It’s been a few months since I was last drawn for a departmental question. The system of determining who gets to ask questions is a lottery and having waited so long for one, like buses, two came along at once this week.

On Tuesday I had a Justice Question. I’ve pressed the Government a number of times on the issue of violence against women and girls since being elected and did so again on this occasion. It is appalling that victims of rape and serious sexual assault are discouraged from accessing mental health support services until after giving their evidence, for fear that their case notes could be used in the criminal trial. Such an arrangement is preventing women from getting the help they need at the earliest opportunity and treats the wrong person with suspicion. I asked the Minister what could be done to support women in this position. I recently supported a constituent in being allowed special dispensation to give their evidence early, but this system must be reviewed to prevent case notes being available at all and to ensure that intrusive requests such as this can’t be made.

On Wednesday, for only the second time, I had a Prime Minister’s Question. Immigration and asylum is another interest of mine and I am so angry that the Government continues to play games with their Rwanda gimmick rather than delivering a compassionate and effective asylum system that offers safe and legal routes of entry to make small boat crossings redundant. To that end, I asked the Prime Minister if he now intends to disapply human rights law to continue with this charade. Unsurprisingly, he declined to answer, but I will continue to press for this inhumane proposal to be consigned to history and for a fair approach to supporting some of the most vulnerable people on the planet

Straight after PMQs on Wednesday came the Autumn Statement, the Chancellor’s fiscal update. To say it was underwhelming is an understatement. Nothing significant on public services, no attempts at redistribution, and a supposedly generous NI cut that returns less than a quarter of last year’s tax raid to the pockets of working people. I believe unequivocally that tax is a public good, but when taxes will be higher at the end of this Parliament than they were at the start, and our public services are still collapsing, it’s clear the Government is failing our country.

I spoke in the Autumn Statement debate on Thursday afternoon, challenging the Government on their continued failure on economic growth. I also set out some of the concerns that I have about the financial sustainability of local government, highlighting the current financial plight of Trafford Council. To give an Autumn Statement that showed such scant regard for the position facing councils shows just how out of touch this Government are, and if they continue on this same path, we will soon see more and more local authorities issuing Section 114 notices – effectively declaring bankruptcy.

Since joining the Whips Office I have had less time than previously to support the various All Party Parliamentary Groups I am a member of. That said, I was pleased last week to be able to attend a meeting of the APPG for Choice at the end of Life. I know that this is a controversial subject. Many people will have a moral objection to this, but I believe that with the correct safeguards in place people with a terminal diagnosis who feel that they want to end their days whilst still able to make that choice for themselves should be able to do so. We heard from a number of brilliant speakers making the case for legislative change, including Jonathan Dimbleby whose brother Nick has Motor Neurone Disease. It doesn’t feel like we are very close to a change in approach but I will continue to follow this work and look closely at any proposals that come forward.

Unusually I wasn’t in the constituency this weekend. It was the Labour Party’s Regional Conference in Blackpool, where I was from Friday night until Sunday afternoon. It was an excellent event and we heard from a number of superb speakers including Angela Rayner, Bridget Phillipson, Lou Haigh and Andy Burnham. This was almost certainly the last Regional Conference before a General Election. All of the speakers made a passionate case for change, but also set out some of the policies a future Labour Government would implement. As a proud trade unionist, I was particularly excited to hear more about the ‘New Deal for Working People’, but across the piece Labour now has a broad and compelling policy offer.

Events such as Regional Conference are a real temperature check for the Party and based on what I saw this weekend, the next General Election can’t come soon enough.