Letter from Parliament: Tony Lloyd MP

Tony Lloyd MP

It was great to attend the St George’s flag raising in Rochdale on Monday. It’s really good to see diversity celebrated in Rochdale and important that we celebrate England’s national day.

The Windrush generation has been a widely-discussed topic this week in both parliament and the media. That generation of people are British, and came here to rebuild a life in Britain. Like them, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Kashmiri communities could also see a similar issue in the future. It is disgraceful that they are treated as part of a process and this has to be gotten right.

I met with the North West Business Council, which was a well-attended meeting of leading businesses in the manufacturing and finance sectors for MPs, and had a meeting about Colombia, which I’ve had a particular interest in since being Foreign Minister. I also met with the former Consul General of Jerusalem, who retired a few years ago.

I will be seeing what services are available in Rochdale following a conference with Obesity Health Alliance. Obesity is significantly increasing in children and this campaign is aimed at putting pressure on both locally and nationally.

I met with an organisation called Parentkind which works with parents and schools and helps strengthen relationships between all. I am keen to see what they can offer Rochdale.

The government is trialling taking a personal ID with you when you go to vote. This is not happening locally, but it’s controversial, if it’s about stopping people from voting, this is anti-democratic.

I discussed a number of issues relating to Ireland when I met with the British Irish Chamber of Commerce. This was about how businesses from both countries can encourage trade between themselves. I also met with the Northern Ireland Confederation of British Industry and the Irish Foreign Minister to discuss Brexit and Northern Ireland.

Parliament passed a new bill this week about protection for emergency service workers. It’s absolutely shocking that sexual assaults on ambulance workers have tripled nationwide. This Bill will be an aggravating factor in criminal convictions, and it will be reflected in the sentence appropriately.

This weekend I will be attending the Fusilier’s Parade in Rochdale for their 50^th anniversary and attending a Thai boxing event. I will also be canvassing ahead of the local election in Milnrow.