After more than a year of waiting, the Government has finally responded to the Joint Committee report on the draft Mental Health Bill.
In that time, they kicked mental health into the long grass while patients continued to suffer. The Government response is poor - rejecting vital calls for a Mental Health Commissioner, refusing to ban discriminatory Community Treatment Orders and ignoring a right to culturally appropriate advocacy. Why make us wait so long and not provide any meaningful change? With waiting lists higher than ever, we need bold action on mental health. It is clear the Tories are simply not up to the job. A Labour Government must bring forward mental health reform with the recommendations of the committee at its core.
There was a huge turnout today for the Oxfam Lobby Day event calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. I was proud to join other MPs and charities calling for an unconditional, immediate ceasefire.
Thank you to the charities who helped support it and to all attendees, who brought a powerful energy to the room.
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.
Up to 86,000 people could die in Gaza in the next 6 months due to war, disease and starvation. There’s one latrine for every 500 people and only 4 trucks of aid per day.
At the International Development Select Committee, we heard evidence about the appalling humanitarian situation from experts working on the ground. The Committee published our report on the ongoing crisis. You can read more about it here
Today I met with the Prison Officers Assocation from Wandsworth Prison and Battersea and Wandsworth TUC to discuss the brutal conditions officers face.
They told me about appalling conditions with three assaults on staff every day. This simply can’t go on - the Govt must get a grip on the crisis in our prisons. When I look at myself in the mirror, I want to be proud of the person looking back. We have a moral responsibility to stop more innocent people being killed. That is why I am voting for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. See my speech in full here: Every year in Westminster, there is a debate on Children's Mental Health Awareness Week. Every year, politicians agree the children's mental health crisis must end. But nothing changes and children continue to be let down by inaction. Today, I led calls in Parliament for this to change. It was great to speak at the King's Fund Circles Series focusing on women in leadership, where I shared my experience as a women working in healthcare and politics.
It's vital that we get more women in leadership roles across society. It's important that we meet our net zero obligations - it'll save lives here and around the world. With 65 million people living on vulnerable, low-lying island nations, susceptible to flooding and extreme weather, we need climate action now. |
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