Parliament is back in session after the Christmas recess and it’s been a very busy week both in Parliament and in the constituency.
The new year brought torrential rain that caused serious flooding in a number of areas across the North-West, including in the constituency. Church Road in Flixton was very badly impacted with homes and local businesses severely damaged. I spent a couple of days with residents and saw the extent of the damage first hand. I am continuing to liaise with United Utilities, the Environment Agency and the Council to support those affected and to look at how such devastation can be prevented in the future.
The first day back in Parliament saw Environment Minister, Emma Hardy, give a statement to the House of Commons on the floods and she confirmed the Government is investing £2.4 billion over the next two years in flood defences after years of under-investment.
Approximately 60,000 properties would have been better protected if our flood defences had not been left to rack and ruin by previous Tory governments. As climate change makes this sort of weather more likely, we must be better at protecting Britain’s homes so I am pleased the Government has set up a new flood resilience taskforce to ensure better communication between Government and frontline agencies. We are also reviewing the outdated flood funding formula to improve flood protections facing businesses and coastal communities across the country.
On Monday, the Health Secretary gave an important update on our plan to create a National Care Service for Britain. Wes Streeting announced an immediate £86million funding boost for the Disabled Facilities Grants so that elderly and disabled people can get the help they need to live independently in the comfort of their own home.
He confirmed that a commission to be led by Baroness Louise Casey has been launched to make sure that we build a care system that is fit for the future. Alongside this, measures will be implemented to stabilise the social care system in the short term, including legislating for the first-ever fair pay agreement for the care sector, as well as providing the biggest carer’s allowance increase in decades.
Many of my constituents struggle to find and fund suitable care for loved ones so I am delighted that social care reform is a key aspect of our plan to fix the NHS after 14 years of neglect by successive Conservative governments.
We inherited an NHS waiting list of 7.5 million people, 456,139 cases in Greater Manchester alone. This is completely unacceptable. No one should be forced to put their lives on hold as they wait for a diagnosis or treatment, so it is imperative that the Government has announced measures to tackle NHS waiting lists and meet the key target of cutting maximum waiting times to 18 weeks. This includes plans for new and expanded surgical hubs and for Community Diagnostic Centres to offer extended hours, as well as updates to the NHS App to give patients greater control and a new agreement with the independent sector to help bring down waiting times.
Following this, the Home Secretary confirmed that she will be taking forward long overdue action to tackle child sexual abuse and grooming gangs. These crimes – including the rape, violence and coercive control of children – are despicable and I am proud that the Government has confirmed that it is determined to act swiftly. We are strengthening the law, taking forward recommendations from independent inquiries, and supporting stronger police action and protection for victims. Grooming will be made an aggravating factor in sentencing abusers so perpetrators will face even longer sentences for their horrific crimes.
Foreign affairs took centre-stage in the Commons on Tuesday as the Government responded to Urgent Questions around the humanitarian situation in Northern Gaza and the crack-down on pro-democracy campaigners in Hong Kong. Minister for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, reiterated our condemnation of Israel’s restrictions on aid into Northern Gaza as famine and disease threaten yet more lives. He updated MPs on the UK’s recent efforts to alleviate the suffering experienced by civilians in northern Gaza. £112 million has been provided for the Occupied Palestinian Territories in 2024-25, including £41 million for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. As ever I strongly advocate for a ceasefire, for all hostages to be released, for more aid to be delivered into Gaza, and for the protection of civilians.
The Minister for the Indo-Pacific, Catherine West, then responded to an Urgent Question about the issuing of arrest warrants and bounties for Hong Kong pro-democracy activists, including some who hold British National Overseas passports. We are steadfast in our support for the people of Hong Kong and the Minister asserted the Government’s zero-tolerance position on attempts by foreign governments to coerce or intimidate their dissidents in the UK. She rightly echoed the Foreign Secretary’s call for the Chinese Government to repeal the national security law and for the Hong Kong authorities to end their targeting of individuals in the UK.
On Wednesday, I was delighted to support the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill at Second Reading. Britain’s children deserve nothing less than the best from our schools and this Bill will help us drive higher standards. We will put more trained teachers in classrooms and support stretched parents by capping expensive branded items of school uniform and creating free breakfast clubs in every primary school so parents can get to work on time and children can start their day with a healthy breakfast. It is vital that the safety and security of children is treated as a priority, and I am proud that the measures in this Bill put children at the heart of our approach.
Shamefully, the Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch, sought to score political points by blocking the Bill and introducing an amendment that called for another national inquiry into grooming gangs. I agree that victims of grooming have been ignored, but not by this Government, and it should not be forgotten that the Conservatives completely failed to act on this issue whilst in power.
The Independent Inquiry into Childhood sexual abuse (IICSA Inquiry) was completed in 2022 and was extensive. It took 7 years to complete, and 7,000 victims stepped forward to give evidence. Their bravery and individual testimonies were ignored by the previous Tory Government, who did not implement a single one of the 20 recommendations prior to the General Election in 2024, despite having almost two years to do so. This failure was a travesty and showed contempt to those who contributed.
Victims tell us that they want action, and we are committed to turning the page on the Tories’ legacy of inaction and empty rhetoric. We will continue to listen to victims as the reforms are implemented by setting up a new victims and survivors panel to advise on Government policy. This is not a knee jerk reaction to current events, but a well thought through strategy that puts victims first and finally gives them a voice when they have been ignored for so long.
On Thursday, our measures to tackle the scourge of violence against women and girls was debated in the Commons. This is now a national emergency for Britain– and we have committed to halve violent incidents against women and girls over the next decade. Measures include criminalising the creation of deepfake porn, taking intimate images without consent, and spiking, and we will close the gaps within current legislation which offenders too often exploit.
The Government is helping women and girls who are the victims of violence by funding an additional 2,000 court sitting days to reduce caseloads and extending magistrates’ sentencing powers, enabling judges to focus on serious cases. An independent review of the criminal courts has also been announced. We have introduced independent legal advisers which allow victims of adult rape free legal advice to help make the process of reporting these sickening crimes as transparent and easy as possible for victims.
Every woman and girl in Stretford & Urmston, and across Britain, deserves to live their life free from violence, abuse and harassment and I will be supporting the Government’s efforts at every stage.
Over the weekend, I held another meeting with residents about the flooding in Flixton and with officials from Flixton Golf Club about the issues they experienced. I also caught up with my small team who do absolutely amazing work for my constituents. I received over 14,000 emails last year, over 7000 of which were direct requests for my assistance with personal issues from housing to health and everything in between. Every single request for my assistance is taken up and pursued relentlessly and I couldn’t do my job without the support of my wonderful team.