Dear John

This week was another week of Conservative chaos. Sadly, they don’t seem to realise that as should-be leaders of our country, this isn’t just affecting their party, but our whole country.  

Instead of addressing the economic crisis they have caused, the ever-growing NHS waiting lists or the increasing levels of crime and anti-social behaviour, they are too busy looking to install yet another unelected Prime Minister. 

The Tories cannot respond to their latest shambles by yet again simply clicking their fingers and shuffling the people at the top without the consent of the British people. They do not have a mandate to put the country through yet another experiment; Britain is not their personal fiefdom to run how they wish. 

The British public deserve a proper say on the country's future. They must have the chance to compare the Tories’ chaos with Labour’s plans to sort out their mess, grow the economy for working people and rebuild the country for a fairer, greener future. We must have a chance at a fresh start. We need a general election - now. 

Labour would ban fracking once and for all  

On Wednesday, I was proud to join my Labour colleagues in the House of Commons to vote in favour of a binding motion that would have seen Parliamentary time assigned to ban the dangerous practice of fracking once and for all.  

Fracking would not solve the energy security or price issues the UK currently faces. The shale gas extracted by fracking would make no difference to gas prices, and is a more expensive alternative to renewables, which are currently up to nine times cheaper than gas. 

The Government had indicated that they will override local consent and outsource decisions about local consent to fracking companies. So, this was the golden opportunity for MPs to vote to ban fracking for good. 

Unfortunately, the Conservatives have voted against Labour’s fracking ban, against the wishes of their constituents, the British people, and their own manifesto. Against the best interests of working people. 

Labour is standing up to this Conservative Government’s unjust Charter for Earthquakes, because communities across Britain do not want or deserve expensive, unsafe fracking. 

Labour’s plans to expand solar clean power and block fracking are part of Keir Starmer’s commitment to make the UK a world-leading clean energy superpower by 2030. This landmark plan will slash energy bills for good, create hundreds of thousands of good jobs, and make the UK energy secure, while providing global leadership in tackling the climate crisis. Labour’s plan to deliver a zero-carbon electricity system by 2030 is an ambitious but achievable target that would make the UK the world’s first major economy to do so. 

The plan also includes Labour’s commitment to create GB Energy, a publicly owned, clean energy company, to make Britain an energy independent superpower. 

Launching Project 80 with Midland Heart 

I had the honour of handing over the keys to the new tenants of 12 maisonettes. These are the first homes to meet the Future Homes Standard in the country, built and managed by Midland Heart.  

The 12 maisonettes on Slim Place, Edgbaston, part of Midland Heart’s ‘Project 80’, will use up to 80% less carbon than conventional homes during the build and life cycle of the properties. The homes use a combination of innovative building materials and technologies in delivering some of the most carbon efficient homes in the country.  

Project 80 is an exciting partnership between Midland Heart, BM3 Architects, Tricas Construction, Birmingham City University and The Building Alliance which is building the first homes in the UK to meet the Government’s 2025 Future Homes Standard. Project 80 is spread across two sites, Eco Drive in Handsworth, and Slim Place in Edgbaston.  

Climate change is the defining issue of our time. The Labour Party is calling for a Green Industrial Revolution, to not only mitigate the impact of climate change, but to deliver the green jobs and technology that will support our economy in the future. It’s great to see Midland Heart, a local business, leading the way and bringing the homes of the future to Edgbaston. 

The Mobile Household Recycling Centre - coming to a ward near you 

Birmingham City Council’s award-winning Mobile Household Recycling Centre (MHRC) has visits set up across the constituency. This service is part of the £7m additional funding announced by your Labour-led council that is working for Greener, Cleaner and Safer streets. 

Bring along any household rubbish that can’t be reused, recycling such as paper, cardboard, glass, and plastic, and bulky items. You can bring garden waste along too. Each MHRC features two vehicles: a regular refuse collection vehicle for waste with no other use and a wagon with multiple compartments for recycling by material type. 

If you have any household waste you would like to get rid of, the MHRC will be visiting between 7am and 12pm on: 

• 25/10/2022 - Spring Road, Edgbaston, B15 2HG 

• 27/10/2022 - Shipbourne Close, Harborne, B32 2LH 

• 02/11/2022 - Woodville Road, Quinton, B17 9AR 

Welfare support for Birmingham residents 

Labour-run Birmingham City Council is offering a range of welfare provision measures and information for those in need of immediate support.  

It has been brought together on one page which also offers information about Birmingham Warm Spaces, help about accessing grants and debt advice, as well as information for businesses and the self-employed. 

Preet Kaur Gill MP, Member of Parliament for Birmingham Edgbaston covering Bartley Green, Edgbaston, Harborne, Quinton and North Edgbaston