New Anglia Institute of Technology
I have written in support of the bid for a New Anglia Institute of Technology, which would provide innovative and necessary skills education to the area.
This institute would be a collaboration between dedicated further education institutions like the University of Suffolk with a broad range of partners in industry – like BT based in Adastral Park.
With a focus on technical training, the institute of technology would prepare students with real world skills to take on high-paying jobs. The links to industry are invaluable – especially in creating curricula which are relevant to the profession and job market.
Thank you to Therese Coffey, MP for Suffolk Coastal, for co-signing the letter.
Safer in Ipswich is a Priority
Making sure residents feel safer in Ipswich is a priority.
Today I visited Lighthouse Women’s Aid centre, a fantastic organisation which provides accommodation for women and children fleeing domestic abuse. Their advice centre helps 200 women every month.
Sadly, over lockdown we have seen a rise in cases of domestic abuse, as vulnerable individuals are less able to spend time outside the home. During this period, the work of organisations like Lighthouse Aid have become even more vital to those in need.
Budget Announcement
Today I spoke in the House of Commons about Rishi Sunak’s budget announcement yesterday.
This Conservative government is saving money for those on the lowest incomes in an economically sustainable and credible way, through
– The uplift in national living wage
– The reduction in the Universal Credit taper
– The continued freeze of fuel duty
Unemployment is also much lower than expected. The furlough scheme, which was put together impressively rapidly, has prevented huge job losses.
– The initial prediction of 12% unemployment has been revised to 5.2%
I was pleased to have the opportunity to mention the Belstead Arms in the House of Commons yesterday. Steve has worked so hard, under such challenging conditions, and I’m pleased to see the beer tax cut – the biggest in 50 years – which will help his pub and others around Ipswich.
It’s a budget which demonstrates economic credibility – in contrast, Labour have made £400 billion worth of spending promises, and yet only accounted for £5 billion worth of revenue to fund it.
St Francis Tower raised at PMQs
Today, at Prime Minister’s Questions I raised the issue of St Francis Tower with the Prime Minister. I highlighted to him the condition of St Francis Tower, with shrink wrap being placed along the entirety of it leaving many in darkness. I also raised the issue of bars across resident’s windows preventing them from being properly opened and added that this could be the case for up to 12 months.
I understand the need for the work to take place but it must be balanced with the mental health and well-being of the residents. I am glad the Prime Minister shared my concerns and I will be providing him with further details to study. I also look forward to urgently meeting with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to discuss how we can address this awful situation.
I am also meeting with both Block Management and Oander Ltd next Tuesday with an expectation that many of our actions from our last meeting have been carried out.
Suffolk Young People’s Health Project
Visited 4YP (Suffolk Young People’s Health Project) yesterday on Lower Brook Street. It does great work as a local charity coordinating services that improve the social, emotional, and physical health and wellbeing of young people in Suffolk, aged 12-25.
Enjoyed meeting the young people there and learning more about what they’ve been up to and how the programme has been working. Was tasked with listing all 50 US states on the white board, got to 46.
It is one of the many providers in Ipswich working as part of the Holiday Activity and Food Programme.
Talk Radio – Taliban taking over Afghanistan & Refugees
I spoke on Talk Radio this afternoon regarding the likely consequences of the Taliban taking over Afghanistan in the past few days. It is clear that there is going to be large number of genuine refugees at risk of persecution fleeing the cruelty of the Taliban regime.
I made a clear point that we should be accepting a limited number of these refugees and we should act swiftly to help those that are genuinely fleeing persecution and are in immediate danger. I hope we can also ensure those who have helped the UK conduct its operations in the territory are a priority. There needs to be a clear process in place for this and we must make sure that unsavoury characters do not slip through.
I also think that Afghanistan gives a clear example as to why it is imperative that we put an end to these illegal crossing of largely economic migrants from across the channel. As I have made clear repeatedly, every migrant that crosses here illegally from the safe European country of France, limits our capacity to show compassion to the most genuine of refugees.
What is also clear is that the Labour MP I was debating continued to have an open borders approach with no regulation or reasonable plan on how to manage this. We do not want scenes similar to that in Germany in recent years where numerous crimes were committed by those arriving, and often falsely, claiming refugee status. In comparing the UK to Canada I also note that the Labour MP does not appear to have looked at a map and compared the size difference of these two countries.
BBC Radio Suffolk – Afghanistan
I was speaking on BBC Radio Suffolk this morning regarding the unfolding situation In Afghanistan. After 20 years of commitment in the country, with sacrifices made to create a free country that is not a haven for terrorist groups, to see it fall so quickly is utterly depressing.
I find it quite remarkable the speed at which the situation has deteriorated. It’s important the UK cooperates closely with key allies over the coming days and weeks to formulate an appropriate response.
I think we are way off making a decision regarding troop deployment but the reality is that at this stage it would be foolish to rule anything out. We cannot allow Afghanistan to become again what it once was. A safe haven for terrorist groups to form, operate and plan horrific attrocities on both of our own soil and the soil of our close friends and allies.
I think that the decision to remove troops so quickly has been a mistake and the US President has been missing in action. The manner of the US withdrawal has been incredibly sudden and it certainly seems that President Biden and other key figures in the regime dramatically underestimated the chances of the situation on the ground in Afghanistan turning so sour so soon.
I will be heading back to Parliament on Wednesday to I hope to be able to make a contribution to the debate. I will also be listening carefully to all other contributions. As always, if you’re a constituent, please share your views with me and let me know what you think either on here or via email.
This is a depressing situation and each option comes with a range of negatives. At times our contribution to efforts in Afghanistan has felt endless and billions has been spent and over 450 British lives have been lost.
However its depressing to know that the lives of millions of Afghans could well very soon fall back into darkness. We should extend the hand of friendship and compassion to those fleeing for their lives and particularly those who have aided allied forces. However this is also an issue where our interests are also very much on the line. It would be foolish to think that a safe haven for terrorists in Afghanistan wouldn’t most likely have deadly consequences for our own country.
No easy decisions ahead.
St. Francis Tower
On the last Parliamentary session before the Summer Recess, I wanted to raise to the house the ongoing issue regarding St. Francis Tower and their abhorrent treatment by Block Management Ltd. The entirety of the tower has been covered of the tower block in a shrink-wrap for up to 12 months and scaffolding has been erected to fix a cladding issue.
The handling of this issue, which I have been following closely, remains an absolute disgrace. I was invited by residents to visit the block and see for myself the conditions that they are being forced to live in. The lack of natural light and the limited ventilation they have, during a pandemic and with temperatures like this, must be unbearable.
I have to say in all my time being a Member of Parliament, this is the most shocking thing I have come across. I wanted to raise this issue, to give my constituents basic dignities in living conditions. As despite repeated interventions by myself to try and resolve it, I have still not had a response from them to any of my recent letters.
I understand this cladding needs to be removed, but this must be done in a sensitive way that keeps in mind the living conditions and mental health of the residents of St. Francis Tower. I wanted to raise this with the Government today to see how we can hold Block Management to account and to support my constituents at this time of great distress. I will stand by my constituents on this issue, and I will raise the matter of Block Management’s disregard of my constituent’s well-being as many times as I need to, in order to see them meet with the residents to resolve this.
National Borders debate
Yesterday, I spoke in the National Borders debate to highlight the welcoming nature of Ipswich towards those who legitimately come over to the UK fleeing persecution, and who want to contribute to society. I also highlighted how this Bill seeks to promote those who come over here legitimately but is also firm in stopping a trade that costs many lives, and risks even more.
In Ipswich we have extended the hand of friendship to many refugees over the years. Places like the Suffolk Refugee Centre have done amazing work to support communities like the Kurdish to settle over here. I recently visited the Bloom Lounge in Ipswich, a bar started by Francesko and his brother Erion; refugees from Albania. It’s a great example of not only how welcoming Ipswich can be, but as Erion is a Conservative councillor, that it is the Conservative party that supports those that need it most.
We need to recognise that those who decide to come over here illegally, each one limits our capacity to show compassion to those that need refuge and asylum. This bill is there to deter the illegal trade and to put a stop to some of the scenes we have seen this week. It sends a message to those who think that setting foot in the UK is enough for success to think again, and that the UK will not tolerate this illegal activity.
I know this is a bill that most people support. It is a bill that takes control and does not rely on the French border police to do it for us. I am confident that the British public are behind us, but I am aware their patience is running thin, and we must deliver. I think this bill makes a real start.
National Borders Bill Intervention
Today I intervened on the Labour’s Shadow Immigration Minister’s response to the National Borders Bill. I listened as the Shadow Minister, following speaker after speaker from Labour, essentially accusing all individuals who supported this bill as racist. It’s stark how out of touch the Labour party are. They seemed to suggest a two-tier system for judging immigration, looking at how they arrive and not what they have left.
In my intervention I mentioned that if you have broken the law and arrived from another safe European country compared to someone who has followed the correct legal process then these should be treated differently. We must prioritise those who want to come over her properly. It is not wrong to do so, and for the Labour party to pedal these illogical notions shows how their desire for open borders will cause severe turmoil and encourage a dangerous and illegal human trafficking trade to continue. I notice that the Labour front bencher failed to answer my point and continued to follow his orders from up high.