I recently met a group of volunteers in Hackney to hear about the excellent work they do accross London to welcome refugee families to the UK.
The group hopes to welcome a new family of refugees into Hackney South and Shoreditch in March.
To find out more about the work of the group visit their twitter here or email them at northhackneywelcome@gmail.com
As Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, I recently heard evidence of how it is local authorities who are still dealing with the housing issues created by this government’s handling of the Windrush scandal. This is not good enough.
See the full Urgent Question session here.
I recently signed an open letter to the Chancellor in support of the ONE Campaign for Real Aid.
The campaign is calling on the UK Government to guarantee that all UK aid is transparent, effective and targeted at ending extreme poverty.
You can read the letter to the Chancellor here.
See my full speech on Hackney & Knife Crime at the 24th January 2019 Westminster Hall debate.
I signed and voted for Yvette Cooper MP’s amendment to the Finance Bill, making it harder for Government to allow a No Deal Brexit without Parliament having a say.
I am clear that a No Deal Brexit would be a disaster for our economy. As Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, I have repeatedly raised concerns about No Deal.
On 8 January, the Government was defeated by seven votes.
This amendment makes Parliament’s opposition to a No Deal Brexit clear and provides legislative safeguards to prevent a No Deal Brexit.
The Government repeatedly claims that employment rates have risen and more people are in employment than ever before. But too many of these jobs are low paid, with limited prospects.
Many employers of low paid workers do not provide training, so their workers are trapped in low income work.
I asked the Minister for Employment about plans to help people who work in more than one low income job get support to secure training and development.
On Monday 7 January the Government launched the NHS Long Term Plan.
The Public Accounts Committee has repeatedly inquired into the sustainability of the NHS and made recommendations to the Government about the creation of a sustainable long term plan for the NHS.
I will continue to challenge the Government on this and monitor whether the Government measures up to its promises.
The Department for Transport has recently spent £13.8 million on a contract with a ferry company, that has no ferries.
I have repeatedly raised concerns that the Department for Transport is not prepared for Brexit.
I’m concerned about the legality of this contract and I am interrogating further.
During the recent Liaison Committee hearing I questioned the Prime Minister on austerity and the economic impact of Brexit.
The Prime Minister claims austerity is coming to an end. However, all evidence suggests that the UK will be economically worse off after Brexit.
You can read the full transcript from the hearing here.
We have a 'No Second Night Out' shelter in Hackney, funded by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. 'No Second Night Out' focuses on helping those who find themselves rough sleeping on the streets of London for the first time.
If you see a rough sleeper alert Street Link via their app or website here. Street Link will help connect people to services and get them support.
You can donate money to the London Homeless Charities Group on the GoFundMe page here.