I hope you all enjoyed your bank holiday weekend and managed to make the most of an extra day off. As always, a big thank you to those who worked through the bank holiday to provide the services we all rely on and enjoy.
Returning to Westminster on Tuesday, I had a busy day raising important issues in the Commons. This started with a statement from the Deputy Foreign Secretary on the situation in Gaza.
We are at a profoundly worrying moment in this awful conflict. Ceasefire talks seem to be going backwards, the humanitarian crisis is spiralling out of control, and the Israeli offensive in Rafah will lead to even more civilian death and suffering. Labour has been clear for months that we oppose an offensive in Rafah. The US, the EU and the UN have also been clear it must not go ahead. If Benjamin Netanyahu’s government ignore these warnings, there must be consequences.
In my question to the Deputy Foreign Secretary, I asked how much further things need to escalate before our government restores UNRWA funding that would increase the flow of aid to Gaza and calls for an immediate ceasefire.
Later that day I spoke in another statement; this time it was from the Secretary of State for Defence about the worrying data breach that saw 270,000 payroll records belonging to members of Britain’s armed forces exposed to hackers. I asked the Secretary of State if, as expected, China is behind this data breach, will the government respond with the tough measures needed to protect our national security. You can read the exchange here.
Away from the Chamber, I joined an interesting event in Westminster organised by the Purpose Coalition which is comprised of some of Britain’s largest employers and is dedicated to breaking down barriers to opportunity. At the event I spoke about how we can get Britain building again with new homes and sustainable infrastructure.
Later in the week, I spoke in the Chamber to highlight the powerful campaigning of my constituent, Janice. Janice lost her brother in a tragic incident caused by a dangerous driver. Since then, she has campaigned tirelessly for those convicted of this offence to receive lifetime driving bans. I was proud to raise this campaign with the Leader of the House and I asked her to give an update on what the Government will do to ensure those who cause death by dangerous driving are not allowed behind the wheel again. You can see my question here.
I was back in Stretford and Urmston on Friday for a busy day in the constituency. I held two advice surgeries, one in Partington and one in Urmston, where I spoke to residents about a range of issues, including anti-social behaviour, poor quality housing, homelessness and complaints about British Gas. If you would like to come to one of my advice surgeries, please do contact my office for details. You can reach us at andrew.western.mp@parliament.uk.
I also met with the Chief Executive of Trafford Council in one of the regular catch-ups we have so I can stay informed on the work that the council is doing and raise any questions residents may have.
I then went on a visit to the Bread and Butter Thing (TBBT) at Trafford Park. I am a big supporter of TBBT which redistributes surplus food from supermarkets at heavily reduced prices. With the cost of living crisis still piling pressure on families in Stretford and Urmston, services like TBBT are vital. Not only do they help with food bills, but they also offer advice for dealing with debt, managing utilities, and accessing mental health support. I look forward to supporting their work more in the months ahead.
Thank you for reading.