My latest monthly e-newsletter has just gone out to thousands of homes across Hornsey & Wood Green.  You can read a copy below or online, with all the pictures, here.  If you’d like to receive my e-newsletters, and you don’t already, you can sign up here.

Welcome to my December e-newsletter

While Downing Street partied, the British people paid.  
 
Separated from loved ones, following the rules, people had a right to expect the Government setting them was doing the same. 
 
They weren’t.
 
There is no good time to have a Prime Minister and a Government who thinks the rules don’t apply to them.  But to have a Prime Minister with no moral authority during a pandemic puts us all at risk.  11 years of Conservative mismanagement and austerity had put our public services at breaking point even before the pandemic hit.  Now Johnson’s actions have undermined public trust and distracted from key public health messaging at the most critical time.  
 
At PMQs I asked Johnson directly about parties at Downing Street and his “no, but” answer doesn’t cut it. It’s clear he isn’t up to the job.
 
My only job is standing up for the people of Hornsey & Wood Green and here are some of the things I’ve been doing this month.  If you know anyone who would like to receive these updates, please share this link.

In Parliament:

Nationality & Borders Bill
It is shameful that this month the Tories voted through their anti-refugee Nationality & Borders Bill.  It criminalises people seeking asylum, whilst providing no safe routes, and gives the Home Secretary the power to strip UK citizens of their citizenship without even saying why.  I opposed this Bill at every opportunity because it proposes unworkable, cruel solutions that demonise refugees and it undermines international humanitarian conventions at a time when co-operation is needed more than ever.

Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill
I’ve also had lots of emails this month from constituents concerned about the Crime & Sentencing Bill, currently in the Lords.  I’ve voted against it at every possible opportunity because the right to peaceful protest is a fundamental right that should never be taken away because those in power don’t like it.  We saw what powers the Police already have at the Sarah Everard vigil in Clapham Common, and this should have been a red warning sign for any suggestion of rushing through ill-judged further restrictions.  I have also consistently opposed measures in the Bill aimed at penalising already marginalised Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.  Labour will continue to press the Government to scrap these poorly thought-out proposals when the Bill returns to the Commons. 
 
Human Rights Bill
As both the above examples show, the Tories can not be trusted with our basic rights.  One by one they are removing the right to protest, the right to vote without photo ID, citizenship rights and ultimately Justice Secretary Dominic Raab has made clear he wants to rip up the Human Rights Act.  No Government should be above the law, but his plan to “reform” the Act, published this week, is a threat to us all.  The Human Rights Act allows us to challenge public authorities when they get it wrong and secure justice.  I will oppose any moves to shut down accountability and remove these fundamental rights.

Save London’s public transport
There are just days till Transport for London’s funding deal runs out, yet the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has refused to even meet Mayor Sadiq Khan.  Londoners did the right thing and stayed home during the pandemic, they must not pay the price for this with the loss of vital bus and tube services.  The Prime Minister must stop playing political games and agree a fair, long-term funding deal for Transport for London because there is no London recovery without a properly funded public transport network.  Please sign and share the petition calling for a fair deal for Londoners. 
 
Vulnerable Pregnant Women
In Parliament this month, I took part in the debate on Prisons Strategy and raised my concerns about lack of antenatal care, particularly following the tragic stillbirth of an 18-year-old mother’s baby at Bronzefield.  Reports this week have also highlighted the lack of antenatal care for pregnant refugees in Home Office accommodation, who are too often left without midwife support and are forced to undergo examinations without privacy.  The Home Office has to do better for pregnant women. 

Covid-19 update
With the arrival of the worrying new Omicron variant, it’s more important than ever to get vaccinated and keep yourself, your loved ones and our community safe this winter.
The vaccine is safe, effective and the best weapon in our fight.  My website has up-to-date COVID information together with details of walk-in clinics open across Haringey.
 
We have to act swiftly to limit Omicron’s spread, so I supported the measures the Government has introduced for mask wearing, home working and COVID passes.  It’s important to be clear that the vote wasn’t about Vaccine Passports, something I’ve always said I wouldn’t support.  It was about asking people who enter large events (over 500 people) and nightclubs to show a negative COVID test result OR proof of vaccination to keep others around them safe.  It’s a system that has been operating in Wales for some time, and with evidence clearly showing the Omicron variant to be more transmissible, I think it’s a sensible, proportionate measure.

But, yet again with this Government the fundamentals haven’t been addressed.  We still need to see improved sick pay for workers so that nobody has to choose between feeding their family and doing the right thing and isolating.  We also need to see action to keep children in school.  Infections are high, too few children have had their vaccination and failures to improve ventilation over the summer months have left children learning in freezing classrooms.  Now we hear that we’re running out of PCR and lateral flow tests.  Johnson’s Government seems stuck in an endless cycle of making the same mistakes whilst everyone suffers. 
 
We also need to provide more support to businesses, particularly in the hospitality and travel industries, who are being affected by the rise of Omicron but have been left without any assistance during what should be the busiest time of the year.  Businesses say they need clarity and backing from Government during these difficult months, that’s what I’ll keep pushing for.

In the community: