Welcome to my January newsletter

Happy New Year! Refreshed after a lovely Christmas break, I’ve been back in Parliament, where much attention has been paid to Labour’s leadership contest. After such a disappointing result at the General Election, it is imperative Labour moves forward and begins an ambitious project to regain public trust and return to power. I wrote this piece earlier in the month outlining exactly what I would like in the next leader of the Labour Party and I will outline a bit of this later in my e-mail.

As ever, if you want to get in touch about any of the issues covered here – or anything else – you can arrange an appointment at one of my regular morning surgeries by calling my office on 0207 219 4243 or e-mailing me at [email protected] 

Election

Firstly, I must pay a huge thank you to everyone that put their faith in me and returned me to Parliament to represent the people of Harrow West. I understand that there are readers for whom Labour was unable to secure your support this time and I will work tirelessly to ensure the Labour Party is an electable force, able to win your support back in five years’ time.

To everyone that knocked on a door and delivered a leaflet in the freezing cold, picked up a phone, entered data, stuffed an envelope, donated money, or contributed to the campaign in any other way, thank you so much for playing your part – you helped buck the national trend and this will only help the party to regrow moving forward. I will be in contact later in the week about a thank you party on the evening of Friday, 7th February. Please save the date in your calendar.

Labour Leadership

In my capacity as a member of the Parliamentary Labour Party, I have nominated Emily Thornberry to go through to the next round of nominations. Personally, I thought Emily was one of the best performers of the Shadow Frontbench and it would be good to see her reach the next round.

Earlier this month I attended the Parliamentary Labour Party hustings and was impressed by the calibre of all 5 candidates that have cleared the first hurdle - Keir Starmer, Lisa Nandy, Jess Phillips and Rebecca Long-Bailey all providing insightful analyses on our loss and ways to rebuild, with Keir and Lisa definitely being ones to watch.

In order to get on to the final ballot, the candidates now have to ensure either the backing of 33 CLPs (constituency Labour Parties) or 3 socialist societies (including 2 Trade Unions). At this stage, Keir Starmer and Rebecca Long-Bailey appear to be the front runners and are most likely to reach the all member ballot, which will open in mid-February.

If you are not currently a Labour Party member and would like to play an important part in deciding our leader for potentially the next 10+ years, you have until 5PM tomorrow (Monday, 20th) to join and have a say in the election in April

Mount Vernon Hospital

Just before I was elected in 1997, the Accident and Emergency service at Mount Vernon Hospital had closed and there were rumours of efforts to sell off Mount Vernon to housing developers, with plans to shift the remaining services to other neighbouring hospitals. Those plans I was able to stop, thanks in no small part to the superb campaigning work by the excellent Community Voice, the Pinner Association, Hatch End Residents’ Association, Headstone Residents’ Associations and the South Harrow Residents’ Association. Together we successfully lobbied the health authorities and government ministers.

Now after a decade of neglect by this Tory Government, Mount Vernon, one of the NHS’s specialist cancer hospitals is under threat of closure once again. Existing services are expected to move into central London after a devastating inquiry last year found that the hospital was so dilapidated and short of doctors and nurses that it cannot provide modern cancer care or even basic elements of treatment.

Recent answers to my Questions in Parliament have revealed Ministers don’t know if money will be available to help Mount Vernon. Ministers cannot confirm they will find the money to keep the Cancer Centre at Mount Vernon and make the “considerable investment in buildings, equipment replacement and IT connectivity” to make it fit for purpose.

It beggar’s belief that six months after publication of Nick Slevin devastating report, Mount Vernon’s long term future hasn’t been resolved. Later this week, I will be starting my campaign to ensure Mount Vernon is fit for purpose. If you support the Government putting the investment and staff into Mount Vernon Cancer Centre to ensure that services can be delivered to the highest standard please make sure you join the campaign.