Firstly, an enormous thank you to everyone who came along to the ‘trigger ballot’ meetings and to all branches and affiliated societies for voting unanimously to re-select me as your Labour candidate.  As a trade unionist, it means the world to have the full backing of the labour movement.

I’ve been over in Wakefield for the last several weeks running the by-election campaign and was delighted to see Simon Lightwood elected as the new MP last week, more on that below.

I’ve also been, as you can imagine, working hard on the myriad of industrial disputes in the transport sector and holding the Government to account who have been trying to stoke these disputes and divide the country.  And at home, I’ve been supporting constituents with a seemingly endless array of issues thanks to this incompetent Government who have lost total interest in governing the country.

Wakefield Election

When the disgraced Tory MP Imran Ahmed Khan was convicted of sexual abuse against a child, I was asked to run Labour’s Wakefield campaign to elect our next MP. Wakefield has been a marginal seat for several General Elections, this makes the win in Wakefield even more significant.

The Wakefield win was a stunning victory for the Labour Party, the biggest point lead since 2001 and a 12.7% swing to Labour. If this is replicated across the country in the next General Election, then this would deliver a majority Labour government.

Thanks must go to all the activists who campaigned in Wakefield. I’m proud of the positive campaign that we ran, which was based on tackling the issues that were affecting people like an improved health service, improved public transport, better jobs and tackling crime and anti-social behaviour.

Rail Strikes

Last week, we saw rail services disrupted across the country. I spoke out about this in Parliament, numerous times, and made it abundantly clear that we support the fight for a fair payrise and to protect important safety-critical jobs in the industry.

Where we have a Labour Government in power, we’re doing our job. In Wales, we have avoided a strike by train staff. Employers, unions and the government have come together to manage change. That’s what responsible governments do and that is what my opposite number, Grant Shapps, should be doing.

The only way this dispute will be resolved is through negotiation on pay and job security. Labour will always fight for fair pay and a decent wage for working people. But rather than doing their job, Tory Ministers are spoiling for a fight to distract from their chaotic, discredited and aimless government.

Grant Shapps has it within his power to convene talks, bringing together the industry and Trade Unions to find a resolution to end this dispute. He is completely refusing and it’s difficult not to conclude that he is actively provoking this action rather than attempting to avoid it.

Airport chaos

Over the last few months we have seen chaos and disruption in airports across the country. People who have not been able to travel for more than two years to see loved ones or take their summer holidays. are facing endless queues and last-minute cancelled flights.

Labour and the unions have been warning the Government for the last two years that losing high-skilled staff during the pandemic would result in this kind of chaos. I have repeatedly called on the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps to take steps to tackle the chaos of lengthy delays in the days, weeks and months ahead.

New Statesman conference

I spoke at the New Statesman conference this week which looked at what the Red Wall means for Labour and the Tories and what needs to be done to win back seats at the next General Election.

What the Wakefield by-election showed us was that people are sick to death of culture wars and attempts to divide. When people are struggling to pay their bills, and struggling to get a GP appointment, the last thing people want to see is a Government who is playing political games on issues like this. The Labour win in Wakefield demonstrates that Labour can rise above these games and focus on the issues that are affecting people, everyday.

Queens Speech

The Prince of Wales delivered the Queens Speech which set out the government’s agenda for the next year.

It was deeply disappointing that the government chose to do nothing to help the millions of people across the country who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. The speech was an attempt to prosecute culture wars and not tackle the cost-of-living crisis.
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Speaking about your mental health

I’ve been calling on the government to urgently get a grip of the mental health crisis and invest in services.
We know, that since the pandemic more and more people need help from mental health services, and even the government’s own figures show that before the pandemic 1 in 9 young people struggled with their mental health and this has now risen to 1 in 6. And Age UK estimates that more than 2 million people over the age of 50 will need support by 2026.

The government must intervene now, if they don’t, they’re in danger of failing a whole generation.
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Ukrainian Refugees

More than 6 million people have now fled from the war in Ukraine, and I’m pleased to say that people in Sheffield have opened their homes and their hearts in droves, and Sheffield has now received more than 29% of refugees matched with the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

This figure would and should be much higher, but unfortunately the government has made it almost impossible for those fleeing war to obtain a visa.

Please get in touch if you’re having difficulties with the Home Office and I and my brilliant team will do our best to help you.

New technology to bridge the political divide

I want as many people as possible, especially those who are not engaged with the climate debate already, to share with me their thoughts and views on the priorities and issues.

That’s why I’m using a new digital platform called Pol.Is to try and build consensus with residents to help find practical ways to tackle climate change.

Pol.Is works in the opposite way to traditional social media, where it helps people work out what they have in common rather than what divides them. This is a safe space to have your say without fear of backlash or trolling.
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Passport delays

Hundreds of people have been in touch with me over the past few weeks because of delays to returning their passport by the Home Office.

I have written to the Home Secretary Priti Patel demanding that she take action urgently and reform the service. If she doesn’t take urgent action, then she risks jeopardising millions of people’s summer holidays this year.
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