​Through my shifts in A&E, the sight of vulnerable patients on trolleys lining a busy corridor has become all too familiar. This is not the standard of care anyone should expect. Stripped of privacy and dignity, often in pain or distressed, patients are being failed at their most vulnerable. This practice, known as ‘corridor care’, is not just unsafe and undignified; it is a stark visual representation of an NHS pushed beyond its limits after years of neglect from previous Governments.

That is why, as Chair of a cross-party Parliamentary Group on Emergency Care, I was proud to launch our new report on this issue today. It sets out the scale of the problem and provides solutions. Patients in Tooting and across the country deserve better. It is time for real action to restore dignity to our emergency departments. Read the report below:

​I am delighted to hear that Lavender Hill Police Station received confirmation it would remain open for our community.

It is fantastic news for local residents, ensuring continued easy access to police services.

The Tories' Rwanda Bill is one of the most shameful pieces of legislation in recent memory on both moral and practical grounds, which is why I voted 20 times against the Bill last night.

Tonight, I joined Robert Peston on ITV alongside Conservative MP, Paul Scully, Government Minister, Kevin Hollinrake and environmental campaigner, Fergal Sharkey to discuss the hot topics of the day. We chatted about the appalling comments  made by a Tory donor about Diane Abbott and extremism in the UK.

We have heard lots about the Government's heartless Rwanda scheme.

This circus is the latest saga in the Tory melodrama, but it is the most vulnerable people whose lives they're playing with. Britain is better than this cruel, cynical Tory Government.

I have worked with refugees for more than a decade.  I have heard their experiences of war, violence and terror. Nobody leaves their homes, communities and livelihoods unless they must. 

That is why I will always stand against the inhumane Rwanda Bill.

Over recent weeks, I have been appalled at the Tory's unworkable, unethical plans to house asylum seekers on a barge in Dorset. 

The Government failed to listen to well-founded concerns or even carry out basic checks of the water supply, which was contaminated with Legionella bacteria, putting both asylum-seekers and staff at-risk.

The Tories have serious questions to answer about the safety of this project and should stop wasting taxpayer's money pursuing headlines and instead fix this broken asylum system.

​Baroness Casey's independent findings of racist, misogynistic, and homophobic abuses of power within the Met Police are deeply shocking and will leave many residents in Tooting concerned that the trust between the police and our community has been shattered.

It is clear that there is a failure of leadership from the Home Office and today's report lays bare the scale of the challenge needed to reform the Met Police. The rot runs right through the force, so no stone can be left unturned in the push for change. I welcome the work that Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has already begun with the new Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, in addressing these deep-rooted issues and regaining the trust of residents and victims of crime in Tooting.

However, under this Home Secretary and this Conservative Government, the Met Police are lacking the leadership, ambition and resources needed to grasp the scale of this challenge. Over the last 13 years, neighbourhood policing has been decimated, whilst prosecutions for violent and sexual crimes have hit the lowest levels on record, and victims of crime are now unsure that if they report a crime, the police will even turn up.

It is clear we need a Government with a plan to overhaul policing in London which will deliver cultural and systematic change. Under a Labour Government, we will overhaul policing and raise standards, with strengthened training and mandatory vetting, and the restoration of neighbourhood policing.

I would like to thank our hardworking neighbourhood police officers who have always worked constructively with me and for their continuing efforts to keep our local community safe.

The story of a Ukrainian family who wants to come to live in Furzedown recently made national news! Oksana and her young son Dmytro have a sponsor ready and willing to welcome them into their home in the local area, however Home Office delays have stopped them travelling to safety in the United Kingdom.

It is inspiring and heartwarming to see the generosity shown by the British public in welcoming Ukrainian refugees into their lives, however Oksana and Dmytro have been let down badly by the Home Office. They applied to come to the UK in September last year and, so far, the Home Office have refused to provide a timeframe for a decision to both myself and their sponsor's solicitors. This is simply not good enough and the Government must get a grip.​

Our latest research, shows that in 2021/22, the total number of days lost to poor mental health has doubled to more than 730,000 over the last decade. This comes at the same time that there has been a drop in the number of neighbourhood police officers by 6,000 and of Police Community Support Officers by 8,500. 

These absences equate to over 2,000 police officers being off sick each day, last year alone, due to poor mental health.

It is clear that this Conservative Government has presided over 13 years of neglect and staff shortages that have left our public services at breaking point.

The next Labour Government will recruit 8,500 more mental health professionals, ensuring a million more patients get treated each year; and we will rebuild neighbourhood policing, delivering a package of 13,000 extra neighbourhood officers and PCSOs, putting police back on the beat.

Read the full story here

Last week, I asked the Government how many enquiries to the Home Office from MPs are outstanding and how many older than six months are awaiting a reply.

It was incredibly disheartening, although not surprising, to learn that over 10,000 case enquiries have not been answered by the Home Office with nearly 1,000 of those waiting longer than six months. These enquiries cover urgent and compassionate cases and it is simply unacceptable that the Government have allowed such a huge backlog to accumulate.

These are people’s lives, with their family lives and jobs often dependent on Home Office decisions – the Government simply has to get a grip.

To see these questions, follow the links here and here.