British Bill of Rights
Clearly human rights are important and must be protected. However, its a sad reality that current human rights laws are making it a lot harder for us to deport foreign criminals found guilty of heinous crimes and also making it harder to control our own borders. I’m pleased that a new British Bill of Rights is being brought forward to address these issues and restore a better balance between rights and responsibilities. I trust our own Parliament and Courts to safeguard our rights.
The Lord Chancellor believes that a new British Bill of Rights will enable us to deliver the Rwanda policy and make it easier to deport foreign national offenders without having to leave the European Convention of Human Rights. I very much hope this is the case.
It does frustrate me how long it takes to bring new laws into place. I asked the Lord Chancellor last week to expediate the plans to bring in a new British Bill of Rights. Happy to do all nighters if necessary. Appreciate this is an important Bill and Parliament needs time to scrutinise it but this shouldn’t be allowed to drag on for months.
Small and Medium Enterprise Roundtable
This morning I was at a Roundtable event hosted by the Federation of Small Businesses, at Epsilon House.
With many local businesses and Ipswich-based entrepreneurs represented at the table, it was a good opportunity to hear directly about the challenges they currently face.
We talked about how to encourage shoppers and footfall in the town centre. Feeling safe and comfortable on the high-streets is central to this. The local business leaders here agreed that anti-social behaviour is keeping some people away. Following my meeting with the Minister for Crime and Policing yesterday, this is something I will be continuing to keep a close eye on.
Of course the cost of living situation was raised, with impacts on small businesses at the forefront of the agenda. I heard about how fuel costs are affecting our small businesses, as well as costs of other raw materials.
I also heard about the current situation with staffing. Some of the businesses here told me that they were advertising for positions that they weren’t able to fill. At the moment, young people in Ipswich often seek opportunities elsewhere – like apprenticeships in London. We need to be supporting young people in Ipswich to take on local apprenticeships and gain the right skills here, which match up to the jobs on offer.
I’ll be speaking at an event this afternoon about how to make the most of the East of England’s economic opportunities. Skills and apprenticeships for young people in Ipswich is definitely something on my agenda and I will be mentioning it this afternoon.
Eastern Powerhouse
Pleased to host an Eastern Powerhouse event in Ipswich this afternoon.
The aim of Eastern Powerhouse is to make a strong case for investment in the East of England, and to propel economic growth. They are an independent organisation focussed on making the most of the opportunities we have and ensuring the potential of the region is recognised.
Unleashing the potential of the East of England means making the most of economic opportunities locally, upskilling our local population, and funding our core services.
Projects like Freeport East and Sizewell C present significant economic opportunities – we need to ensure that local people have the skills to seize these new job opportunities. Not only do these project increase employment prospects, but put the East of England on the map domestically and internationally. Historically, Ipswich has been a thriving port town. With the Freeport East close-by and many residents benefitting from trade there, the East of England is taking on increasing international importance.
Taking advantage of these opportunities means demanding investment in our infrastructure and transport. It also means funding core services and investing in skills and education.
Levelling up the East of England is vital. We need to be shown that the Government’s Levelling Up mission is about Ipswich as much as it is about the North and the Midlands. Levelling up Ipswich will come through the community standing together through organisations like the Eastern Powerhouse and demonstrating the potential housed in this region.
I will keep banging the drum for Ipswich and the East of England, and am very pleased to see the organisation Eastern Powerhouse onboard with pushing for fair investment and fostering economic growth.
Minister for Crime and Policing visit to Ipswich
Today I brought the Minister for Crime and Policing, Kit Malthouse, to Ipswich.
We have seen a spat of antisocial behaviour and vandalism affecting local independent businesses, so I wanted to talk to the Minister about preventing crime in the Town centre.
When I speak to residents, one of the main comments I get is that they want to see more uniformed officers on the street. Through the national Police Uplift Programme, the Government is recruiting 20,000 police officers in England and Wales to deliver more police officers and increase visibility. Today, the Minister came to meet the new recruits in Suffolk Constabulary’s Neighbourhood Crime Proactive Team, ‘the Kestrel Team’.
I also took the Minister to Dial Lane, where we have sadly seen some acts of vandalism affecting shops, and even the brand new Big Hoot owl. We discussed concerns of local shop owners here, particularly the need for CCTV in the area to reduce anti-social behaviour.
Thank you to Minister Kit Malthouse for coming to Ipswich, and for a productive discussion on preventing crime and anti-social behaviour in our Town centre.
Train Service Disruptions
So often it feels that train service provision at weekends is an afterthought. How often have we been stuck using rail replacement buses at the weekend? If I never see Newbury Park tube station again it will be too soon!
Of the four days over the next few weeks where there will be strikes on Greater Anglia lines two will be on a Saturday. I appreciate that everything should be done to avoid disruption Mon-Fri but disruption at the weekend is not pain free. There are significant consequences for local businesses, people who want to get to work and to travel for leisure purposes. I was pleased that in response to my question the Transport Secretary said we need to move to a proper 7 day per week train service that we can rely on. I was also interested to hear the Secretary of State point out that post pandemic the biggest increases in customers coming back to use train services is actually at the weekend.
I appreciate the work Greater Anglia staff carry out; a number will be my constituents. I’ve met many at Ipswich station and I’ve always found them polite and courteous. This hasn’t always been the case at London Liverpool Street I must add!
However, the fact remains that many of my constituents who rely upon the train service will be greatly inconvenienced by this week’s strike activity and will also most likely be on salaries below that of the majority of those who are striking. This is something I’m sure some will find deeply frustrating.
Jubilee Card Competition
After 14 schools entered over 1000 cards for my Jubilee Card Competition I had the very difficult task of picking out a winner. With so many entries this surpassed my Christmas Card competition last year. It’s great to see so many students wanting to wish the Queen a happy Platinum Jubilee.
This was obviously a really hard decision to make as we have so many fantastic artists in Ipswich. We had cards of all styles with some bright colours and different ideas for designs. With much deliberation I am pleased to announce that Freya-Nicole, a Year 6 pupil at Ranelagh Primary school has won the competition.
I was pleased to present Freya-Nicole with her own personal version of the card that will be sent to her majesty on behalf of myself and all the people of Ipswich. With so many great entries, many students who entered will be getting certificates to congratulate them on their great efforts.
Whilst at Ranelagh Primary, I met many of the pupils who also sang a song for the Queen on this special occasion. I’m proud to see pupils in Ipswich feel so strongly about our Queen. Well done to all the pupils who entered!
It’s clear that Ipswich is gearing up for the Jubilee Celebrations next week to celebrate this incredible milestone!
PUBLIC ORDER BILL
It’s right that we distinguish between peaceful protesters and individuals such as Roger Hallam (founder of Extinction Rebellion) who openly admits he would be prepared block ambulances and allow people to die to make a political point. The Bill I spoke in favour of and voted for last night just does that.
We cannot allow any repeat of the chaos ensued as a consequence of the Just Stop Oil protests the other month and the Insulate Britain protests that blocked off key strategic roads. All of this caused major disruption to the lives of the law-abiding majority, economic damage and also diverted police resources.
The reality is that many of the individuals carrying out criminal damage, risking peoples lives and causing huge disruption for the law abiding majority are not “protestors”, they’re “criminals” and we shouldn’t be afraid to say so.
Sadly but perhaps unsurprisingly the Labour Party voted against the Bill.
Opportunities in Further Education for students with SEND
Today in the Chamber I asked the Minister for Skills about what the Department for Education is doing to improve opportunities in Further Education for students with SEND.
Thank you to Minister Burghart, Minister for Skills, for visiting Suffolk New College with me. When I revisited on Friday, I spoke to Trudi the inclusive learning lead about the importance of support for SEND students in post-16 education.
Our Further Education colleges prepare students for the work-place and for life.
At Suffolk New College on Friday I also met Sam, who initially struggled with self-confidence but is now leading a whole team at the college’s Chef’s White’s restaurant. This is a tribute to the fantastic work Suffolk New College is doing in their inclusion team, building confidence, independence, and practical skills in their students.
Supporting SEND students at Further Education level has a huge knock-on impact on confidence, life-skills and employability. That’s why I called the Minister to look at funding, Ofsted inspections, and the requirement for an inclusion team at every Further Education college.
TOWN CENTRE ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
Written about the Town centre this week. Some good recent developments and inspiring business owners but many challenges.
More action does need to be taken to address the concerns many residents have about crime and anti social behaviour. At the end of the day it’s our shared public space. If anyone is behaving in a way that isn’t respectful to the majority of residents and is making a significant number feel uncomfortable then there should be interventions by the police in my view. It seems the threshold for them getting involved seems too high at the moment. We also need more of a police presence across the Town centre throughout the day.
Groups of young men drinking alcohol, littering, often making inappropriate comments towards women and making them feel uncomfortable should not be tolerated. We shouldn’t stand by and allow a small group of individuals blight the experience of others.
I make these comments because they’ve been communicated to me time and time again by constituents.
We need to talk up the Town whenever we can but also be clear eyed about the challenges and the things we’re not getting right. Doesn’t help anyone to skirt around the issues.
I’ve got a number of meetings lined up over the next few weeks to try and make some progress
Meeting with Suffolk Chamber of Commerce
This morning I met the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce to discuss my priorities for Ipswich.
This includes supporting businesses and tackling crime, building a thriving and safer Town centre.
In our meeting I mentioned the work I have been doing on the Education Select Committee with prison education, and how to get disadvantaged young people as well as ex-offenders into work.
We also discussed inflation, and the need to support businesses in Ipswich through challenging economic times. With the cost of living rising, households are struggling to make ends meet as bills creep up. This is a serious concern for many constituents and a big priority for me as the MP, and for the Government.
Devolution was a topic of conversation today too. Devolution can bring benefits like greater control on spending, and usually comes with a greater slice of funding too. This is something we are continuing to consider alongside Suffolk County Council in terms of how to get the best deal for Ipswich.
Apprenticeships were also raised. I am personally very supportive of the hands-on skills that apprenticeships offer. Getting experience in the work-place is valuable and we should be encouraging students to follow the best route for them. Something I would like to see improve is the link between schools and post-16 skills opportunities, giving pupils an introduction to the opportunities available at a younger age.
Working closely with the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce is an important component of being an MP, so debriefs like this are very valuable to make sure we are keeping Ipswich moving in the right direction.