My April Newsletter: Students, John Lewis and cladding.

Keeping in touch
April 2021

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I hope you had a good Easter break - and return to retail and outdoor hospitality. Parliament had short recess over the last month, but I pressed Ministers on several issues, from Northern Ireland to students' return to campus. As ever, I'd welcome your feedback and do get in touch to share your views on any issue. Paul

Meeting constituents

As lockdown rules have eased, I've been able to get out and about, knocking on doors and meeting constituents again. It's been great to hear views on everything from litter to vaccine certificates.

Tackling Boris Johnson on building safety

I challenged the Prime Minister to keep his promise to protect leaseholders caught up in the safety scandal from unaffordable and unfair costs, but he refused. Watch our exchange here.

Domestic abuse

Thanks to everyone contributed to my International Women's Day appeal for Ashiana which raised £1,375.

Return to university

I pressed Boris Johnson (here) on forgetting students in his Easter Monday statement and followed up with Gavin Williamson about the return to campus (here) - then responded in Parliament (here) to the subsequent announcement and wrote this article in Politics Home.

John Lewis Closure

After the announcement of the Coles closure I arranged for Sheffield MPs to meet with John Lewis CEO Sharon White and have liaised with the staff affected. Read more here.

Kashmir

I was pleased to be re-elected as a Vice-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir, an issue on which I have campaigned over many years (more here).

Northern Ireland

In a Parliamentary debate on the recent violent protests, I challenged the Northern Ireland Secretary on the part played by the Prime Minister's duplicity over the Brexit deal he negotiated (see here).

Sexual harassment

I met with 'Our Bodies Our Streets' to talk about making public spaces safer and am co-ordinating a campaign against sexual harassment in the hospitality sector - do get in touch for more details.

Research spending

I called on the Government to increase UK spending on research and development, which is vital to our universities and our economic recovery, in a debate on the Advanced Research and Innovation Agency Bill here.

Supporting refugees

I challenged the Home Secretary on her immigration plans, pressing for legal routes to safety, and spoke in a debate on asylum system and mental health (see my speech here and read more here).

Online harms

I made the case to criminalise deep fake porn in a debate on online abuse, an issue on which I'm campaigning with my constituent Helen Mort (read more about Helen's experience here).

UK Trade and Business Commission

I was invited to join the new UK Trade and Business Commission which is examining the impact of the Brexit agreement and new trade deals following our departure from the transition period - and am keen to hear from local businesses.

Nablus partnership

I opened an event hosted jointly by members of Sheffield's two universities and An Najah University in Nablus, as part of an initiative to strengthen links between our cities following my visit to the West Bank.

Community notices

Support for victims of domestic abuse: 08088082241 is the Sheffield helpline (open Mondays to Fridays 8am-7pm & Saturdays 9am-5pm) and 08082000247 offers support nationally 24/7.

Nether Edge and Sharrow Foodbank: Supporting vulnerable people in the area, this recently established project is fundraising to continue their work providing food packs. Please donate here.

Adopt a care home: Join the campaign supporting those in residential care fighting the loneliness many have experienced over the past year. Get involved here.

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Keeping in touch April 2021

Keeping in touch
April 2021