Tony Lloyd MP Letter from Parliament

Date published: 29 November 2018

Week commencing 19 November

It was great to meet with a group of John Smith fellows from Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan). The John Smith Trust seeks to promote good governance, social justice and the rule of law by nurturing a new generation of leaders committed to making a difference in their countries and societies. It was formed in 1996 to provide a permanent memorial following John Smith’s death as one of Britain’s best-loved politicians with the aim of honouring him by promoting the ideals he held dear. We trade and work with these Central Asian countries and it is in our national interest to support John Smith’s ideals and work with them.

I attended a campaign to lend my support for Road Safety Week (19 -25 November), coordinated annually by Brake, the road safety charity, with the 2018 theme of ‘Bike Smart’. I met with representatives from Brake to discuss why cyclists and motorcyclists are amongst the most vulnerable road users and what people in Rochdale can do to be more ‘bike smart’ and help keep those on two wheels safe by following a few simple steps: slowing down, giving more time to spot danger and react; looking properly for bikes before pulling out at junctions; leaving at least one and a half metres between cars and a bike when overtaking; and by doing the ‘Dutch reach’, using the opposite hand to open a car door to help avoid ‘car dooring’ incidents.

Hundreds of women from across the country were invited to Westminster on Wednesday, to mark the moment women first got the right to stand for parliament 100 years ago. I was delighted to welcome local Rochdale resident and community activist, Rachel Massey. Currently men outnumber women by more than 2:1 in the Commons, 45% of Labour MPs are women, dropping down to 21% for Conservative MPs. This event, ‘Ask Her To Stand’, was aimed at closing the gap. It was billed as the first-time women outnumbered men at Westminster. Rachel and other aspiring future politicians spent the day shadowing their MPs, taking part in workshops and attending Prime Minister’s Questions, to get a feel of what it means to stand for political office. It was thrilling to hear that Rachel found the day incredibly rewarding and empowering. She commented that she “will be working towards overcoming the barriers that stand in the way of women getting into politics and will absolutely be putting myself forward to stand at the next opportunity”.

I’m sure you will have all noticed the sudden change in weather recently – winter is definitely approaching! I attended a British Gas event named ‘Be Smart This Winter’. British Gas Smart Energy Expert, Joanne Blood, shared her tips for households to keep a step ahead of the weather, after a record-breaking winter last year where more than 1.25 million homes across Britain experienced a boiler breakdown, leaving residents unable to heat their homes. During the Beast from the East, temperatures of below -10°C and wind speeds of over 60mph led to the busiest week on record for British Gas. I want everyone in Rochdale to understand what help is available to them, and for their family and friends. Being energy efficient and keeping bills under control is also really important, so I’d encourage people to seek advice from their energy supplier and make sure your home is ready for winter with these 10 easy tips from Joanne http://po.st/winterready

I was at a meeting to discuss the relationship between the UK and Poland. It was held last week to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the founding of Poland as a nation after WW1. The relationship will become increasingly important after Brexit for the UK’s prosperity and influence in Europe and beyond, and this meeting explored how the UK and Poland can build on its long standing framework for friendship, cooperation and trust and to ensure that the relationship remains strong in a post-Brexit world and beyond.

I was invited to an event organised by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). Just over 100 years ago the CWGC was established to build cemeteries and memorials to those who were killed during the war, ensuring they would be honoured for evermore. The CWGC’s work continues today, maintaining graves at 23,000 sites in more than 150 countries worldwide. 13,000 of these are in the UK. I am personally very grateful for the work they do, having visited their sites in the UK and also in Gallipoli, to remember my uncle, whom I mentioned in my previous letter, fought at Gallipoli in WW1 and sadly lost his life.

I was involved in a discussion on the Human Rights implications of Brexit and where Britain may potentially lose Human Rights protections, unless we act and implement a better deal for leaving the EU. These rights include employment rights, consumer rights and environmental standards. Many of our protections came from EU law and we can’t let this government let them wither.

I had the chance to experience a virtual reality showing in parliament which had 3D video footage of three locations in Yemen, which like many areas of the country, has been severely affected by ongoing conflict. The sites included a severely damaged school, a home that was hit in an airstrike, instantly killing eight members of the same family. The third was a displacement settlement, where families which have been forced to flee other parts of Yemen now live without any proper access to clean running water, toilets or other basic facilities. Using virtual reality headsets gave the feeling that you were witnessing these horrific scenes with your own eyes. Following this, I have written to the Foreign Minister to call for urgent action to push for a meaningful ceasefire to relieve the suffering of millions of people in Yemen – one of the worst humanitarian situations in the world.

N-compass Northwest held a session to highlight the work they undertake to help people suffering from poor mental health and feeling lonely and isolated. They help people regain control of their lives, providing hope and a sense of purpose, through the provision of Carers, Advocacy, Wellbeing, Counselling and Volunteering services. In Rochdale alone, they have 36 volunteers and have held 1,272 one-to-one sessions. They also run a ‘Young Carers’ Hub’ in the town to help ensure that local young carers are identified and provided with support. This is incredibly important, and I will be looking to meet again with this group in Rochdale.

The 10th anniversary celebration of the signing of the UK’s Climate Change Act brought in by Gordon Brown’s Labour government, was held last week to discuss all that the Act has achieved and the future benefits of a net zero carbon emissions target across all sectors. The Act gives us a legal driver to work to hit our obligations, but the window is closing - we need to act faster and all governments across the globe need to get involved. Keeping our planet habitable seems an obvious no-brainer.

It was a pleasure to speak at the ‘Shape the Future of Skills in Rochdale’ event held at Hopwood Hall. The college is recognised for its high standards of teaching and training, working with employers to build new partnerships to ensure that training is relevant to jobs in the market.

The 25 November marked ‘White Ribbon Day’. This campaign asks men and boys to wear a white ribbon and pledge to ‘never commit, excuse or remain silent about male violence against women’. Shocking statistics show that two women in the UK are murdered each week by a current or ex-partner. Six out seven domestic violence victims are women and nine out of ten perpetrators are men. Sadly, our government’s response has been to slash budgets for women’s refuges across the country.

It was great to attend the Christmas Lights switch on in Kirkholt and also at Rochdale Town Hall at the weekend - it’s always lovely to see the smiles on the children’s faces.