My latest e-newsletter has just gone out to thousands of homes across Hornsey & Wood Green.  You can read it below or online with all the photos here.

If you’d like to receive it and don’t already, you can sign up here.

Welcome to my November e-newsletter

It’s barely a month since the latest Tory Prime Minister took office promising to restore “integrity”.  Yet already a member of his Cabinet has been forced to resign after threatening civil servants, his Deputy Prime Minister has called for an independent investigation into himself, and his Home Secretary has been accused of breaking both the Ministerial code and the law.
 
It’s the same old Tories. 
 
And with the Autumn Statement revealing plans to cut spending and raise taxes by over £50 billion, it’s the same old failed austerity that has destroyed our public services and will do nothing to bring about growth in an economy that’s already fallen into recession. 
 
Every day I hear from people who are struggling.  People who’ve seen their rent or mortgage double since the botched mini budget, people whose homes are getting damper because they can’t afford to put their heating on, people working full time who say there’s too much month left at the end of their money.  People in Hornsey & Wood Green are paying the price for Tory Britain,
 
I had the opportunity to question new PM Sunak this month about the lack of support for local authorities to insulate Britain’s cold and leaky homes, and to challenge his Deputy PM Dominic Raab at PMQs about soaring private rents and an almost impossible market to find a home in.  Their responses were woefully inadequate.

Boundary Commission
The latest Boundary Commission plans are out, and I don’t believe they’re right for our area. Find out more on my website and have your say by 5 December.  In the new plans, Hornsey & Wood Green becomes Hornsey & Friern Barnet, with the wards that make up Wood Green moving to a new Southgate & Wood Green constituency and Highgate moving to Hampstead & Highgate.  I’m opposing these plans as I believe they dilute Haringey’s voice in Parliament and uproot Wood Green, the civic heart of Haringey.
 
COP27
Britain should never be absent from the world stage when it comes to climate change – the biggest issue our planet faces.  The PM was right to U-turn and attend COP27, but he shouldn’t have had to be shamed into action, he should have been leading the way.  I fear this error of judgement reflects the priority he will give to these issues in office.  Climate action is not just a moral responsibility, but also a once-in-a-generation opportunity: to lower energy bills for good, to ensure our energy security and to create millions of jobs. Yet the Government is missing these opportunities by reaffirming their ban on cheap onshore wind power in England and letting oil and gas companies off the hook for the windfall tax by giving them a massive tax break. The green industries of the future, meanwhile, are making their home in other countries because of the Government’s lack of an industrial strategy for Britain.  We need to make Britain the first major economy to reach 100% clean power by 2030, under this Government we’re not on the right path.

Save the Arts
London has been disproportionately hit by the funding cuts announced by the Arts Council recently.  That’s at a time when many organisations are still recovering from the impact of COVID and, with Hornsey & Wood Green home to large numbers of people working in the arts, I’m extremely concerned about what this will mean for jobs and our world-leading creative industries.  Lots of constituents have got in touch specifically about the Arts Council’s attempts to force the ENO out of London that will affect around 300 staff and appears to have happened with little consultation. I have written to the Secretary of State to express my concerns and will work with the All-Party Parliamentary Group for London to defend the arts in London against this unfair, unwarranted attack. 
 
Refugees Welcome Here
Our asylum system is broken and the shameful return of Suella Braverman as Home Secretary and the appalling conditions at Manston demonstrate the lack of concern this Government has for people fleeing unimaginable horrors.  The Government is processing just half the asylum claims it was in 2015, leaving people waiting in poverty, in limbo, unable to work and very often with deteriorating mental health.  It is also costing taxpayers £7 million pounds a day for hotel rooms.    The Government’s failure to replace the Dublin agreement; the failure to crack down on the criminal gangs; and the failure to get agreement with France has also increased the backlog.  We need an asylum system that treats people decently, provides safe, legal routes, punishes traffickers not refugees and that finally lifts the cruel, illogical ban on asylum seekers working.
 
Buffer zones outside abortion clinics
Lots of constituents contacted me about amendment NC11 in the Public Order Bill to introduce buffer zones around abortion clinics, so that women can attend appointments and health care workers can do their jobs without fear of harassment or abuse.   Women deserve the absolute right to access abortion care without being harassed, intimidated, threatened, and demeaned.  As such, I’ve long supported the campaign for buffer zones and am delighted the amendment was successful and that legislation was finally passed to make this a reality. Well done to all the campaigners that have worked so hard for change.
 
Lack of affordable childcare and the early years
Where was the mention of soaring childcare costs in the Autumn Statement?  Total silence yet the current costs of childcare are holding back women & single parents and stifling economic growth.  Accessible, affordable childcare is vital social & economic infrastructure and Bridget Phillipson MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Education, has said that she will look at expanding the state nursery sector as part of Labour’s wider plans to build a system of high-quality, affordable childcare. As Co-Chair of Foundation Years Information and Research, I’ve written to the new Early Years Minister Claire Coutinho MP to request a meeting to discuss the early years, including childcare.

Further damage to our swimming pools
Over the weekend, more than 250 public swimming pools announced that they are to reduce their opening hours until Easter because they cannot afford to heat the water.  Whilst I’m relieved none of these are in Hornsey & Wood Green, this is yet another blow to children and families who need affordable and flexible access to swimming pools.  12 years of Tory austerity and the cost-of-living crisis has meant that more and more of our local pools are closing down and access to life-saving swimming classes are harder to find than ever. As Chair of the APPG on Swimming, I have now submitted several Written Parliamentary Questions on this and will continue to call on the Government to respond and invest in our pools.  

My month in numbers
Last month my office received over 1,293 casework emails and opened 205 new cases with housing disrepair and Home Office delays still the biggest issues. 

1,152 of you got in touch on policy issues.  The top issue in my inbox was the overwhelming call for a General Election, following the resignation of Liz Truss and the new premiership of Rishi Sunak. There’s also a lot of anger over the long-term impact of the Truss/ Kwarteng mini-budget, with people sharing their own experiences of soaring mortgage payments and rents.  It’s no surprise that I’m also seeing an increase in anxiety following the Autumn Spending Review and the likelihood of further austerity cuts to our public services – services that are already at breaking point after 12 years of the Tories.   

Since my last e-news, I’ve asked 27 Parliamentary Questions and you can read the full list here.

Shadow Foreign Affairs:

Japan
As Labour’s shadow Asia Minister, I recently visited Japan as part of a cross-Party delegation to see the vitally important work of the British Council. Throughout the world the British Council do great work in furthering Britain’s “soft power”, supporting cultural exchanges and the promotion of our shared values and principles. As part of the visit we also visited the British Ambassador to Japan, Julia Longbottom, to have a wide ranging discussion about the British-Japan relationship and to further emphasis our commitment to Japan as a key ally in the region.   
 
European Union
Throughout my time in Parliament our relationship with our European friends and allies has been a key cornerstone of my approach to foreign policy, as a backbencher, as shadow Europe Minister, and now as shadow Asia Minister with our shared challenges and opportunities on the world stage. Throughout this time I have held repeated meetings with the EU Ambassador to the UK, João Vale de Almeida, and I took part in a formal reception to bid him farewell as he takes up a new post elsewhere. I look forward to similarly warm relations with his successor, and Labour will always pursue close and productive relations with our European partners.
 
Qatar World Cup
I wish our team well at the World Cup, but it is wrong that the tournament is being held in Qatar with its appalling record on migrant and labour rights and its criminalisation of homosexuality. Labour firmly believes that support for LGBT+ rights should be a cornerstone of our foreign policy and Keir Starmer has been clear that under his leadership no Labour MPs will be attending the World Cup in full solidarity with the labour movement and all LGBT+ fans and players.  
 
Iran
Many people have written to me about the protests in Iran. I am deeply concerned about the human rights situation there and I support fresh, targeted sanctions. It’s right that the government has sanctioned Iran’s morality police, its chief and the head of its Tehran division and other political and security officials.  I believe the Government must do more to support the flourishing of civil society in Iran. I will continue to follow developments and maintain my support for the human rights of all Iranian citizens and the incredibly bravery of the protesters. As part of the shadow Foreign Office team Iran, and the bravery of the protestors, is something which is often discussed, and I will continue working with my colleagues in the team to urge the UK Government to do more.

In the community:

Flash flooding
The severe rain we’ve seen this month has resulted in yet more serious flooding across London, including in Hornsey & Wood Green.  These extreme weather events are only going to get more common as London feels the impact of climate change, and I have written to the Secretary of State to urge the Government to act and develop a proper prevention strategy to ensure London can fully defend itself against extreme weather.  Read my letter in full here
 
Royal Mail
I’ve written to Royal Mail bosses in advance of the festive season to ask what plans they have put in place to avoid a repeat of the serious postal delays in Hornsey & Wood Green for the past two winters.  That includes temporary staff, supporting existing staff, effective technology and crucially resolving the dispute that has seen hard-working posties go out on strike over the attacks to their terms and conditions.  I’ve also raised my concerns about media reports of standard letters being ignored in favour of delivering parcels and special delivery items.  Following the concerning requests from Royal Mail to abandon their Universal Service Obligation and the ongoing dispute with hard working posties, I’ve written to the Business Secretary to urge the Government to launch an inquiry into the actions of Royal Mail bosses. 
 
Housing Strategy
Haringey Council are currently consulting on their Housing Strategy 2022-25.  Housing is the number one issue that residents raise with me and there is a desperate need for more council homes.  I’ve responded to the consultation and you can read my response and find out how you can take part here.    
 
Meeting with the Whittington
I met with the new Chief Executive of the Whittington Hospital, Helen Brown, this month to discuss some of the pressure the hospital and its staff are facing. Whilst I was relieved to hear that the number of Covid-19 patients remains steady, Helen explained that staff are exhausted after a busy summer and the pressure on A&E remains high. As the cost-of-living crisis continues to impact NHS staff, it was good to hear that the Trust are holding focus groups with staff to hear how they can better support them, but it shouldn’t be left up to cash-strapped NHS trusts to offer the help this Government has failed to provide. There are some positive developments taking place at the Whittington and Helen hopes that with the new Community Diagnostic Centre in Wood Green being open, this will speed up cancer diagnosis pathways and ensure patients are treated as quickly as possible.