Inspire Centre
For the second summer in a row I visited the Inspire Centre on Lindbergh Road today. . Last summer Ipswich was a pilot for the Holiday activities and food programme and now its been extended across the country its back again this summer.
Eligible children are entitled to 15 days of food and activities over the summer holiday. I was very pleased when the Government announced their intention to turn the pilots into a more permanent scheme and that the great work I saw last summer could be continued.
I think its important that as many young people as possible many who have missed lots of time at school are able to benefit from these sorts of activities and programmes. Good for both physical and mental health, learning and of course they get a nutritious meal.
Well done to everyone at Inspire Suffolk who is working so hard to make this happen. And the goalie who managed to save 2/3 of my questionable penalties.
Special Educational Needs
I am very pleased to have received this reply from the Prime Minister, following my letter on better support for prisoner education and an increase in recognition on the link between special educational needs (SEN) and crime. I am glad that since my original letter to the Prime Minister, where I outlined the importance of SEN education and cutting crime, I have held promising talks in Number 10 with key advisors on this vital issue. I am also encouraged by the positive engagement shown by the Prime Minister in the form of this detailed response.
While the Prime Minister’s letter does not go quite as far as I would like, it is encouraging that he recognises the connection between prisoners and the support for students with SEND.
I think it is vitally important that all prisoners have a meeting with an educational psychologist and receive any diagnosis for learning conditions, in order for us to fully understand the large scale of the problem and of course to be able to tailor prison education to their needs. I will continue to work hard for this end goal. We must make sure that the education system supports all styles of learning and does not marginalise students who ignore school and are more likely to turn to a life of crime.
This letter is a positive step and I hope that it elevates the importance of SEND and increased funding. I will continue my important work on the Education Select Committee on this subject and will endeavour to see action is taken over the coming months.
Afghan Emergency
Yes we do need to accept some refugees from Afghanistan. Particularly those who have helped us and those most vulnerable to persecution. However there needs to be a robust process in place to ensure unsavoury characters do not end up in our country and efforts needs to be stepped up significantly to halt the small boat crossings.
Every person who comes in illegally via small boat limits our ability to show compassion towards the most genuine of refugees fleeing persecution. (Not France).
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.
