The Policing Bill 

Last night I voted for amendments to the Fire Safety Bill, which would have stopped building owners passing on the cost of fixing problems to leaseholders and tenants, but they were defeated in a vote in the House of Commons when nearly all Tory MPs voted with the Government. 

Violence against women and girls

Like so many people across the country, I was shocked by the abduction and murder of Sarah Everard. The fact that a serving police officer has been charged makes it even more shocking.

I’m reminded too of the brutal murders of Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman in north London – which were equally shocking though got far less media attention.

Earlier this week, I was asked by the All Party Parliamentary Group against Antisemitism to add my support to a cross-party letter to the University of Bristol concerning the case of one of their academics – David Miller.

Four times in his Budget speech, the Chancellor said he was being honest with the British people. What would have been honest is if he had acknowledged the scale of the climate and nature crises, and had come up with a Budget which addressed them.    

High Court judgement on PPE procurement 

I have been part of a legal action against the Government over secretive PPE contracts and on February 19^th, I was delighted to learn that we had won our case.  The High Court ruled that the Secretary of State for Health had broken the law by failing to publish details of Covid-related contracts. The judgement was crystal clear: the public "were entitled to see who this money was going to, what it was being spent on and how the relevant contracts were awarded."

Like so many people in Brighton and Hove, I was shocked and saddened to hear that RISE, a hugely respected charity in the city who’ve provided vital support for survivors of domestic abuse for over 25 years, have lost contracts to operate outreach and refuge services.  

Dan’s shock is visible when he talks about the Prime Minister’s response to an MP’s question about the Green Homes Grant. The scheme isn’t being cut, Boris Johnson said, but not enough people were taking it up. 

Coronavirus 

It’s hard to believe it’s a year since the first cluster of coronavirus cases was discovered in Brighton and Hove. A GP surgery and pharmacy were closed for deep cleaning, and many people were worried or confused about what they should be doing and what measures like self-isolation actually meant. There was a lack of clear, timely information and unfortunately the situation didn’t improve for many weeks.   

Last night I opened a parliamentary debate on the Climate & Ecological Emergency Bill, calling on the Goverment to respond much faster to the climate crisis.

The current 2008 Climate Act is hopelessly out of date and needs to be strengthened and the year when the UK will host a critical UN climate summit is the year to do it.