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Many people in Gaza were already living in appalling conditions before this latest conflict. If the Israeli bombardment continues and aid doesn't get through, I really fear for the consequences. Today, I appeared on Peston to reiterate calls for an immediate ceasefire in Israel and Gaza. Every effort needs to be made to work towards a peaceful solution. See my clip here:
Today, I was on BBC Politics Live ahead of Prime Minister Questions, to discuss the conflict in Israel and Gaza, free speech and the drinking culture in Westminster.
Not many people know this about me: when I was young, due to significant childhood trauma, I had a stammer. All too often it made me too afraid to speak, for fear of being ridiculed.
People that have stammers aren't victims. Stammers are a normal part of life. Today I had such an amazing time with the ladies on Loose Women, opening up publicly about it for the first time. With greater awareness and better representation of people with stammers, we can become a society where people who are disfluent are not stigmatised. Great as always to catch up with my friend Denise Welch. And shout out to Adam Alexander in Tooting for my new, fresh hair colour.
Today, I appeared on BBC Question Time, where I held the Government to account on the shameful Rwanda policy, their neglect of the NHS, and the issues surrounding Thames Water.
Joining Billy Bragg’s ‘Left Field’ stage at Glastonbury, I spoke about the importance of protecting our NHS. It’s crucial that NHS staff are supported in their work and that patients can access timely treatment.
It was great to join Nish Kumar and Coco Khan on Pod Save the UK. We spoke about working on the frontline during the pandemic, Labour’s bold mental health plan, and pitying Matt Hancock.
See a clip of the Podcast here:
It was great to be part of the 'Any Questions' panel last night. During the show, I spoke about how every death caused by the Covid-19 pandemic is more than just a number. Each death is a family, torn apart by grief by losing a loved one.
Mask wearing, supporting people with proper sick pay, ensuring that indoor areas are ventilated - these are all things that should have never ended. As winter approaches, the Government must take the risk posed by Coronavirus seriously. The Government needs to step and take the safety of people seriously. If you missed the show, you can listen back here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0010nv1  On Monday 6 September, I’ll be live on Riverside Radio diving into why mental health matters and, perhaps most importantly, all your mental health matters.
The last 18 months have been incredibly challenging for so many of us and have highlighted the importance of mental health care. We need true parity of esteem between physical and mental health. One step we can take towards reducing any stigma is by being open in our conversations around mental health. Join me for an honest, straight-talking hour, 6-7pm next Monday! And if you have any questions about mental health that you want to ask on air, please email [email protected]. Today, the BBC revealed that in 2018 4,500 people in mental health crisis were unlawfully held in police custody due to a lack of mental health beds.
I spoke about this matter on BBC News earlier today. There is no question that the system must change immediately. This is nothing short of a scandal. Rest assured I will be pressing the Government on this issue.  Children and young people have suffered immensely during the pandemic. But the mental health crisis facing Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) is nothing new.
CAMHS services are at breaking point. They were before the pandemic. Tens of thousands of children are being turned away from mental health services – support they vitally need. Parents have raised this issue. Doctors have raised this issue. The stats provide the evidence. When will the Government admit that CAMHS services need to be better resourced? |
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