Monday’s business in the House saw the conclusion of the debate on the Autumn Statement. This really hasn’t provided the shot in the arm Sunak was looking for, with most people recognising that the 2p National Insurance cut returns just a quarter of the Tories’ tax raid of 2022. Time and again Tory MPs tried to make the case that people were better off with the Conservatives but after 13 years of squeezing take home pay while at the same time decimating public services this doesn’t wash any more.

On Tuesday the House debated the Criminal Justice Bill which is a very broad piece of legislation. It covers everything from the handling of sexual violence cases – and may lead to action on an issue I raised in the House last week about mental health support for victims of rape – to the handling of fraud and the Government’s approach to “nuisance rough sleeping”. There’s an awful lot to work through: this was the Second Reading of the Bill and it will now proceed to committee stage where it will receive line by line scrutiny and hopefully see significant improvement. Labour MPs abstained on the Bill to allow it to move to committee stage where we will push for various amendments to improve the proposed legislation.

Tuesday’s votes were therefore not on the Criminal Justice Bill but on the disgraceful Minimum Service Levels proposals for trade unions. These returned for votes without debate (3 on Tuesday, 1 on Wednesday). I remain as opposed to this appalling attack on the right to strike as I was when it was first tabled and proudly voted against all four times.

The main event as ever on Wednesday was Prime Minister’s Questions. For me it was Keir Starmer’s best performance yet by some distance. The Prime Minister was totally unable to answer questions on his childish grandstanding and refusal to meet the Greek Prime Minister; as well as on the record levels of immigration we are seeing at a time when Sunak is trying to demonise refugees and claim he is tough on those seeking to come to the UK. Those who read my blog regularly will know that I am very supportive of asylum seekers and this is a focus of my parliamentary work so it was pleasing to see the PM called out on his damaging rhetoric and exposed on his failing immigration policies.

Later on Wednesday we debated the new Data Protection and Digital Information Bill. One of the roles of the Whips is to count the votes and declare the result to the Speaker and the House, and this was my first time doing so. Technically this means that I did not vote on the Bill but the official record will mark me as a teller for the ‘ayes’ on the various amendments that Labour put down.

Quite a lot of my time last week was spent preparing for the forthcoming Media Bill Committee for which I am the Opposition Whip. This involves appointing Labour members of the committee and working with the Shadow Minister on our approach to the Bill. I also work with the Government Whip to agree the number of sessions, timings and plan out how many clauses will be dealt with at each session. Hopefully this has gone smoothly but we will find out for sure when the Bill starts next week!

Meetings this week included a discussion with aviation representatives about the UK’s first sustainable aviation flight which flew to New York last week. As an MP whose constituency is very close to Manchester Airport – and whose Council owns a share of the airport – I was invited to join the flight. I declined the invitation but was interested to hear about what this means for the future sustainability of the sector and as ever to learn about the local jobs supported by Manchester Airport where many of my constituents find employment.

I also met with a company involved in sustainable financing to talk about how green finance can support our environmental objectives. The financing of major projects can often by complex and murky so I was pleased to hear about the growth of the green finance sector and the difference this is making to investment practices across the country. As ever I had a number of meetings about housing and planning. Two worth mentioning briefly: one with a build to rent housing provider to hear about alternatives to traditional housing delivery, and one about how we can leverage more foreign direct investment in the UK economy by reforming our flawed planning system.

I returned to the constituency on Thursday evening to visit the 2^nd Davyhulme Guides group based at St Mary’s Church. I was unable to visit them during Parliament Week so was pleased to organise the visit to answer questions about the role of a Member of Parliament and my work across Stretford and Urmston. On Friday I held my usual advice surgeries as well as visiting Tesco in Old Trafford to support their Winter Food Collection. Following this I was out and about in Urmston Ward with local councillors Joanne Harding and Kevin Procter. It was an interesting day getting around the constituency on public transport as my car was in for its MOT. The £2 bus fare makes a real difference and I’m lucky to have the tram line running through part of the local area too.

A busy weekend ended on Sunday evening with the Trafford Music Service’s Christmas Concert at the wonderful Stoller Hall in Manchester. It was a real privilege to be able to listen to such talented young people and it is fantastic to see them playing at such a superb venue. Well done to all involved and my thanks to the brilliant staff at the Music Service who work so hard to deliver a full day of concerts showcasing the talents of Trafford’s children.