so it makes use of the services provided from the Powerhouse with a community café, shared community rooms and an advice area, where health, local authority and third sector groups can provide advice, education and wellbeing services.
Having the new Wellbeing Hub and existing Powerhouse Community Hub physically connected and sharing the space integrates both health and community services and provides a multi-functional service for patients, staff and the local community of Llandeyrn, as set out in Cardiff's Wellbeing Plan.
This project has been a real success – and the work of excellent partnership working between our Cardiff Labour Council, Welsh Labour Government and local representatives who’ve worked hard to secure its future.
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I was pleased to visit Delio - a rapidly growing fintech company based here in Cardiff Central.
I had a tour of the company's offices, and met with Gareth Lewis, chief executive, and other members of the leadership team. It was great to learn more about Delio's history, its international expansion and growth plans into the future.
Growing businesses like Delio are key to our city's diverse economic success. Thank you for inviting me to visit, and wishing you all the very best for the future.
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It was a pleasure to join trades union, Unison, for an event in Parliament to commemorate 20 years of Police Community Support Officers (more commonly known as PCSOs)
PCSOs from across Wales and England joined me, Unison General Secretary Christina McAnea, Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, former Home Secretary David Blunkett and our Shadow Policing Minister Sarah Jones MP to celebrate their contribution to keeping our communities safe.
Last year, our Welsh Labour Government announced an additional £3.7 million for additional PCSOs across Wales - meaning an additional 100 PCSOs on top of the 500 already funded by the Welsh Government.
Welsh Labour have been forced to step in to fund these additional officers due to the reckless cuts in policing services made under the Tories and Lib Dems over the past 12 years.
PCSOs have quickly become part of our community here in Cardiff Central, and in others across Wales.
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Can you help?
🩸 The Welsh Blood Service need more people from the Cardiff area to sign up as donors to help patients across Wales!
✨ Do something amazing today - book
to give blood 👉🏻 https://wbs.wales/Cardiff0722
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If you’re shopping this weekend and are able to make a donation to Cardiff Foodbank these are the most needed items at the moment. Thank you.
The Tesco stores in Cardiff Central will all now contain physical donation points in their stores - another easy way to donate if you are able to. I recently visited the Albany Road Metro store to find out more about Tesco's
work to helping Cardiff Foodbank.
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Show Racism the Red Card are marking their 25th anniversary.
I’ve worked closely with Show Racism the Red Card for well over a decade and seen the impact that their unique work brings to schools, colleges and football clubs across the country.
Congratulations to Ged Grebby and the inspirational team at Show Racism the Red Card - and here's to the next 25 years of changing attitudes for the better.
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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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