This week, we got yet another Tory Budget which was all spin and no substance.
My constituents will know that no matter what Jeremy Hunt and Rishi Sunak say, the Conservatives have failed on the economy and left working families worse off.
14 years of Tory mismanagement has seen household monthly mortgage payments on the up, rents going up, prices still rising in the shops, the tax burden at a seventy-year high, the country hit by recession, and a government unable to generate the growth working people need.
The Conservatives can’t fix the economy because they are the reason it is broken. In this budget, there was no serious plan to get our economy growing, rescue our struggling public services, or make working people better off.
This is a government that is out of touch, out of ideas, and nearly out of road. The prime example of this is, after years of resistance, they finally accepted Labour’s argument on the non-dom tax regime.
Why didn’t they stand up to their friends and funders sooner? If they had followed Labour’s example, 3.8 million extra operations would have taken place by now, 1.3 million emergency dental appointments, and free breakfast clubs for nearly 4.5 million children.
Labour will never play fast and loose with the nation’s finances. Under Keir Starmer’s leadership, the Labour Party has changed. Labour is now the party of economic security. Labour will:
Deliver a long-term plan to grow our economy to deliver more jobs, more investment and to put more money in people’s pockets
Overhaul our broken planning rules so we can get Britain building again
Introduce a new industrial strategy to back British business to succeed in the industries of the future
Make work pay, with a genuine living wage and stronger rights at work
Set tough new spending rules, because Labour will never repeat the mistakes of the Tories’ mini-budget which sent the cost of living and mortgage ratees soaring.
Edgbaston Dental Centre Visit
This week, it was brilliant to meet NHS dentists and patients at Edgbaston Dental Centre accompanied by the New Statesman.
On my visit, I met a patient suffering from severe tooth decay after being unable to access an NHS dentist for over 3 years. A dentist also told me about the crisis in children’s dental health, as many children are unable to access an NHS dentist before their teeth have already significantly decayed.
Labour has a plan to grip the immediate crisis in NHS dentistry and reform the service in the long term. We will deliver 700,000 urgent appointments a year, a supervised toothbrushing scheme in schools for 3-5 year-olds, targeted recruitment in areas most in need, and dental contract reform.
Dental Hospital Visit
It was great to meet students at Birmingham Dental Hospital and School of Dentistry with Chair of the British Dental Association Eddie Crouch.
I really enjoyed chatting to students who are keen to become NHS dentists. Although, there is a genuine fear that NHS dentistry may have no future if it’s left to the Tories.
Only Labour can be trusted to make our NHS fit for the future, so everyone has access to care when they need it.
Read more about my visit here:
UHB
Multiple concerns have been raised about University Hospitals Birmingham Trust after a new report by CQC into the trust highlighted that it needs to make improvements, especially around its culture.
It’s incredibly concerning to see that some staff at UHB didn’t feel safe and protected from bullying and harassment.
Patient safety, also, is of paramount concern. Issues highlighted in the report around risk management and staffing issues which have been putting patients’ safety at risk must also urgently be addressed by the trust. It’s clear that much more needs to be done to tackle the issues around culture and patient safety at UHB.
The trust must implement the recommendations made by the CQC to rebuild trust with patients and staff.
Future Health Panel
It was a pleasure to join a Future Health panel on tackling obesity this week.
I talked about Labour's plans to help families struggling with the cost of living, ban junk food advertising to children, and roll out breakfast clubs to every primary school.
International Women's Day
This week, we celebrated International Women’s Day. It’s vital that we continue to fight for equal opportunities and gender parity, and champion women's economic empowerment, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of society.
This International Women’s Day, I paid a visit to Lordswood Boy’s School. It was lovely to speak to some ambitious students about my role and route into politics.
Local News
Harborne Ward Forum
Next Tuesday, 12th March, the Harborne Ward Forum meeting will be taking place between 6:30pm and 8:00pm at Harborne Pool & Fitness Centre. It’s an informal meeting where you can talk directly to your councillors about any aspects of council services and raise issues that you think are important to the local community.
Kellogg’s Breakfast Club Grants
Kellogg’s have launched a £1000 cash windfall for UK schools to fund breakfast clubs in schools. The grants can be used by schools to invest in any aspect of their breakfast clubs, from equipment to food and learning materials.
Schools can apply by following the link below.
MHRC
Next week, the Mobile Household Recycling Centre will be visiting Faraday Avenue, B32 1JU, on Tuesday 12th March, and Ravenshurst Road, B17 9DP, on Friday 15th March. The centre will be open from 7 until 12:30 so do come along if you have bulky household waste to dispose of.
Campaigning
It was great to do my weekly doorknock in Harborne this Friday. If you would like to support me campaigning and join me doorknocking, please contact: officeofpreetgill@gmail.com.
Keir Starmer
Tom Baldwin’s book, Keir Starmer: The Biography, is now available in bookshops and online. You can order it by following the link below:
Best wishes,
Preet Kaur Gill MP
Birmingham Edgbaston covering Bartley Green, Edgbaston, Harborne and Quinton
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