Alex Norris MP's Weekly Newsletter

Welcome to the latest issue of my weekly newsletter.

Where to start this week? Between summer recess and the prorogation of Parliament, which will commence at some point yet to be determined next week, Westminster has returned briefly but it feels like it was a long week.

I’ll share my thoughts on all that, let you know how I’ve spent the week while that’s been going on, and it’s not too late to fill out my summer survey, if you haven’t already!

Read on to find out more... 

As I’ve said before, I will strive to send you a newsletter like this each Friday to keep you updated on the work I’m doing in Parliament as well as in our community, and to inform you of any interesting events taking place in our area. To help me with the latter, if you are running or know of anything that you think may be of interest to others, feel free to drop me an email at alex.norris.mp@parliament.uk and I will include it in future issues. Please also forward it onto anyone you think may be interested.

Brexit Developments

As I’ve said many times before, I believe crashing out of the EU without a deal would be catastrophic. Businesses and trade unions alike have warned of the huge risks of No Deal for our economy and working people. The Government’s independent economic watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, has also warned that No Deal could tip the economy into recession. Those who will pay the price will be working people, their families, and communities in our area and across the country. 

During the Referendum the Vote Leave campaign said there would be a deal. Similarly, during the 2017 General Election I said I would never support a No Deal outcome.

I do not believe the Government can be allowed to plunge our country into the chaos that it will cause because of its own failure. Parliament has voted against No Deal on several occasions and I have worked and will continue to work with all sides to put the national interest first and prevent it.

That is why this week I have supported votes to take No Deal off the table, by taking control of the order paper on Tuesday, and voting through a Bill to require the Prime Minister to request an extension to the Article 50 process and leaving with No Deal to require Parliamentary approval.

I did not support the Prime Minister’s attempt to call a General Election, as I believe the Conservative Government is trying to use one to force through a No Deal Brexit against the will of Parliament. Once I am satisfied that a No Deal Brexit has been prevented, I will vote in favour of a General Election, which I’m very keen for.

The results of votes this week show that it is not just the Opposition who feel this way, as many who previously supported the Prime Minister’s deal have shared my view. The Government has now lost its majority and must be replaced as soon as No Deal has been prevented.

In Nottingham

It wasn’t all Parliament this week though. Here’s what I’ve been up to back in the constituency today: 

• I started the day at Loxley House with City Council Head David Mellen and my fellow Nottingham MPs, to discuss the Children in Care of Notts report by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. 
• Back in the constituency office, I welcomed a few constituents to discuss their campaign against mobility pass cuts and how I can help. 
• My next guests were Faith and friends from the African Women Empowerment Forum, who shared with me their concerns and how I can assist in the areas of need their forum is exploring. 
• Out of the office again, I made my way, alongside the Bestwood ward Councillors, to Arnold to meet with Police and Crime Commissioner Paddy Tipping at his office regarding the increased level of recent incidents in Bestwood. 
• I then met with Janet White, Chair of the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP Nottingham. The carousel of Prison Ministers have made it more difficult to put pressure on the Government to fix the problems at this prison, so it was helpful to be able to talk directly. 
• And while I have no formal surgery this week, I’ll be finishing my day with something of a de facto one, as I have casework calls and a home visit to take care of.

In Parliament

While I wasn’t making my way through voting lobbies, here is how I’ve spent my time since Parliament returned on Tuesday: 

• On Thursday, I raised the issue of holiday hunger in the House of Commons. Nearly a decade of Tory austerity has led to holiday hunger getting worse and worse in Nottingham North. I know that many fantastic voluntary organisations have been stepping up to ensure local children don't go without. We simply shouldn't be in this situation, though. The government should not be relying on the goodwill of voluntary organisations to feed children who normally rely on free school meals. I therefore asked the government to debate this issue as a matter of urgency, which you can watch here. 
• Despite being in Westminster, the first thing I did on arrival this week was continue some ongoing casework, by helping a constituent sort out a bus pass issue. 
• I attended the latest meeting of the APPG for Deliberative Democracy. Recent political difficulties show that we need to be looking at different ways of decision making, and deliberative democracy is a great way of getting the best of both worlds of hearing directly what people want and ensuring expertise is utilised in the process. 
• There were quite a few APPG meetings this week, due to the limited time in Parliament, and I also attended the APPG on Kashmir, where we were joined by the Pakistani High Commissioner not long after India revoked Kashmir’s special status, and the APPG for Football Supporters, where the tragic injustice that hit Bury FC and its fans – and how to avoid a repeat - was discussed. 
• Adam Youngman from Governors for Schools came to Parliament to meet me. His organisation helps place committed volunteers as school governors in schools across England, to improve educational opportunities for young people by raising the quality of school governing boards. I chair a school governing body myself, and know the importance of this, so am very keen to assist their mission for the benefit of schools in Nottingham North.  
• Sadly, Westminster Dog of the Year, which I was meant to be judging following last year’s victory for my two lovely border collies Boomer and Corona, was cancelled due to the current Political turmoil, but I did get to talk dogs with a journalist anyway – keep an eye on Saturday’s Times if you’re interested.

Big Tent Event

Later this month, through Rebalancing the Outer Estates, I will be hosting a Big Tent Event at Bulwell Riverside, giving organisations, charities and community groups who work in Nottingham North and the wider area the opportunity to celebrate the great work that is already going on across the constituency, and give them all a say in where we go next!

So, if you represent one of these, please sign up for a free place on Friday 20th September by emailing info@rebalancingouterestates.com.

Don’t miss out! More information can be found below.

Summer Survey

As you’ll know by now, over the summer one thing I have done is ask you to have your say.

Like I did last year, I'm therefore running a survey so that I can hear your views about some of the work I've been doing in Parliament and across the constituency as your local MP. I'd also like to hear about your political priorities for the year ahead to help inform my work in the coming weeks and months.

It’s not too late!

Please complete the survey by visiting the link below.

www.NottmNorthSurvey.com

I look forward to reading what you have to say. Thank you!

Looking Ahead to Next Week

We don’t know yet exactly how long Parliament will sit for next week, but I’ll be there on Monday to support the Bill preventing No Deal as it returns to the House of Commons. The rest of the week will either be spent in Westminster or Nottingham North, but as I’m playing by ear, you’ll have to wait until next week’s newsletter to find out. Either way, it’s sure to be another interesting week.

What's On