It has been an incredibly busy first week of June in Parliament. One of the biggest highlights was the NHS Modernisation Bill, which had its Second Reading on Monday. This new plan aims to put patients first by creating a Single Patient Record. This means your medical information will follow you wherever you go, and you will even be able to see it on your NHS App. By cutting down on paperwork and closing NHS England to move staff to the frontline, the Government expects to save £1 billion—enough to pay for 15,000 more nurses.
We also heard about a new strategy to help children in care. The Government is investing £88 million to recruit 10,000 new foster carers and £126 million to support kinship care, which helps children stay with family or friends when they can’t live with their parents.
On Tuesday, the focus shifted to our youth. A report by Alan Milburn highlighted a crisis of opportunity for young people who are not in school or working. To fix this, the Government has launched a £2.5 billion Youth Guarantee. This program will provide half a million opportunities for work experience, training, and apprenticeships. Additionally, welfare rules are changing so that people on disability benefits can try working without the fear of losing their support right away.
As we celebrate Pride Month, Parliament held a special debate to reaffirm its support for LGBT+ rights. The Government is working on a new law to fully ban conversion practices, which are harmful and have no place in our society.
We also discussed updates to the Equality Act 2010. Following a Supreme Court ruling, new guidance clarifies that sex in the Act refers to biological sex. This helps protect single-sex spaces, like women’s refuges, while ensuring that trans people remain fully protected from harassment and discrimination.
The week was also marked by the tragic news of the murder of Henry Nowak. While the killer has been sentenced to at least 21 years in prison, the Home Secretary promised a full investigation into the police’s handling of the case. I pay tribute to the dignity and courage Henry Nowak’s family have displayed in the face of this tragedy. They deserve answers about what happened on that terrible night and about the actions of the police officers who arrived on the scene.
I know many people will rightly have questions about how the officers handled the situation. It is now for the Independent Office for Police Conduct to investigate what could and should have been done differently. I welcome the Home Secretary’s confirmation that it will have the resources, the authority and the independence it needs to conduct a full, fearless and transparent investigation, as Henry’s family have called for.
Meanwhile, the Armed Forces Bill moved forward. This Bill includes a massive £9 billion investment to improve housing for our service members and veterans over the next ten years. It also makes it easier for the justice system to handle serious issues like domestic abuse and harassment within the military.
Finally, the Government addressed serious issues abroad. The UK is calling for an urgent and lasting ceasefire in Lebanon, where thousands of civilians have been killed. To help those affected, the UK is giving £20 million in humanitarian aid. We also condemned Russia’s recent drone attacks, which have not only hit Ukraine but have even reached into Romania. The UK remains committed to standing with our allies to ensure peace and security.
Back in the constituency on Friday, I started off by meeting the Chief Executive of Trafford Council for one of our regular meetings. A significant portion of the casework and correspondence I receive is related to the council in one way or another, so keeping these lines of communication open is extremely important.
After that, I went over to Trafford North Foodbank to meet with staff there. We talked about the Essentials campaign that they are running in partnership with Trussell, and I also heard about other fantastic work they are doing across our area, including their financial inclusion work.
I was particularly pleased to hear about the impact that the removal of the two-child benefit cap has had on the number of families that are reliant on support from the food bank, proof that that decision we made is lifting families out of poverty and meaning that they are able to support themselves moving forward.
I finished off the week by meeting with representatives from Friends of the Earth. We chatted about their Good Business Matters campaign. I’ve agreed to write to Chris Bryant, Minister of State for Trade, for an update on progress of the UK’s responsible business conduct review for them.