My Week in Westminster: February 24th – 28th

After a short recess, Parliament returned this week with important steps to strengthen public safety at home and security abroad.

On Monday during Home Office Oral Questions, the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, set out our plans to crack down on crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB) ahead of the introduction of the Crime and Policing Bill on Tuesday.

One measure in this Bill will tackle the scourge of anti-social off-road biking by allowing police to seize nuisance vehicles immediately—replacing the previous ineffective system that required multiple warnings before action could be taken. I know from speaking to residents in Partington and Flixton just how disruptive and intimidating that anti-social off-road biking can be—and I am proud that Labour is taking real action to curb this.

Another alarming trend that this wide-ranging Bill is set to tackle will be the disgraceful rise in the number of shop worker assaults. A new criminal offence for assaulting a retail worker will be introduced – alongside repealing the Tory decision to downgrade the police response to so-called “low-value shop theft”. Retail workers will be better protected by the law— with stricter penalties and stronger police response creating a deterrent after the wave of shop theft and retail worker assaults we have seen in recent years.

The Bill will introduce two crucial new criminal offences to protect Britain’s most vulnerable. One will target adults who exploit children to commit crimes—because no child should be used and manipulated by criminal gangs. The second will specifically criminalise ‘cuckooing,’ where gangs take over vulnerable people’s homes for drug dealing and other illegal activity, trapping their victims in dangerous situations. These crimes ruin lives, and it’s right that we are giving police the tools to stop them.

I am particularly proud that this Bill takes strong action to tackle sexual abuse of women and children by specifically criminalising AI models designed used to create child sexual abuse images. Alongside this, we are creating a new offence of taking intimate images without consent and introducing a new standalone spiking offence to close loopholes which saw perpetrators of this vile act evade justice. This comes alongside our move to give victims the right to know their stalker’s identity. We were elected on a manifesto committed to halving violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade and these measures will help us achieve that goal.

On Monday, the Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, gave a statement to the House of Commons to mark three years since Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. Like so many, I have been awed by the extraordinary resilience of the Ukrainian people in standing up to Putin’s aggression. We must never forget the thousands who have lost their lives in defence of their country. Their sacrifices must not be in vain.

I welcome the announcement of our biggest sanctions package against Russia since the early days of the war after our landmark previous announcement of £3 billion in annual aid and an additional £150 million in military support. We must stand firm in our support for Ukraine, ensuring that any peace settlement protects its sovereignty and prevents future Russian aggression.

Later in the day, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson confirmed that from April, over 750 schools will be early adopters of Labour’s free breakfast club scheme. This will mean 180,000 children—including 70,000 from the most deprived areas—will be able to start their day with a healthy meal. I know from families in Stretford & Urmston how much difference breakfast clubs make—helping children concentrate, improving attendance, and giving every child a better chance to learn. And I’m proud that we are delivering on this key manifesto promise. No child should go to school with an empty stomach.

Also on Monday, the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 received Royal Assent, giving regulators stronger powers to hold failing water companies to account. Over the past few years, I’ve heard from so many constituents who are disgusted at the state of our rivers, lakes, and seas. Years of Tory mismanagement allowed water companies to rack up huge debts while infrastructure crumbled – leading to record levels of illegal sewage dumping.

This new law will introduce automatic penalties for wrongdoing by water companies, ensure repeat offenders can be prosecuted, and block massive bonuses that executives award themselves while failing their customers. Alongside tougher enforcement, the Act will drive the investment needed to modernise our water infrastructure and make sure companies do their jobs properly. Labour is clearing up this toxic Tory legacy and making sure our water system works for the public—not just for corporate profits.

On Tuesday, the Prime Minister set out plans to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027—the largest sustained rise since the Cold War—with an ambition to reach 3% in the next Parliament. This is a welcome and necessary decision to ensure Britain is prepared for the threats of an increasingly volatile world.

To fund this, the Government will reduce development assistance from 0.5% to 0.3% of GDP in 2027. I take immense pride in our country’s leadership on international development, and I wish there had been another route to funding a defence uplift at such speed. I will be pressing to ensure that aid spending returns to previous levels as swiftly as possible, because I know that our compassion as a country is undiminished and that we have always played a key role in supporting some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world.

Also on Tuesday, the Government announced an expansion of the Warm Home Discount, meaning nearly 300,000 more families across the North West will receive help with their energy bills next winter. With Ofgem confirming another rise in the energy price cap, I know many people in Stretford & Urmston are deeply worried about how they will afford to heat their homes. I welcome this vital relief for 280,000 low-income households in our region–as no one should be forced to choose between keeping warm and putting food on the table.

This is why we scrapped the unfair ‘high cost to heat’ rule introduced by the Tories which blocked many people—particularly those in smaller homes—from getting the support they needed. I know from constituents who lost support without warning just how distressing this was, and I am glad to see it put right by Labour in Government.

Beyond immediate support, we are also taking long-term action to cut energy bills. New efficiency standards for rented homes will ensure landlords properly insulate properties, stopping heat from leaking out and helping tenants stay warm for less. Alongside this, we are investing in homegrown renewable energy to bring down bills in the future—because the best way to protect households from energy price spikes is to end our reliance on expensive foreign fossil fuels.

Throughout this week, I have been taking part in the committee stage for the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill. Committee stage is an important part of parliamentary procedure in which the bill is scrutinised line-by-line by a cross-party group of MPs – and I am proud to be the Lead Minister on a Bill as important as this.

Back in the constituency on Friday, I hosted my second listening event for families of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This event comes as part of my long-term focus on making sure the people of Stretford & Urmston have their voices heard as the Department for Education works to fix the crisis engulfing SEND provision across Britain.

During the event, I heard from parents and carers who told me about the difficulties they experienced while trying to get their child an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) – and issues with accessing mental health and other support. This feedback is invaluable, and I’m committed to making sure the concerns of people in Stretford & Urmston are heard at the highest levels.

It was also good to meet Dr Cooper and Sam Dickens from the Salford Royal Neurology Team. During this visit, we discussed waiting lists, and how treatments for epilepsy and functional neurological disorder (FND) can be improved for residents in Stretford & Urmston – and I will be feeding these experiences back to colleagues in Government.

Over the weekend we celebrated all things Stretford at the amazing StretFest event. I was honoured to speak at an event to mark 10 years of community ownership of Stretford Public Hall. This is a testament to the power of community and is reflective of the fantastic, proactive and engaged communities I represent right across Stretford, Urmston, Partington, Carrington and Old Trafford.

Andrew Western MP