This week Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak were issued fixed penalty notices by the police for breaking their own lockdown laws while the rest of the country made incredible sacrifices to keep each other safe. 50 fines have been issued to officials at Downing Street so far. It is the first time in the history of our country that a Prime Minister has been found to be in breach of the law. Laws that he not only imposed on the rest of the country, but went on TV to tell the nation about night after night at that stage of the pandemic. This confirms what we already knew: that Boris Johnson and the Conservatives simply don’t think the rules apply to them. It is one rule for them, and another for everyone else. Law-makers cannot be law-breakers. This damages the government’s authority to lead. But more than that, to have repeatedly lied to the general public and to Parliament shatters the fundamentals on which our democracy relies: that our politicians tell us the truth. Both the Prime Minister and the Chancellor should now resign. At the same time as the party in question, in May 2020, hundreds of constituents were writing to me about the Dominic Cummings scandal.
Cancer doctors who had had to tell patients why they can’t see their families
Parents who had been unable to hug their children for months
Key workers who had cut out contact with their own families to care for and protect strangers
One constituent who wrote about not being allowed to comfort her grandfather in his last days, saying it “would haunt her forever” that she followed the rules while others flagrantly broke them.
This government has insulted the sacrifices made by millions of people who did the right thing, and they are still taking us for fools.
But if they will not have the good grace to stand down, and insist on facing no consequences for their actions, then it is more important than ever that we send them a message at the ballot box in the local elections on 5th May.
Nursery Road update
This week I have become aware of a letter residents in our constituency have received from Conservatives concerning proposals around Nursery Road. Nursery Road is a continual problem for local residents due to congestion, cars mounting the pavements and road safety issues with schools nearby. We need a solution which will ensure the safety of residents in both Harborne and Edgbaston.
Following our last meeting with council officers, a broad range of proposals were put forward and were all opposed by our Conservative councillors, who failed to offer their own alternatives.
I would like to take this opportunity to put the record straight on some of the disinformation that is being shared. For example, they fail to mention that I have fought to secure £30,000 of funding from the council to consider residents’ proposals to tackle the issue of cars mounting the pavement on Nursery Road. Let me be clear, no decision has yet been made or confirmed. Should it require more funding, more can be allocated. I have spoken to the Council Cabinet Member for Transport, Cllr Waseem Zaffar, and have asked for timescales for this work and the involvement of residents. Officers are currently considering all proposals and options to ensure we reach a solution that will benefit all residents, so no single street is left to bear the burden.
Backing residents in Quinton trees dispute
This week I wrote to National Highways about approximately 100 trees at the back of Clay Drive and Chichester Drive that had been felled without consultation with local residents.
The conifer trees provided a valuable sound, light and pollution barrier for my constituents living on a busy stretch of the M5 – and their loss has caused a great headache for local residents. With the community and Cllr Kate Booth we have been pushing for an adequate remedy: including compensation, the installation of an acoustic barrier and of course the planting of new trees.
Register for a postal vote by 5pm Tuesday!
The local elections on Thursday 5th May will be an opportunity to vote for what could be a golden decade for Birmingham under Labour. Our brilliant local council candidates are campaigning hard for a cleaner, safer and better Birmingham, to modernise our city and grasp the opportunities of the Commonwealth Games.
The deadline to register to vote has now passed, but your chance to register for a postal vote so you can have your say at a time that suits you is available until 5pm on Tuesday 19th April. You can request a postal vote here.
Your Labour candidates are Lauren Rainbow and Sam Forsyth in Quinton, Martin Brooks and Cllr Jayne Francis in Harborne, Baljit Bal and Marie Hill in Edgbaston, Marcus Bernasconi and Cllr Sharon Thompson in North Edgbaston, and Elaine Hook and Paul Preston in Bartley Green.
Preet Kaur Gill MP
Birmingham Edgbaston covering Bartley Green, Edgbaston, Harborne and Quinton
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