Hello,

Welcome to my newsletter.

The House of Commons has now risen for the summer recess, and – barring any urgent reasons for recall - will return on September 6th. This is not to say MPs won’t be working over the summer. I’m looking forward to getting out and about in the constituency, making up for the past year of not really being able to visit community projects or to meet people in person. There’s also still the need to keep track of what’s happening nationally, most crucially, the worrying rise in Covid cases and the consequences of what is being dubbed the “pingdemic” on shops and services. 
Summer recess also provides the opportunity to plan for the coming autumn session. As you can see below there are some big pieces of legislation making their way through parliament, and we have the COP26 climate conference in the autumn too. 
 

Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill 

This month saw the return of the controversial Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill to the Commons for Report Stage. This is when all MPs get to consider any changes made in Bill committee, and to vote on some of the most crucial  amendments. As you’ll know I have serious concerns about this Bill, including its crackdown on legitimate protests and the criminalisation of trespass. It is disappointing that the Government has undermined a Bill which is good in parts, by coupling them up with these divisive and draconian measures. 

Along with Labour colleagues, I voted against the Bill at Third Reading but, unfortunately, it passed due to Conservative support. I am deeply disappointed by the fact that the Conservatives also voted down all proposed Amendments, including ones to increase minimum sentences for rape. 

The Bill will now go over to the House of Lords, where it will go through the same process as it did in the Commons.  
 

Opposing the Government’s Nationality and Borders Bill 

During the Second Reading debate, I set out why I’m opposing the Government's Nationality and Borders Bill. The Government claims this will create a firm but fair asylum system; this Bill would do anything but. It breaches the 1951 Refugee Convention, demonises and endangers people seeking to claim asylum, and fails to tackle modern slavery.  

In my speech, (which you can watch or read) I praised Bristol for its diversity and for being a City of Sanctuary, mentioning particular the Somali community, many of whom came to the UK in search of refuge, fleeing one of the most violent conflicts in modern history. I also welcomed Bristol Bisons’ Kenneth Macharia’s successful appeal against the Home Office’s decision to deport him to Kenya. 
 

Justice for Rape and Sexual Assault Survivors 

This month at Attorney General Questions, I once again asked about the appalling low number of rape and sexual assault cases brought to court, following the Government’s Rape Review. In recent years, rape prosecutions have fallen at a staggering rate, despite a dramatic increase in the number of reported offences. Currently, only 1 in 60 rape cases lead to charges being brought against the perpetrator. 

The Government looks to have U-turned on its own CPS target of returning prosecution rates to 2016 levels by next year, and is working towards a deadline to do so by the end of the next Parliament. If this holds, it may mean that many victims who report cases will still not see justice done, and others are likely to be deterred from coming forward. 

I have regularly called upon the Government to take responsibility for these failures, as the 25% cut to Justice funding since 2010 has made this crisis a reality. My Labour colleagues and I will continue to press for justice for victims and survivors, and will continue to do so whenever the opportunity arises. 

 

Football Index 

Over the course of the last month I received numerous complaints about the recent collapse of the Football Index. This company which portrayed itself as the footballing equivalent of the stock market, consistently mis-led customers and continued to allow them to buy shares despite the company being fully aware in advance of its upcoming administration. 

This was a serious betrayal of consumer confidence, and the victims of this injustice are right to feel aggrieved that the Gambling Commission provided a licence in the first place. You can see my full response here. As I indicated in the letter to constituents, I’ll be keeping up to date on the outcome of each process to ensure I can help those that have been exploited to receive full redress.  
 

EU Settlement 

This past month saw the deadline pass for the Government’s EU Settlement Scheme. I wrote to the Home Office earlier this year to voice my support for lifting the deadline and granting automatic settled status to all EU citizens and their 
families resident in the UK. The cut-off point threatens to make people who have resided in the UK for decades undocumented migrants overnight.  

The Mayor has supported calls for an extension and raised awareness of the scheme on several occasions from  January right up until last week.   

I was very disappointed that no extension was granted. This is unfortunately typical of the hostility under Priti Patel’s tenure as Home Secretary. Although, I take some relief in the fact that the latest data shows 6.02 million applications had been received by June 30. For those who have missed the deadline the following advice applies - Citizens will be given a formal 28-day notice if they fail to apply for settled status, but after that they will not be eligible for work, benefits and will lose the right to services such as free non-urgent healthcare. You can read more here. 
 

Environment and Animal Welfare 

I’ve spoken in a number of Westminster Hall debates in recent weeks, including one on  deforestaton, calling on the Government to do more to eliminate overseas deforestation in UK supply chains and stop UK financial institutions funding companies linked to deforestation.  

This week there was a brief debate on COP26. I’m Chair of the APPG on Small Island Developing States, and I spoke about the urgency of addressing the climate crisis and the need to support the most climate vulnerable countries. 

I made another speech this week in a debate about the Trade and Agriculture Commission. This body was set up in a bid to fob off Tory MPs when they looked like rebelling against the Government on amendments to the Agriculture Bill and the Trade Bill. The Commission is supposed to ensure we don’t bargain away our standards in future trade deals. It’s becoming increasingly clear it will do nothing of the sort. 

I also spoke in a debate about grouse-shooting, highlighting the destructive practices associated with this cruel blood sport, including heather burning, illegal persecution of hen harriers and extermination of rival predators through cruel methods such as glue traps. The Tory MPs attending the debate were clearly all strong supporters of the sport, but I will continue to push for more to be done to stop these environmentally destructive practices. 

I was proud to sign up as an Ocean Hero in Parliament, and back WWF’s call for an Ocean Recovery Strategy to restore our seas by 2030. The climate crisis is having devastating effects on our oceans, and I will do what I can in Parliament to push for action to address this. 


 

Green Transport 

After much delay, the Government finally published its plan to decarbonise transport in the UK. Transport is the largest contributor to UK emissions, and the Government should have used this opportunity to put forward ambitious proposals to boost active travel, restore public transport and fix the UK’s electric vehicle charging network. Instead, we got more delay on key decisions and a lack of ambition on the key questions - as I made clear in my response.  

In my role as Labour’s Shadow Minister for Green Transport, I visited GoAhead’s all-electric bus depot in Waterloo: a great example of sustainable transport in a Labour-led city. It’s something that should be replicated across the country if we’re to get on track to meet net zero emissions. The Government promised 4,000 zero emission buses last year; so far it’s failed to deliver a single one.  

I also visited Waltham Forest to see the innovative mini-Holland scheme and their other low-traffic neighbourhoods. It’s really encouraging to see how the road changes and walking and cycling infrastructure, with added biodiversity and sustainable drainage features, are not only enabling active travel but have also created some beautiful spaces for local people to enjoy.  

At Transport Questions, I pressed the Government on the need to do more to protect and create high-skilled, green jobs in electric vehicle manufacturing. The UK is falling behind in the race to secure a green future for our automotive sector. This is bad for the economy and will make it more difficult to achieve the 2030 phase out of new petrol and diesel vehicles. 
 

Lorry Driver Shortages 

As Labour’s Shadow Minister for Roads, I have been pushing the Government for action to address the ongoing shortage of heavy goods vehicle drivers – which is leading to food shortages and economic disruption. 

These shortages are due to Government inaction on the huge backlog of driving tests, their mishandling of the pandemic and their failure to sort out the Brexit chaos at our borders. 

The Government’s response to this has been to increase the working hours of already-exhausted drivers and water down testing requirements for new lorry drivers. Labour is clear that these measures won’t solve the shortage and will risk road safety. 

I led Labour’s response with a letter to the Government calling for answers on what they’re doing to expand testing capacity and recruit more drivers from overseas. I am also demanding measures that will immediately address the shortage without compromising safety. 


 

Summerhill Academy 

I visited Summerhill school in St George to speak to the pupils about the work they are doing to make a positive impact on their local community. The school has a School Council, Safeguarding Champions and has now set up an Eco Committee too. It’s really good to see pupils getting involved in decision-making, and making a positive difference to what happens in and around their school. One of the issues they’ve been keenly discussing is air pollution. My visit was the day after Clean Air Day, and I agreed with the children that more needs to be done to curb traffic in nearby streets. 



 

Supporting Young People’s Mental Health 

 I have been working to secure better support for young people’s mental health. In Bristol, the number of young people presenting to A&E in a mental health crisis has increased, partially due to the lack of services for them when they begin to struggle. Inadequate Government funding has left mental health services under-resourced to the point where more than 1 in 10 patients wait longer than 6 months for their first appointment. This was a problem before the pandemic, which has stretched staff capacity and increased demand on services. 

I have recently written to the Prime Minister, asking him to fund early support hubs for young people’s mental health, on behalf of several constituents who contacted me about this issue. You can read my letter to the PM here. I am in regular contact with local service providers and last month, I met with the Chief Executive and Chair of AWP (the local mental health trust). We discussed the reopening of the Riverside Unit, the shortage of beds for treating people with severe eating disorders, and delays in CAMHS and autism assessments. I also hope to visit the Riverside Unit soon, following its reopening, which will give me an opportunity to speak to patients and staff about their experiences. 

Government breaks its promise on overseas aid 

I spoke in two debates on the Government’s cuts to international aid, which will reduce our contribution from 0.7% of GDP to 0.5%. Aid has now been cut by £5bn since 2019, which is a morally disgraceful decision given the impacts the pandemic has had on vulnerable people and developing nations. These cuts will affect vital programmes working on poverty reduction, family planning, water and sanitation, education, vaccination and more. I know from my constituents’ emails how many of you are appalled by this decision, and I am pleased that at least some Tory MPs – including former Prime Minister Theresa May – have had the good conscience and courage to vote against their own Government on this. 
 

Action on Disability Rights 

Back in June, I facilitated a meeting between Bristol Disability Equality Forum, a local disability group led by and for disabled people, and the Minister for Disabled People, Justin Tomlinson MP. This meeting led to thought-provoking and productive discussions and gave BDEF members a chance to speak directly to the Minister, to discuss their concerns relating to the Government’s Disability Consultation, which closed earlier this year. 

This will be an ongoing dialogue with the Minister as the Government considers what changes can be made to improve access and support the rights of disabled people. If you are a disabled person living in Bristol East and you have any matters you would like to raise relating to accessibility or the Disability Consultation, do not hesitate to get in touch with my office. 

My team and I have also recently attended virtual events hosted by MND United, Mencap, Sense and the Disabled Children’s Partnership, in which we have heard from disabled people across the country, as they have shared their experiences and their suggestions for improving rights and access. I will continue to speak up for my disabled constituents. Earlier this month, I signed an open letter to scrap the cruel 6-Month Rule that meant terminally ill patients had to undergo regular re-assessments to access their benefits. I am pleased to announce that this cruel policy was scrapped on 9th July - a campaign win for all who were involved. 
 

Support for Young Carers 

Earlier this month at Health Questions, I raised the lack of Government support for young carers during the pandemic. 

Megan, a young carer in Bristol East, contacted me to report outdated information on the Gov.UK page for unpaid carers. The website recommended that young carers visit the Barnardo’s ‘See, Hear, Respond’ service – which has been closed since March, due to lack of Government funding no less! 

I then wrote to Helen Whately MP, the Minister of State for Care, asking for the website to be updated. I specifically asked for more resources to be included, as young carers like Megan need to know where to turn to for tailored support and advice, particularly given that many of them would have been caring for very vulnerable family members during the pandemic. 

Somewhat predictably, the Government simply deleted the link, but didn’t replace it with anything! I hope that the Minister keeps the promise she made at Health Questions, and that she puts this information on the Government website. I’ll be checking to make sure she keeps her word. 
 

Proud of our Three Lions  

Despite ending in heart-breaking circumstances, it was such a joy to watch England in the European Championships this summer. This inclusive team stood firm in their fight for equality and captured the imagination of the country. With their performances on the pitch as well as Rashford’s campaigning on food poverty, Sterling’s help for the people of Grenfell, and Henderson’s support of the LGBT Rainbow laces campaign, this England squad has given us so many reasons to be proud of them. You can read my full statement on the disgraceful racist abuse that has followed and find more information about Labour’s policy on much-needed social media regulation here. 


 

Constituency Casework

It’s been busy few weeks with over 749 contacts from Bristol East constituents since the beginning of June. 175 of those are from individuals asking for my assistance with an urgent case.

The chart below shows a breakdown of the cases by type.  


 

Get in touch!

Best wishes,

Kerry McCarthy, Member of Parliament for Bristol East