Last week’s parliamentary activity was dominated by the final stages of the Safety of Rwanda Bill, which was the core business on both Tuesday and Wednesday. Despite repeated threats from the Tory Right, the Bill passed unamended. Although there were rumours this wouldn’t be quite so straightforward for Sunak, I always felt the Bill would pass comfortably given the proximity to a General Election.

It’s worth remembering what a disgrace this Bill is. In a desperate attempt to show that he is tough on immigration the Prime Minister has chosen to ride roughshod over UK courts, and asset that regardless of any legal ruling, Rwanda is a safe country to send refugees to for processing. I think this is an incredibly dangerous place for Parliament to be in: the separation of powers between legislature, executive and judiciary is fundamental to decision making in our democracy, and we should not be interfering in this way. I expect – and hope – that the Bill will get the treatment it deserves in the House of Lords.

Away from the headlines of the Rwanda Bill I was pleased on Monday to participate in a Westminster Hall (Second Chamber) debate on fostering. I cited the example of Old Trafford councillor Emma Hirst, who was a foster carer for 20 years, but chose to stop fostering recently. It’s clear that the challenges facing foster carers have become increasingly difficult in recent years, while allowances do not reflect the costs incurred. Foster carers are an essential part of the effort to protect vulnerable children and I was pleased to be able to speak in support of them.

On Tuesday it was a real privilege to host and chair an event on tackling child poverty, promoting a recent scheme piloted in Stretford and Urmston, by Kellogg’s and Greater Manchester Poverty Action. The session set out the findings of the scheme, which funded a financial inclusion specialist in local schools working directly with families. This is a brilliant idea: schools are generally trusted locations for families, while improvements to a family’s financial position could directly impact on a child’s learning. Working with just six local schools, more than £160,000 was secured by local families, so I am keen to work with Kellogg’s and GMPA to expand the scheme across the country.

Wednesday was primarily a day of events and meetings for me. A number of constituents had asked me to attend the Open Doors Watchlist event, which provided an update on the persecution of Christians worldwide. Nobody should be persecuted because of their faith and I was shocked to hear of some of the suffering going on in different parts of the world in 2024. I also met with stakeholders interested in the Government’s Bill to bring about leasehold and commonhold reform. I have a number of constituents who are affected by the flaws in the current system so it is important that the Government gets these changes right.

On Thursday I attended Business Questions. This is a session I attend regularly because it is one of the very few opportunities to raise any issue you need to – local or national. This week I raised the case of Colin, a retired senior police officer, who attended my advice surgery recently and is owed thousands of pounds a year of his police pension. I’ve asked for a ministerial statement on the remediation of police pensions as I suspect this is a bigger issue than I had first appreciated.

Back in the constituency over the weekend, I visited St Hilda’s C of E Primary School in Firswood on Friday morning to meet the headteacher. I was also grilled by the School Council, who asked some brilliant questions about the job of an MP. I also headed over to Manchester Grammar at lunchtime, to talk to students and take questions about my role and the current political climate. On Saturday I went over to Blackpool to support Labour’s candidate in Blackpool South, where there is a potential by-election. The sheer number of by-elections caused by Tory MPs – there are currently three in the offing – shows that the wheels are off this Government, and we need an election as soon as possible.

The above probably gives the impression that it was largely business as usual in Westminster last week, but Wednesday and Thursday’s events were overshadowed by the sad news of the passing of my predecessor as Member of Parliament for Stretford, Sir Tony Lloyd. Tony was the serving MP for Rochdale, and also represented Manchester Central and was Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner in a career that lasted more than 40 years. He was a brilliant public servant and a lovely man and my thoughts are with his wife Judith, his children and his grandchildren.