I was only in Parliament for part of the week last week as I was in Washington DC on a Select Committee visit as part of the inquiry I am participating in that I have written about before on Defence in the High North (the Arctic Region). It was an absolutely fascinating visit meeting a number of US Representatives to discuss the key issues relating to the geopolitics of the Region. I’ve never been to DC before and it was fascinating to see Capitol Hill and better understand the differences between our system and the American political set up.
There was lots of drama in my absence though with the report into the behaviour of Dominic Raab finally being published. There has been much discussion about whether Raab should have resigned but the findings are clear that his behaviour as a Minister was inappropriate and aggressive and this should never be tolerated in a workplace. I do think it’s interesting that there has been such little coverage of the appalling judgement of Rishi Sunak in appointing Raab as Deputy Prime Minister in the first place: he was already under investigation when the Prime Minister did so and it was wrong to put him back into such a senior position when it was clear there were such serious questions to answer.
Despite a condensed week in Parliament I did attend a number of different events and briefings but I particularly want to mention an event I hosted on Thursday afternoon with Greater Manchester Poverty Action. GMPA are a brilliant organisation headed by Trafford councillor Graham Whitham and I was very pleased to sponsor their first parliamentary meeting. This focused on the findings of a piece of research GMPA had undertaken on the efficacy of the poverty strategies put in place by a number of local authorities. These are often most effective where a Poverty Truth Commission has taken place and I’m proud that in Trafford our Labour Council’s Commission is just coming to an end.
Such work is especially important in the middle of a cost of living crisis. People are really struggling at the moment yet it is falling to councils to develop local responses to poverty while this Tory Government has no overarching national poverty strategy at all. It’s often forgotten that the Conservatives scrapped the Child Poverty Act in 2016, one of the most despicable things any government could take in my view. Poverty and inequality are the key drivers of life chances for young people and tackling these should be at the forefront of any and all public policy.
I had a busy weekend back in the constituency as the local Labour team continue to campaign for the council elections on May 4th. In addition to door knocking with colleagues – remember, you have 3 votes this year – I held a number of advice surgeries. I also had a follow up meeting with residents at Bath Crescent in Old Trafford about issues they have had with their heating and hot water over the past 3 months. Whether I’m in Parliament, visiting politicians elsewhere or campaigning for the elections I know that supporting my constituents is my first responsibility as your MP and I’ll continue to pursue this and other local matters in the coming weeks to try and secure the best possible outcome for affected residents.