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Preet Kaur Gill MP outside Queen Elizabeth Hospital The Prime Minister has set out plans to tackle hospital backlogs with millions of patients able to access more appointments closer to home and get the treatment they need faster. Under the Conservatives, hospital waiting lists ballooned in Birmingham. From 2011 to 2024, the waiting list at University Hospitals Birmingham Trust shot up from 21,000 to approximately 127,000, leaving thousands of people suffering or in pain waiting for treatment. On Monday, the Prime Minister announced a package of reforms to bring down hospital waiting times. The Prime Minister announced that we will:  - Slash NHS waiting times from 18 months to 18 weeks so millions of patients no longer have to have their lives put on hold waiting for treatment  - Expand community diagnostic centres (CDCs) and surgical hubs for faster, local treatment outside hospitals  - Make sure CDCs will operate longer hours (12 hours a day, seven days a week) to increase access to same-day tests and consultations, with up to half a million extra appointments annually  - Free up one million appointments annually by abolishing automatic follow-ups unless requested by patients   - Make a new deal with private clinics to treat NHS patients – with particular emphasis on joint operations and gynaecological procedures  - Simplify and promote patient choice of which hospitals to be treated in to address low uptake  - Prevent unnecessary referrals as GPs will be funded to work with hospital doctors to get specialist advice before making referrals  - Create 14 surgical hubs within existing hospitals by June to handle routine procedures like cataract and orthopaedic surgeries which will operate separately from other hospital areas to ensure operating time isn’t affected by emergencies  - Cut the number of patients waiting over 18 weeks by 450,000 by March 2026  - Aim for 65% of patients to start treatment or receive an all-clear within 18 weeks by March 2026, progressing toward the 92% NHS target by 2029  - Use AI to predict and reduce missed appointments and improve resource allocation  - Reward trusts who make the fastest improvements in cutting waiting times with additional funding for capital projects tailored to local needs  Preet Kaur Gill, MP for Birmingham, Edgbaston, said:    “In my constituency, I’ve seen waiting lists skyrocket, leaving thousands of my constituents suffering or in pain with their lives on hold. I’ve heard from too many doctors, nurses and other dedicated staff who are unable to give the standard of care they desperately want to. “Investment and radical reform can turn this around and that is what our Labour government is focused on delivering.” “The reforms we are launching will free up millions of appointments and cut waiting lists, so the NHS can be there for us when we need it once again.” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “This Government promised change and that is what I am fighting every day to deliver. “NHS backlogs have ballooned in recent years, leaving millions of patients languishing on waiting lists, often in pain or fear. Lives on hold. Potential unfulfilled. “This elective reform plan will deliver on our promise to end the backlogs. Millions more appointments. Greater choice and convenience for patients. Staff once again able to give the standard of care they desperately want to.  “This is a key plank of our Plan for Change, which will drive growth that puts more money in people’s pockets, secures our borders and makes the NHS fit for the future so what working people live longer, healthier, more prosperous lives.”    ENDS  Notes:   - University Hospitals Birmingham waiting list revealed as thousands on hold for treatment - Birmingham Live – https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/university-hospitals-birmingham-waiting-list-29392026

Preet Kaur Gill MP at St Mary's Catholic Primary School in Harborne During Parliament’s break, I had a chance to reflect on the six months or so since my re-election as your MP and what I’d like to see from this Labour government to make a difference to residents in Birmingham, Edgbaston. I’m so pleased to say that in my first week back in Parliament, Labour brought forward legislation that will improve the household finances of families and the life chances of children across Birmingham, Edgbaston. Labour’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is a landmark piece of legislation that will put our vision of a child-centred government into action. The Bill will help us to drive high and rising standards in schools through common-sense reform to put more qualified, expert teachers in classrooms, teaching a cutting-edge curriculum. That’s really important because quality of teaching can make the single biggest difference to children’s life chances and I want young people in Birmingham, Edgbaston to leave school ready for work and ready for life. The Bill will cut the cost of sending children to school to make life easier for families, with free breakfast clubs in every primary school and a cap on the number of branded school uniform items. Breakfast clubs boost children’s attendance, attainment, behaviour and readiness to learn. But taken together, these measures could also save parents in Birmingham, Edgbaston £500 per child, per year, easing the strain of the cost of living. Crucially, the Bill will stop vulnerable children falling through the cracks through landmark reforms to safeguarding and children’s social care. As an ex-children's services manager, I have seen so many tragic cases of children being failed by the system in recent years. We can’t have any more empty words or ‘lessons learned’. We need real action to keep children safe. We’re taking these steps so we can deliver on Labour’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity – to sever the link between background and success. That means where you come from doesn’t determine where you end up and that if you work hard, you should be able to get on in life. That’s a principle that I know so many people in [constituency] hold close and through our Plan for Change, this Labour government will make it a reality. I’m backing Labour’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill every step of the way because children growing up in Birmingham, Edgbaston deserve the best start in life, nothing less.

Preet Kaur Gill MP outside Queen Elizabeth Hospital The PM has announced that patients will be offered a wider choice of providers, and the process of booking treatments and appointments will be made as smooth as possible. On Monday, the PM unveiled a new package of reforms to bring down the NHS waiting list and ensure millions of patients can access appointments in a way that is more convenient to them.  An upgraded NHS App will enable patients to choose providers, book appointments in more settings and receive test results, all in one place  Greater choice and control for patients will sit at heart of reforms, as government delivers on its Plan for Change to rebuild NHS   It will establish minimum standards patients should expect as they wait for care   A revolutionised NHS App is among proposals aimed at giving patients greater power over how and when they receive treatment, as the government sets out plans to reform our NHS and reduce waiting lists for good.  Currently, fewer than a quarter of patients recall being offered a choice of hospital for their treatment. Patients have a legal right to choose their provider and the government wants to give them more control over their own care.   Patients will be offered a wider choice of providers and the process of booking treatments and appointments will be made as smooth, supportive and convenient as possible. The plan marks the start of a new era for the health service that will put patients in the driving seat and in control of their own care.  Preet Kaur Gill, MP for Birmingham Edgbaston, said:  “It should be as convenient as possible for patients to access healthcare. Every single one of my constituents, regardless of their wealth, should be able to exercise choice and control when booking appointments and receiving treatment from our NHS.  “This Labour government is delivering on our promise to put patients first, bring our analogue NHS into the digital age and cut waiting lists so that people and their families will be treated on time for good.”  Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting said: “If the wealthy can choose where and when they are treated, then working class patients should be able to as well, and this government will give them that choice.   “Our plan will reform the NHS, so patients are fully informed every step of the way through their care, they are given proper choice to go to a different provider for a shorter wait, and put in control of their own healthcare. “This government’s reform agenda will take the NHS from a one size fits all, top down, ‘like it or lump it’ service, to a modern service that puts patients in the driving seat and treats them on time – delivering on our Plan for Change to drive a decade of national renewal.”

Happy New Year!  I hope you and your families had a wonderful Christmas and a restful festive period. Thank you to everyone that worked over the holidays, especially staff at UHB and the public sector. Last year was a historic year for Britain. In July, people voted for change, and since then, this Labour government has been working hard to deliver it.  NHS After 14 years of Conservatives, Labour inherited an NHS on its knees. That is why our Government announced £22 billion for the NHS to deliver an extra 40,000 appointments and £3.1 billion for scanners, radiotherapy machines and buildings over the next two years. Read more about our plans to make the NHS fit for the future  here .  In December, Health Secretary Wes Streeting confirmed that we would bring back the family doctor. The Prime Minister announced an extra £889m on top of the existing budget for GP surgeries to address this. Read more about our plans here .  I also welcome the news that the Government will be investing an additional £1.6m to support local authority-led stop smoking services in Birmingham. You can find more information about the benefits of quitting smoking in 2025 here .  The Health Secretary is seeking your views, experiences and ideas are invaluable to help us shape a new 10 Year Health Plan for England. Share your thoughts by submitting comments to the NHS Change consultation here.   Funding for Birmingham Hospice After lobbying the government on my constituents’ behalf about funding for Birmingham Hospice - which had to make a difficult decision to reduce some of its services and make redundancies - I am pleased that the government has agreed to deliver the biggest investment in a generation for hospices, ensuring that hospices can continue to deliver the highest quality end of life care possible for their patients, families, and loved ones.    The announcement includes a £100 million boost for adult and children’s hospices to ensure they have the best physical environment for care, and £26 million revenue to support children and young people’s hospices. It will help support hospices and deliver much needed funding for improvements including refurbishments, overhauling IT systems and improving facilities for patients and visitors. You can read more here .  Adult Social Care Raising issues around adult social care in the Chamber Today, the Health Secretary Wes Streeting has outlined how our Labour government plans to fix Britain’s social care crisis.  Louise Casey will chair an independent commission on adult social care, to build a national consensus around a new National Care Service. We will invest an immediate £86 million to the Disabled Facilities Grant, providing about 7,800 extra home adaptations to help disabled people live safely and independently in their own homes.   We’re also developing a shared digital platform to make data sharing between the NHS and care staff easier and will be providing better support for care workers to take on further duties meaning people can receive more routine checks and care at home – like blood pressure checks. Read more here .  Crime At a morning briefing with police After campaigning for the restoration of neighbourhood policing, I’m thrilled that the Government is investing £48m into West Midlands Police to help fight crime in our communities. You can read more about our plans to take back our streets here .  Potholes Since I was first elected, my inbox has been inundated with constituents who are frustrated about potholes on our roads. Damaged roads can risk lives and cost families hundreds if not thousands of pounds on repairs.     Labour has announced £1.6 billion to fix potholes and do wider highways maintenance work. It’s a 50% increase on what the Conservative Government spent in 2022 and delivers one of our key manifesto pledges, to get Britain moving again. You can read more about our pledge  here .  Children  With Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Angela Rayner and school children in the constituency As an ex-children's services manager, I know all too well how our care system has failed vulnerable children in this country. It’s great that our government has introduced a landmark children’s bill to Parliament, which will put in place a package of support to drive high and rising standards throughout our education and care systems so that every child can achieve and thrive.   The bill will introduce new registers to identify children who are not in school and pave the way for a unique identifier number for children across services given the shocking cases of children failed by disjointed system. Many of us remember the Arthur Labinjo-Hughes case.   Thousands of pupils will also benefit from a £740 million cash injection to enable more students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to achieve and thrive in mainstream schools with more specialist facilities. You can read more about our bill  here .  Housing and Homelessness At foodbanks and baby banks in the constituency We are fuelling growth by reforming planning laws and making the dream of home ownership a reality by building 1.5 million homes.  You can read more about our National Planning Policy Framework here .  I have campaigned on housing and homelessness since I was elected in 2017. Over the years, I have helped hundreds of homeless constituents with their housing situation, as well as supporting local food banks, baby banks, mobile kitchens and food collections to support homeless families and rough sleepers in our constituency.  That is why I was thrilled that the Government announced £17.7 million in funding to help tackle homelessness in Birmingham, as part of a government announcement of a record nearly £1 billion for councils to help break the cycle next year. The package includes £5 million for pilots to reduce emergency accommodation in areas with the highest use of B&Bs, including Birmingham. You can read more about our plans here .  Environment At Edgbaston reservoir Under the Conservatives in 2023, raw toxic sewage was being pumped for 360 hours into our waterways in Edgbaston constituency – a 69% increase from 2022. That is a disgrace, and the reason why our Labour government has introduced immediate action to end the shocking behaviour of water companies and their bosses.   Our Water (Special Measures) Bill will give regulators new powers to take tougher and faster action to crack down on water companies damaging the environment and failing their customers. These new powers given to regulators include banning bonuses and imposing tougher penalties for law-breaking, including imprisonment for water bosses. You can read more about our landmark bill here .  We have also set out a clean power plan, which will enable us to deliver an energy system that can bring down bills for households and businesses for good. This will protect households in Birmingham, Edgbaston from the rollercoaster of fossil fuel markets and high energy prices. It will also unblock the grid, speed up planning decisions and build more renewables to make Britian energy secure with clean power by 2030. You can read more about our Clean Power 2030 Action plan here . Brsk  Speaking in a debate I called about broadband poles As your MP, I have been busy in Parliament and the constituency. In Parliament, I called a debate on the rollout of broadband poles in Birmingham, Edgbaston, after my constituents reported to me that unscrupulous providers were needlessly building broadband poles on their roads despite connectivity already being strong and infrastructure already being in place. You can read the full debate here .  3D Guns  From the C4 documentary I spoke in about 3D guns I proposed a new law to clamp down on those possessing, sharing and building 3D-printed guns. I’m delighted to see that thanks to my campaigning, the Home Office will now introduce legislation to close the loophole that has enabled criminals to share and download these blueprints online.   You can watch a Channel 4 documentary I featured in on 3D printed guns here .  Exempt  My full speech on Exempt Supported Accomodation Last year, I held a debate on Exempt Supported Accommodation, where I called for the Government to get on with the job of reforming the exempt sector, so that rogue landlords cannot continue to exploit the current system and provide substandard levels of care for a profit. Watch the full debate by clicking on the above video. Ten Minute Rule Bill  My full speech outlining my Ten Minute Rule Bill I put forward a Private Members Bill to address the injustice facing Sikh and Jewish people. The Bill would ensure public bodies must include Sikhs and Jews as specific ethnic categories for delivering services. If we consider our legal status as ethnic groups, we should be included. If we consider discrimination we face, we should be included. You can read more about my Bill here .  Libraries  My first letter to the Council fighting for our libraries to be saved In the constituency, I have been holding the council to account over the future of our libraries and exploring alternative ways in which we can maintain these services. This includes working with constituents to set up community-led Friends of the Library groups for Harborne and Bartley Green, which would mean residents would be directly involved in running or supporting their library service.  Harborne Day Centre  Posing questions about Harborne Day Centre to the commissioner I have been working with the council and the commissioners to look for alternative ways to maintain Harborne Day Centre, which is a vital resource for carers as well as the people who use it, many of whom have complex needs. I have been holding the Lead Commissioner to account on his decision to suppress a “call in” request from councillors over the decision, which is blocking democratic scrutiny. I am glad to hear that, after my lobbying, the council is now looking at ways to save the centre.  Casework  This year, I have been busy helping thousands of constituents with diverse problems and concerns. I closed nearly 10,000 cases with constituents covering a variety of issues, including housing, crime and policy queries. Please do get in touch if there is anything you would like me to help you with, by emailing preet.gill.mp@parliament.uk or calling 0121 392 8426.    Local News On Friday 17th January, the MHWC will be visiting Ferncliffe Road in Harborne, B17 0QG. The centre will be open between 7:30am and 1pm, so please do come along if you have any bulky household waste to dispose of.  Best wishes, . . . . . . Preet Kaur Gill MP Member of Parliament for Birmingham Edgbaston, covering Bartley Green, Edgbaston, Harborne, North Edgbaston and Quinton

Last week I wrote about my Bill to clamp down on blueprints to build 3D printed firearms. This issue had drawn international attention following the indictment of Luigi Mangione in the US over the murder of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare on the streets of New York.   This week, I was delighted that the documentary I have been working on with Channel 4 was released, called “I Printed a Gun: Plastic and Deadly”. I was delighted to be asked on to Times Radio to speak to Jane Garvey about the film and my Bill.   Ikea-like step-by-step guides to printing 3D guns circulate widely online. Last year, a man in Birmingham was convicted of building 3D printed assault rifles in their own home. The new law I have proposed would clamp down on those possessing, sharing and building these lethal weapons.   You can watch the full Channel 4 investigati on by clicking the button below. Taking back our streets Preet Kaur Gill MP with police in Quinton This summer at the General Election, I was elected on a promise to take back our streets in Birmingham, Edgbaston. I am proud to say that is exactly what we are going to do.   This week, the government has announced the Provisional Police Grant Report, which includes a huge £48 million boost for West Midlands Police next year.   The billion-pound boost nationwide means more money to increase the number of officers, PCSOs and special constables in neighbourhood policing teams on our streets. It will help law enforcement deliver on the government’s pledges to halve violence against women and girls, reduce knife crime, crack down on antisocial behaviour, and restore public confidence in our police.   Under the Tories, West Midlands Police lost 2,200 officers. Labour has pledged to put more police back on the beat, with 13,000 more officers, PCSOs and special constables in neighbourhood roles and a named officer in every community through our national Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.   Labour is taking back control of our streets. Preet Kaur Gill MP with local police officers for an early morning briefing Funding for Birmingham Hospice Preet Kaur Gill with Health Secretary Wes Streeting Since July, I have been contacted by over 100 constituents who are concerned about the dire financial situation hospices were left under the Conservatives. Birmingham Hospice (formerly Birmingham St Mary's Hospice and John Taylor Hospice) has recently had to make a difficult decision to reduce some of its services and make redundancies. I know that the wonderful staff at Birmingham Hospice have touched many local families’ lives. After lobbying the government about this on my constituents’ behalf, I am therefore extremely pleased to share that the government has agreed to deliver the biggest investment in a generation for hospices, ensuring that hospices can continue to deliver the highest quality end of life care possible for their patients, families, and loved ones. The announcement includes a £100 million boost for adult and children’s hospices to ensure they have the b est physical environment for care, and £26 million revenue to support children and young people’s hospices. It will help support hospices and deliver much needed funding for improvements including refurbishments, overhauling IT systems and improving facilities for patients and visitors This is a great early Christmas present for hospices and I’m really pleased that bending the ear of government ministers has paid off. Staff at Birmingham Hospice do a wonderful job at providing support for people with life-limiting conditions. This funding from our Labour Government will make a real difference. £1.6 billion for potholes Since I was first elected, my inbox has been inundated with constituents who are frustrated about potholes on our roads.   damaged roads can risk lives and cost families hundreds if not thousands of pounds on repairs.   Today, Labour have announced £1.6 billion to fix potholes and do wider highways maintenance work.   It’s a 50% increase on what the Conservative Government spent last year and delivers one of our key manifesto pledges, to get Britain moving again. Funding boost for GPs This week I have also welcomed an £889 million funding boost for GPs. GPs in Edgbaston will be able to spend more time treating patients under L abour's proposed reforms to general practice whichg will bring back the family doctor and slash red tape. Labour's plan to end the 8am scramble for appointments is a key manifesto commitment, with action being taken to deliver on those promises and get the NHS back on its feet. Under the proposals, patients in our constituency including those with complex needs, long-term conditions, or the elderly would experience greater continuity of care. The Government is consulting with the British Medical Association on measures including largest boost to GP funding in years and reducing outdated targets to free up time. Children's Wellbeing Bill Protecting children at risk of abuse and stopping vulnerable children falling through the cracks are at the heart of a landmark children’s bill introduced to Parliament this week. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is central to delivering on the government’s Plan for Change, which will put children’s futures at the centre of rebuilding public services , and break down barriers to opportunity. The measures will help ensure all children get the best start in life, to drive the sustainable, lasting change that children and families need – and deserve – to achieve and thrive.  Over recent years, there have been a number of shocking cases of children being failed by a disjointed system.  The measures introduced in the Bill will write children’s best interests into law and make child-centred government a reality.  In recent years, too many children have been failed by their last line of defence: the state. This bill will be a seminal moment for child protection. No more words, no more lessons learnt. This government will put children first at every turn.  That means a child-centred government, with better protections for young people and real join up between children’s social care, schools and local services. Alongside further measures to drive high and rising standards in our schools, this bill will deliver on this government’s Plan for Change , so that all children, whatever their circumstances, can achieve and thrive. Homes for Heroes A major deal to bring the Armed Forces housing estate back into public ownership has been agreed by the government. The deal will secure 36,347 military homes to improve housing for forces' families and save taxpayers billions. The major deal unlocks new-build housing projects for military families plus essential refurbishments, and will put an end to a huge annual rental bill to save around £230 million per year. Local News £17.7 million to tackle homelessness in Birmingham Labour has inherited a housing crisis at boiling point, and we can’t keep sticking plast ers on it. It is a national disgrace that homelessness and rough sleeping levels are at an all-time high with more than 123,000 households living in temporary accommodation after 14 years of failure. I have been campaigning on homelessness since I was elected in 2017. The homelessness crisis in Birmingham has spiralled over the last 14 years. In Birmingham, 10.9 households per 1,000 are living in temporary accommodation, significantly above the English average excluding London of 2.4. Across the West Midlands, more than 12,000 children face spending Christmas without a regular home.   Under the Tories, the use of temporary accommodation has reached record levels.  In the 50 authorities with the highest levels of temporary accommodation in England, nearly 14,000 households have been in temporary accommodation for more than five years, according to an FOI request . In Birmingham, one household has been in stop-gap housing since at least 2011.   That is why this week I have welcomed the announcement of £17.7 million to help tackle homelessness in Birmingham, as part of a government announcement of a record nearly £1 billion for councils to help break the cycle next year. The package includes £5 million for pilots to reduce emergency accommodation in areas with the highest use of B&Bs, including Birmingham.   I have campaigned on housing and homelessness since I was elected in 2017. Over the years, I have helped hundreds of homeless constituents with their housing situation, as well as supporting local food banks, baby banks, mobile kitchens and food collections to support homeless families and rough sleepers in our constituency. Constituents I have been supporting include a mum and three children confined to a single hotel room.    This announcement of more than £17m of funding for Birmingham, including a pilot to end B&B use, will be gamechanging for our city, alongside the Government's plan to build 1.5 million homes this Parliament, ban no fault evictions, and deliver the biggest increase in social housing in a generation.   The funding announced this week will change the lives of many families in my constituency who are currently stuck in cramped, emergency accommodation with no access to kitchens or utilities of their own. This will be a huge step forwards for Birmingham.   That is the difference with Labour. UHB This week I was asked to speak to BBC Midlands about news that 300 consultants have expressed no confidence in the leadership at University Hospitals Birmingham.   Over the years, I have worked with over 100 doctors, surgeons and staff at UHB who have expressed concerns about practices at the Trust. It led to the Bewick Review last year, which I am proud to have played my part in scrutinising and holding leaders at UHB to account.   Sunlight is always the best disinfectant. That’s why I’ve called for the Trust to release the reports commissioned as part of the Bewick recommendations last year. Hagley Road Metro Scheme This week I was pleased to Chair the first meeting of a strategic steering group for the Hagley Road Metro Scheme, a project designed to improve connectivity on our busy commuter corridor.    I’m privileged to chair the steering group. A reliable transport network is critical to people’s lives. By delivering better transport, we’ll ensure people have proper access to jobs and opportunities – powering economic growth in the West Midlands.   The Hagley Road is a vital commuter corridor, and this scheme aims to take advantage of that by improving travel along it. It will also aim to reduce congestion by introducing alternative travel methods and help make our city greener by incentivising public transport, cycling and walking.    After years of campaigning for better connectivity in our region, I’m excited to be working with local representatives to ensure that this scheme is implemented in a way that delivers better transport solutions for all.   The Hagley Road Metro Scheme is integral to Labour’s mission to improve infrastructure and connectivity across the country. Last month, the government committed an additional £50m funding for the West Midlands Combined Authority to deliver better buses across the West Midlands.    Various options are currently being explored by Transport for West Midlands to improve connectivity along Hagley Road, and the report into a rapid transit scheme will be presented to the group early in January 2025. Christmas and New Year waste collection During the festive period, many households have more rubbish than usual, and much of this can be reused or recycled.   Over Christmas and New Year, there will be some changes to waste and recycling collections, with information available on the Council’s website at the link below.   Birmingham City Council is asking local residents to continue to separate their waste, only use rubbish bins for things that cannot be reused or recycled, and collapse cardboard boxes before putting them in the recycling. Merry Christmas! Wishing you and your loved ones a peaceful and merry Christmas and New Year. Best wishes, . . . . . . Preet Kaur Gill MP Member of Parliament for Birmingham Edgbaston, covering Bartley Green, Edgbaston, Harborne, North Edgbaston and Quinton

Preet supporting rough sleepers in Birmingham Today, Preet Kaur Gill, the MP for Birmingham, Edgbaston, has welcomed the announcement of £17.7 million to help tackle homelessness in Birmingham, as part of a government announcement of nearly £1 billion for England next year. The package includes £5 million for pilots to reduce emergency accommodation in areas with the highest use of B&Bs, including Birmingham.   The allocations for Birmingham announced today include almost £14 million for the core Homeless Prevention Grant, over £1 million for drug and alcohol treatment, and £360,000 to run emergency accommodation reduction pilots, to reduce the placements of families in expensive and unsuitable B&Bs.   Local MP Gill has campaigned on housing and homelessness since she was elected in 2017. Since 2017, MP Gill has helped hundreds of homeless constituents with their housing situation, as well as supporting local food banks, baby banks, mobile kitchens and food collections to support homeless families and rough sleepers in her constituency. Constituents she has been supporting include a mum and three children confined to a single hotel room.   The homelessness crisis in Birmingham has spiralled over the last 14 years. In Birmingham, 10.9 households per 1,000 are living in temporary accommodation, significantly above the English average excluding London of 2.43. Across the West Midlands, more than 12,000 children face spending Christmas without a regular home.   Under the Tories, the use of temporary accommodation has reached record levels. In the 50 authorities with the highest levels of temporary accommodation in England, nearly 14,000 households have been in temporary accommodation for more than five years, according to an FOI request . In Birmingham, one household has been in stop-gap housing since at least 2011.   Responding to the announcement, Preet Kaur Gill, Member of Parliament for Birmingham   “I've been campaigning on homelessness since I was elected in 2017. Under the Conservatives, we have seen homelessness in England spiral into one of the worst crises in the developed world.   “This announcement of more than £17m of funding for Birmingham, including a pilot to end B&B use, will be game changing for our city, alongside the Government's plan to build 1.5 million homes this Parliament.   “The funding announced today will change the lives of many families in my constituency who are currently stuck in cramped, emergency accommodation with no access to kitchens or utilities of their own. This will be a huge step forwards for Birmingham.”   Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, said:   "This largest-ever investment marks a turning point, giving councils the tools they need to act quickly and put in place support for people to tackle, reduce and prevent homelessness. It's time to turn the tide.   "This historic funding comes alongside our work developing a cross-government strategy back on track to end homelessness, pulling every lever of the state, to ensure that we deliver not just sticking plasters but a long-term plan."

This week, the world has been rapt by the story of the murder of the UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on the streets of New York.   Part of what makes this case so terrifying is that the murderer is alleged to have used a 3D-printed gun to conduct his attack. After the police released photos of the murder weapon, experts identified the handgun as a particular model of “ghost gun”—a homemade weapon with no serial number, created by assembling a mix of commercial and DIY parts. The gun appears to have been part 3D-printed – although ballistics experts need to test it to confirm.   The rise of 3D-printed firearms on our streets is a serious threat. In 2022, UK authorities seized 17 3D-printed firearms, a significant increase from just three the year before. Last year in Birmingham, a local man was convicted of possession of a range of home-made assault rifles manufactured with a 3D printer in his home.   Blueprints to make untraceable lethal weapons can now be shared and downloaded easily via social media and the web, presenting a real challenge to law enforcement agencies trying to stop the circulation of firearms on Britain’s streets. As organised crime changes, legislation must keep up. Earlier this year, I presented the Firearms (3D Printing) Bill to Parliament, to shut down a loophole that means it is legal to possess or share a blueprint to make 3D-printed guns, or part-make a 3D-printed gun. I am delighted that today the G overnment has announced that it will take forward my Bill and change the law to clamp down on these dangerous untraceable weapons. I look forward to working with the Government to get this legislation right, so we can crack down on these lethal blueprints and give law enforcement the powers they need. Labour Friends of the Commonwealth On Tuesday evening, I was honoured to welcome the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica, Dr Roosevelt Skerritt, for the launch of a new group I will chair, Labour Friends of the Commonwealth (LFC). The well-attended event, held in Parliament, focused on the ‘Future of Democracies across the Commonwealth’. Prime Minister Skerrit, who leads the Dominica Labour Party and is the first patron of the group, spoke of the longstanding historic ties between our parties, and the role the UK has played on the world stage under Labour governments of the past. In launching this group, our ambition is simple but bold: to build closer ties with Labour Parties and progressives across the Commonwealth. We believe that by working together, we can address the defining challenges of our time—climate change, inequality, and democratic renewal—more effectively than any one country can alone. For me, this is personal. Birmingham, our home, is a Commonwealth city, and the diverse heritage of people here span from the Carribbean to Africa, from Malta to India, from where my own family came. Whether or not we have direct ties, all MPs represent constituents with a deep connection to this global family. Today, the Commonwealth represents more than 2.5 billion people. As the UK seeks to reconnect with other allies on the international stage following years of chaos and division, I want to use this group to build closer links with our allies and forge a progressive alliance on the great global challenges and opportunities we share. We are stronger together. Preet Kaur Gill MP with PM Roosevelt Skerrit £740 million for SEND Last month the National Audit Office highlighted the crisis in the SEND system, with very limited progress having been made in making mainstream schools more inclusive in recent years, harming children’s life chances. I know this only too well from the conversations I have had with constituents. Earlier this year I met with teachers at Woodgate Primary School who highlighted the challenges the system is placing on families and schools. Since leaving government, Conservative Shadow Ministers reflected on the SEND system they left behind with one remarking at Conservative Party Conference that his government ‘did not do enough’ on SEND and they should ‘hang [their] heads in shame’. The previous Conservative Education Secretary has labelled the system ‘lose, lose, lose.’ That is why I am delighted to support plans from the new government to fix the Tories’ “lose, lose, lose” SEND system. Thousands of pupils in Birmingham will benefit from a £740 million cash injection to pave the way for more pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to achieve and thrive in mainstream schools. This new funding can be used to adapt classrooms to be more accessible for children with SEND, and to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit the pupils’ needs. It will start to pave the way for Labour’s wide-ranging, long term plans for reform to help more pupils with SEND to have their needs met in mainstream schools. Broadband Poles in Birmingham This week I called a debate on the rollout of broadband poles in Birmingham, where I shared residents’ concerns with the minister about the activities of Brsk. Last year, we managed to convince Brsk to move a pole in front of Perrott’s Folly and the Waterworks tower. This has a huge significance to our heritage, as the towers inspired JRR Tolkien in “The Lord of the Rings”. We continue to be frustrated by the failure of companies like Brsk to provide adequate opportunity for consultation, to respond to feedback from residents, and most of all, to share existing infrastructure, such as underground ducts which mean more poles don’t need to go up. The company is currently being investigated by Ofcom. I and the vast majority of my constituents support the roll-out of new broadband infrastructure , which will be crucial for the future of our economy. But as I said to the Minister, it should not take a well-organised community campaign and an active MP to get an operator to meet its statutory duties as it rolls this infrastructure out. I’m pleased the Minister shares many of my concerns and has promised to hold Brsk’s feet to the fire. In particular, I’ve been encouraged that it was revealed Brsk now has guaranteed access to BT Openreach infrastructure to install broadband lines underground , following a meeting with the Minister. Fundamentally, my constituents are asking for respect: respect to influence decisions, and to ensure that broadband infrastructure is implemented in a way that respects their local environment, heritage and public interest. I was grateful for the opportunity to send a message to the cowboy operators in Birmingham. Alzheimer's Research It was a great pleasure this week to meet Scott Mitchell, the husband of the late and great Dame Barbara Windsor.   Barbara Windsor was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2014, and she and Scott have been incredible campaigners for more support and research into this awful condition.   I know that many constituents have personal experiences with Alzheimer’s, and will relate to Scott’s experience. Dementia continues to be the UK’s biggest killer, claiming the lives of 74,000 people in 2022.   This year marked a historic milestone with the licensing of two new Alzheimer’s drugs, lecanemab and donanemab, in Britain, the first in over 20 years. I am proud of the work we are already doing in Britain, but there is much more to do.   I am therefore proud to say I have joined Alzheimer’s Research UK’s Dementia Research Champions programme, pledging to take action throughout 2025 that will help revolutionise the way dementia is treated, diagnosed and prevented. Local News University of Birmingham Parliamentors Every year, I take part in the University of Birmingham Parliamentors scheme, to work with a diverse group of students of different faiths, to talk to them about a social action project they are working on, and share my experiences of trying to make change. It was lovely to talk to Becky, Jordh and Umar about their project.  Edgbaston Labour Xmas Party To wrap up a busy week, it was my pleasure to host the annual Edgbaston Labour Christmas Party for minced pies and mulled wine. It has been a busy year, but I couldn't be more thankful to all the Labour members and supporters who have helped me get re-elected this year, as we delivered the first Labour government in 14 years. Thank you all for the hard work, and merry christmas! Best wishes, . . . . . . Preet Kaur Gill MP Member of Parliament for Birmingham Edgbaston, covering Bartley Green, Edgbaston, Harborne, North Edgbaston and Quinton

Preet Kaur Gill MP and PM Dr Roosevelt Skerrit On Tuesday evening, the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica, Dr Roosevelt Skerrit joined the launch of Labour Friends of the Commonwealth (LFC), a newly established grouping chaired by UK Labour MP Preet Kaur Gill. The well-attended event, held in the UK Parliament, focused on the ‘Future of Democracies across the Commonwealth’ as its theme. PM Skerrit, who leads the Dominica Labour Party and is the first patron of the group, was welcomed by Gill and Labour Minister Douglas Alexander as the keynote speaker at the event. LFC has been founded with a clear mission: to unite Labour Parties across the Commonwealth in pursuit of our shared values—rooted in justice, equality, and solidarity. Echoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s words at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), Gill expressed her determination to forge closer links between Commonwealth nations in order to grasp the global opportunities and challenges democratic nations share. The Commonwealth is an extraordinary global community, spanning nearly a third of the world’s population. Its diversity—of culture, geography, wealth, and tradition—is unique among international groupings. The UK itself has deep connections to the Commonwealth through its diaspora, shared history and common ideals, as set out in the United Nations Charter. The launching ceremony saw the presence of Labour leaders, visionaries and advocates from the Commonwealth nations who shared views on evolving challenges and opportunities for democracies in a contested world. Dominica PM Dr Roosevelt Skerrit speaks Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit In his keynote address, PM Skerrit spoke about the necessity of the Commonwealth nations to join hands in collective determination to shape their shared futures. He said history will be kind to the Commonwealth nations by remembering their contribution. The PM also said that especially for Dominica and other Small Island Developing States, the Commonwealth platform is as important as its global Labour connections with other parts of the world. He also emphasised the importance of social justice, sustainable development, cultural diversity and protection of democracy, a task challenged by political polarisation and misinformation. While suggesting that innovative action will be required to address these challenges, the Caribbean leader highlighted his country’s efforts in modernising its electoral system and promoting transparency, inclusivity and good governance. The PM also spoke about the state’s responsibility to embrace technology to bridge the gap between governments and people. He highlighted the importance of economic equality where everyone has equal access to key facilities, such as healthcare. Furthermore, PM Skerrit also underscored the significance of sustainable development and gave the example of how Dominica has invested in geothermal energy, with the assistance of the UK Government. Furthermore, PM Skerrit emphasised in his speech the usefulness of international and regional partnerships, including LFC. “The Commonwealth represents a shared legacy, reminding us of our responsibility to foster stronger, more inclusive democracies,” added Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit. MP Preet Kaur Gill Highlights Commonwealth’s Global Influence Preet Kaur Gill MP Chair of LFC, Preet Kaur Gill MP remarked on the weight that the Commonwealth carries and how it has evolved into an important forum in crucial matters, ranging from climate change to geopolitics to trade. The Indian-origin MP from Birmingham Edgbaston said the Commonwealth nations are home to a third of the world’s population and stressed post-Brexit UK’s need to unite with allies for new collaborations. Gill said in her parting statement, “The Commonwealth is a model we can draw on to inspire cooperation and positive change in an uncertain world. We are stronger together.” She invited Labour MPs and leaders to join the new group, remarking: “Let’s strengthen the bonds between us, amplify our collective voice, and forge a progressive movement that truly reflects the hopes and ambitions of the 2.5 billion people across this extraordinary community.” Labour Trade Minister and Former Secretary of State for International Development, Douglas Alexander, also addressed attendees during the event. He highlighted that the UK Labour Party’s roots are internationalist and that the Commonwealth is a force for good in an uncertain world. He added that under the Labour’s stable leadership, the UK has a great opportunity to work closely with Labour parties from around the world for peace, combating climate change, and promoting economic prosperity and security. Douglas Alexander LFC’s objectives Labour Friends of the Commonwealth (LFC), which focuses on strengthening ties between Labour Parties across the Commonwealth, has among its aims: promoting equitable partnerships among member states; advocating for sustainable economic development; addressing global issues like climate change, social justice and reforms in governance; and amplifying the voice of the Commonwealth on the international stage. The platform also says that LFC is drawing upon the deep historical links between Labour Parties, and will facilitate projects and policies to empower the least advantaged and strive for unity in the spirit of democratic values. “Our Labour principles will guide us every step of the way as we march towards a better tomorrow, as a Commonwealth that is Stronger Together,” says Labour Friends of the Commonwealth. The launching event saw interactions between participants on democratic challenges and opportunities. It also served as a platform for leaders from the Labour parties, policymakers, and advocates to strategise for a sustainable and progressive future. The event concluded with LFC reinforcing its transformative mission for democracy, social justice, and sustainable development. “Labour Friends of the Commonwealth supports deepening collaboration with Labour parties from across the Commonwealth. In a world with growing inequality and instability, Labour Friends of Commonwealth draws Labour parties together in the belief in, and advocacy of, a more inclusive, sustainable future,” the LFC.  Mission and Vision of Labour Friends of the Commonwealth The Labour Friends of the Commonwealth initiative is built on the foundation of strengthening relationships between Labour parties and leaders within the Commonwealth to promote inclusive and forward-thinking governance. As outlined on their mission page, the key objectives of this grouping include:  Promoting equitable partnerships among member states.  Advocating for sustainable economic development across the Commonwealth.  Addressing pressing global challenges such as climate change, social justice, and governance reform through collaborative policies.

This week, the Prime Minister has set out this government’s Plan for Change consisting of six clear milestones for change by the end of this parliament. The Prime Minister’s announcement represents the most ambitious yet honest blueprint for government in a generation and will allow the public to track our progress.   Our Plan for Change consists of the following milestones:   Higher Living Standard s across the country, measured by Real Household Disposable Income per capita. So, working people have more money in their pocket as we deliver the fastest growth in the G7. Rebuilding Britain , with 1.5 million homes over the Parliament and planning decisions made on at least 150 major economic infrastructure projects. Ending hospital backlogs by meeting the NHS standard of 92% of patients waiting fewer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment. Police back on the beat , with 13,000 more officers, PCSOs and special constables in neighbourhood roles and a named officer in every community through our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee in England and Wales. A best start to life for children with a record proportion of five year-olds starting school ready to learn, allowing teachers to focus on the whole class. That means hitting the Early Years Foundation Standard at age 5/ Secure, home-grown energy , with billpayers protected as we deliver Clean Power 2030.   These milestones are underpinned by our foundations of sound public finances and secure borders. We will reduce small boat crossings and net migration while restoring order to asylum and immigration systems by ending asylum hotel use and increasing returns. We will also meet our fiscal rules and strengthen national security.   While this Plan for Change sets our course for the next Parliament, we have already made great strides in rebuilding Britain after 14 years of chaos and managed decline under the last government.   Under the Tories:   NHS waiting lists skyrocketed to 188,000 across our area. Police Community Support Officers were cut by 514 in West Midlands Police. The number of children meeting key early years development targets sat at 66% in the West Midlands – a figure that Labour wants to hit 75% by the end of the parliament.   Since July, we have given the NHS the biggest uplift in funding outside of Covid years since 2010 and have started a huge national conversation about the NHS to inform our 10 Year Plan for change and modernisation. We’ve kickstarted the rollout of our specialist neighbourhood police training programme and announced new Respect Orders to give police and councils the powers they need to crack down on repeated anti-social behaviour.   Tough decisions in the Budget stabilised the economy and prevented a return to austerity while protecting working people’s payslips, and we’ve already set out how we’re overhauling planning to get Britain building. The launch of Great British Energy will provide clean, secure and homegrown power. Families will soon be able to access free breakfast clubs at Primary School, and we’ve already set out funding for up to 300 new or expanded nurseries in state primary schools. 29,500 workers will benefit from an increase in the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage in Birmingham alone.   When Labour won power, we inherited crumbling public services and an economy in dire straits. We have taken immediate action to steady the course, and are now setting clear goals to galvanise work across government and make people better off.   Labour’s Plan for Change sends a clear signal that this government chooses stability, investment and reform over chaos, austerity and decline. My 10 Minute Rule Bill This week, Parliament passed my Bill to improve data collection on Jewish and Sikh people. The Public Body Ethnicity Data Bill would provide that, where a public body collects data about ethnicity for the purpose of delivering public services, it must include specific “Sikh” and “Jewish” categories as options for a person’s ethnic group. Despite being legally recognised as ethnic groups for over 40 years, public bodies never or rarely collect data on Jewish and Sikh people to monitor inequalities and deliver public services. It makes our communities invisible to policymakers. For example, it means that the full numbers of our community aren’t collected in the Census, Councils don’t include us in the data they use to monitor and deliver services, and bodies like the NHS don’t collect data to tackle health inequalities in our communities, like high rates of Covid deaths during the pandemic or the predisposition to certain genetic conditions like breast cancer in Ashkenazi women. In presenting my Bill, I was delighted to have the support of a wide range of community organisations, including the Sikh Council UK, 112 Gurdwaras and UK Sikh organisations, The Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Antisemitism Policy Trust and the Community Security Trust (CST). If you are Jewish or Sikh, I would love to hear from you if you have thoughts on my Bill. If you’d like to learn more, you can read coverage in the news at the links below. Tackling VAWG Earlier this week, I was proud to join Women’s Aid in Parliament to join their 16 Days of Ac tivism event. Domestic abuse is a national emergency. 3,000 crimes of violence against women and girls (VAWG) are recorded each day, with at least 1 in 12 women becoming victims each year. Given most victims do not report to the police, the true number is likely much higher.   I am proud to support this Lab our government's ambition to halve violence against women. From overhauling police vetting, to education, to legal advocates for rape survivors, we will work across the whole of society to make change. Breathe Easy campaign NHS Birmingham and Solihull has launched a campaign across the region, encouraging people to ‘breathe easy’ by getting their vital immunisations.   Over 65s, those with a long term health condition and pregnant women are among the most at risk of getting flu, COVID and RSV if they don’t get vaccinated. Over 10,000 local people will be admitted to hospital this winter suffering with an avoidable respiratory illness, and over 750 people in Birmingham and Solihull could die this winter from avoidable respiratory illnesses including flu, COVID and RSV. Protect you and your loved ones by making sure to get immunised this winter. Kidney Care It was a pleasure to join Kidney Care UK this week, where I met my nephew who is supporting a young boy who is currently on dialysis. I am very proud of him for working with Kidney Care UK on their campaign. Currently, there are over 7,500 people on the waiting list for organ donation across the UK at present. While there has been tremendous progress in organ donation in recent decades, there is still a shortage of donors. Sadly, every day across the UK, someone dies waiting for a transplant. I am therefore pleased to see the Government continuing to work with NHS Blood and Transplant and NHS England to improve utilisation of all solid organs following recommendations from the Organ Donation Group 2023 report. This includes considering how Assessment and Recovery Centres could be established and where deceased donor kidneys are perfused and assessed, with the potential to increase kidneys for transplantation by up to 400 per year. Tech start-ups It was fascinating as well to visit an event organised by ACT, the App Association, where I wa s able to meet with some of the UK's top tech start-ups. It was great to see some of the latest AI and Internet of Things developments being created right here in the UK. One of the developers I met was working on wearable sensors that could use AI to support carers in predicting when someone is at risk of having a fall. It was exciting to consider the potential for this new technology to improve our public services and vulnerable people's quality of life. Local News Dudley Road Today it was great to visit businesses on Dudley Road. I've always been proud of the entrepreneurialism of my constituents, and I am proud that Birmingham created an average of 61 new businesses every day this year. However, I know our high streets need more support, so I met with businesses today to discuss what we can do to revitalise our high streets, with a three-year strategy to bring in more investment, clean up the area, and tackle issues like fly-tipping and parking. Ahead of Small Business Saturday, I am encouraging my constituents to get out and support their local traders with their Christmas shop this year. Quinton Police Station This week it was great to visit Quinton Police Station, to see it back in action after years of hard-fought campaigning with residents to save it from being shut down. It was lovely to meet with our local inspector Paul Hatton, and it's great to have our local police back in the heart of our community in Quinton again. Across the constituency, we now have five officers in every ward, and I will be pushing for more. Under the Tories, West Midlands Police lost 2,200 officers. Labour has pledged to put more police back on the beat, with 13,000 more officers, PCSOs and special constables in neighbourhood roles and a named officer in every community through our national Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. Meeting with Chief Crown Prosecutor This week I was also able to meet with the Chief Crown Prosecutor of the West Midlands, Siobhan Blake, to be briefed on the work the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does to support our criminal justice system. Best wishes, Preet Kaur Gill MP Member of Parliament for Birmingham Edgbaston, covering Bartley Green, Edgbaston, Harborne, North Edgbaston and Quinton

Birmingham – 1 December 2024  Preet Kaur Gill, MP for Birmingham, Edgbaston, and the Chief Constable for West Midlands Police, Craig Guildford, have been working with Gurdwaras in the West Midlands to rebuild the relationship between the Sikh community and West Midlands Police.  Preet Kaur Gill MP alongside new Chief Inspector of Smethwick, Amandeep Singh Sanghera, and Chief Superintendent of Sandwell, Kim Madill, were welcomed by the congregation and management committee at Guru Nanak Gurdwara (GNG) Smethwick.   The Gurdwara is well regarded for its interfaith work and supporting local communities. It provides vital services to the Sikh community in Sandwell and the West Midlands, with a weekly congregation of approximately 10,000. It is an iconic place of worship that also functions as a community hub open to all.   Preet Kaur Gill and Craig Guildford have co-ordinated meetings at GNG Smethwick since February 2024 with representatives of Gurdwaras from West Midlands and representatives of Sikh organisations to address community concerns, before the meeting on Sunday.  These concerns have included those relating to the Sikh identity, security and safety of Sikhs in the West Midlands and hate targeting Sikh activists and religious institutions.  Preet Kaur Gill and the senior leadership of West Midlands Police discussed the role of the Gurdwara as a third-party reporting centre for hate crime and the ongoing support the police can provide to the community.  Preet Kaur Gill, MP for Birmingham, Edgbaston, said:   “I welcome the Chief Constable’s commitment to working with the wider Sikh community to build trust. It’s vital that we work together so that the police can better understand our community.  “This is an important moment for Sikh Gurdwara’s to have direct links with police officers, given a previous breakdown of trust.”  Acting Chief Constable Scott Green said:   "We're proud to work alongside our communities across Sandwell and we're continuing to rebuild stronger relationships with members of the Sikh community. "It's important we fully understand any issues and concerns so we can take action to deal with them and recognise that there had previously been a break down in trust and confidence from the Sikh community to West Midlands Police.  "Our Sandwell Local Policing Area commander Kim Madill, and her local teams, are working tirelessly to keep the borough safe for everyone. They will continue to engage with diverse communities and tackle issues in Sandwell including developing their relationship with the Council for the Gurdwaras to build on the conversations held over the last 12 months with representatives from the Sikh Community in the West Midlands.”  Kuldeep Singh Deol, President of Guru Nanak Gurdwara said:  “Over the last year we collectively as gurdwaras across the West Midlands engaged in numerous meetings with Preet Kaur Gill and senior officers from West Midlands Police (WMP) to address our concerns about the safety of Sikhs. Sikhs have increasingly been worried about crime, safety of places of worship, transnational repression and use of schedule 7 stops at borders under the last government.   “These ongoing dialogues aim to strengthen our relationship with WMP and build collaborative efforts to improve the safety and well-being of Sikhs, as well as all other communities.  “We thank Preet Kaur Gill and Craig Guildford for the engagement and rebuilding of this vital relationship. Their leadership should be commended.”

Mr Speaker, I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to provide that, where a public body collects data about ethnicity for the purpose of delivering public services, it must include specific “Sikh” and “Jewish” categories as options for a person’s ethnic group; and for connected purposes. Jews and Sikhs are in the unique position of being considered both ethnic and religious groups under the Equality Act 2010. Sikhs and Jews have been legally recognised as ethnic groups for over 40 years since the Mandla v Dowell Lee case in 1983. The Bill would address a fundamental absurdity in the fight against discrimination and inequality, that we do not collect ethnicity data on Sikhs and Jews since laws on racial discrimination were first introduced nearly 60 years ago. The Women and Equalities Select Committee were told in February 2018 that the Government’s Race Disparity Audit had identified around 340 datasets across government, but found no data on Sikhs. The only data collected on Sikhs and Jews in more recent years is religious data. However, the quality of data collected by public bodies on religion compared to ethnicity is poor, patchy and incomplete. Religion data is never used by public bodies to make decisions for the purposes of delivering public services. It makes both Jews and Sikhs invisible to policymakers – therefore ignoring the inequality and discrimination both groups face. That is why a specific Jewish and Sikh ethnic category is needed. That is what this Bill will do. Mr Speaker, this is a campaign to end the discrimination both communities face. I campaigned for a Sikh and Jewish ethnic tick box to be included in the 2021 Census, because we know public bodies have been instructed for over 30 years to use the design of the Census ethnic groups questions to design and deliver services in compliance with equalities legislation. As protected characteristics, you would expect that public bodies are instructed to routinely collect information on Sikhs and Jews. But they are not. As an Equalities Minister wrote to me last year: “Public bodies and decision-makers who think that their decisions may affect discrimination, harassment, or victimisation of Sikhs, […] should ensure that their compliance with the duty includes considerations of Sikh ethnicity.” But they don’t, because people incorrectly argue and assume data collected on religion is a suitable substitute. Those people don’t understand the existing practices. Religion data is rarely collected to a good standard, it excludes non-practicing Sikhs and Jews, and it is not used by public bodies to monitor and reduce inequalities, or provide public services. Sikhs and Jews are missing from whole swathes of public data: education; housing; crime; health; criminal justice; the public sector workforce; the ethnicity pay gap. The proposal in this Bill would allow public bodies to start systematically collecting data on Sikhs and Jews to address the discrimination and inequalities they face. Especially as the Government has made a commitment to require ethnicity pay gap reporting. In presenting this Bill today, I have the support of a wide range of community organisations. This includes the Sikh Council UK, 112 UK Gurdwaras and organisations, The Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Antisemitism Policy Trust and the Community Security Trust (CST). I would like to provide the House with a few examples of why this Bill is so important. The pandemic shone a harsh light on the inequalities between different ethnic groups. Many experts in public health now recognise that we were too slow to recognise that some ethnic groups were dying at a far higher rate than others. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) belatedly started analysing Covid related deaths data by religious group, where data was available – a short-term exercise that has since been discontinued. It found that Sikhs died disproportionately from Covid even after adjusting for region, population density, area deprivation, household composition, socio-economic status, and a range of other economic indicators. Not only this, but it showed that Sikhs were affected at a very different rate to other predominantly South Asian groups – meaning that analysis using the existing ethnic minority categories would fail to capture any of these inequalities. The Board of Deputies has also recognised these arguments. British Jews died at almost twice the rate of the rest of the population. With the higher prevalence of certain genetic conditions among Jewish people, for example breast cancer in Ashkenazi Jewish women, collecting better data will help public services profile and respond to the community better. Surely to address health inequalities, we need to learn from the pandemic and collect accurate data to address outcomes for both these communities, given the evidence base? To give just one example, which highlights the absurdity of this system, the NHS Blood and Transplant Authority does not collect data on Sikh organ donors or Sikhs requiring an organ transplant, despite a policy of more than a decade of trying to encourage more Sikhs to become donors! They do not hold the single most important data point that would allow us to improve sign-up rates in this underrepresented group! It’s simply shocking! As Amanda Bowman, Vice-President of the Board of Deputies, wrote last year: “Imagine you’re sitting in a hospital waiting room and have been asked to fill out a form which, among other questions, asks for your ethnicity. […] So which box do I tick?” As David Baddiel, the author of Jews Don't Count, has said: “It is othering and alienating” that Jews do not have a distinct ethnic box to reflect their race. Since October 7th, the British Jewish community have faced an appalling rise in antisemitic hate attacks. While the Home Office collects data on antisemitic hate crimes by religion, it doesn’t on racially aggravated antisemitism. This is despite racial hate crime outnumbering religiously aggravated hate crime by 10:1. There is therefore a serious risk that Jewish hate crimes are being undercounted by the Home Office, because they do not have their own Jewish ethnic category. In the first half of this year, the Community Security Trust (CST) found that the majority (52%) of antisemitic incidents they recorded consisted of “anti-Jewish discourse linking the victim to Israel, Palestine, the Hamas terror attack or the subsequent war.” According to CPS prosecution guidance, hate targeting someone’s real or perceived nationality or national origins – such as a link to Israel – would indicate a racially, not religiously, aggravated offence. The same also goes for Sikhs, as has been documented in the APPG on British Sikhs’ report into anti-Sikh hate. Sikhs are the most visible minority in Britain, yet we do not collect data on racist anti-Sikh hate. The last government’s hate crime action plan effectively ignored Sikh hate or the definition of anti-Sikh hate. Here in is the fundamental problem with consigning Sikhs and Jews to exercises focused on religion data, and not ethnicity. Religion is not a mandatory field in terms of crime reporting standards set by the Home Office for police forces, apart from in religiously aggravated hate crime cases only. However, police forces are required to record ethnicity or EA codes using Census categories, where Sikhs and Jews do not exist despite recognition in Equality Act 2010. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services has produced at least 30 different reports since 2017 criticising police forces for the poor recording of data on the ethnicity of victims of crime. A final example. In October, the chief executive of UK Jewish Film Festival warned of the “erasure of British-Jewish culture from national cultural life” by arts bodies, which are of course largely publicly funded. Benjamin Till, a Bafta-nominated composer, told the Jewish Chronicle that the Arts Council “doesn’t allow Jewish people to identify as anything other than a religion” and insists it “must accept that Jewishness is a cultural, and an ethnic identity.” As the APPG on British Sikhs and Board of Deputies have warned, even on its own merits, using religious questions to capture data on our communities will increasingly become irrelevant. The percentage of Sikhs and Jews who identify with their ethnic group but do not practise their religion is growing. As Britain becomes increasingly secular, we are failing to recognise how British Sikhs and Jews face discrimination in other ways. Ethnicity data can capture this in ways that religion data doesn’t. As the Board of Deputies has said, “We are concerned that until this situation is rectified, many Jewish citizens will not feel fully counted.” As a former Cabinet Member for Public Health and Protection on Sandwell Council, Sikhs and Jews are forgotten when it comes to the design of services, because there is no ethnicity data on Jews and Sikhs to inform those decisions. Religious data is not used. In the rare cases where we do have some data, it often exposes glaring inequalities. In 2018, 5.3% of homeless deaths in London were Sikh vs 1.3% of the general population in the city.   27% of Sikhs in the UK report that someone in their family has an alcohol addiction.  The pandemic revealed that both Sikh and Jewish people were dying at a significantly greater rate than other groups. Good quality data saves lives. In the past few years, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has come to acknowledge the need to “ensure the ethnicity standard reflects the diversity of the UK population.” That surely means it is time to address this injustice facing Sikh and Jewish people. Whatever the future of ethnicity data collection, we must routinely be included in our own right: If you consider our legal status as ethnic groups: we should be included. If you consider the size of our populations: we should be included. If you consider our contribution to Great Britain and society: we should be included. If you consider the specific forms of discrimination and inequalities we face: we should be included. What our communities are asking for is fairness and justice: To be counted as ethnic groups given we have been recognised as such in law for over 40 years. As David Baddiel has argued, “identifying antisemitism as religious intolerance, rather than racism, downgrades its importance, which is what leads to Jews not counting.” The same goes for Sikhs. And this is not just a rhetorical point. It is literally the case that regarding Sikhs and Jews as a religious category means we are not counted. We are not counted when we fill in a form in an NHS waiting room. Not counted in the Census. And local Councils don’t count us in the data they use to monitor and deliver services. It’s high time that changed, and so I urge Members across the House to allow this Bill to progress today. It’s high time that public bodies ended this injustice. As legislators we must put this wrong right and to support them to do that. Watch the full speech here: https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/3bd4934f-3cb3-45b3-b6c5-678a2c831723?in=12:36:11

Get Britain Working On a visit to Curzon Street station This week, Labour unveiled the biggest employment reforms in a generation to get Britain working again. Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall, published the Great Britian Working White Paper, marking the Government’s first major intervention to achieve an ambitious 80 per cent employment rate. The measures announced in the White Paper, backed by £240 million investment, will deliver growth and create good jobs across Britian. We will transform Jobcentres and make sure every young person has access to an apprenticeship, quality training and education opportunities. We will rebuild the NHS so people can get back to work and expand mental health support. Find out more, and access the White Paper, here .  Tobacco and Vapes Bill Speaking in the Chamber This week, I voted for the landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which will introduce a world-leading smoking ban to save a generation from a life imprisoned by addiction. The Bill also aims to tackle the sale of nicotine products “deliberately targeted at children.” It would see a total ban on vape advertising and prevent anyone born after 2009 from buying tobacco legally. Find out more about the historic Bill  here .  Just this week, a shop in our city was raided and found to be illegally selling vapes 30 times over the legal limit. The government is taking stronger measures to protect our children from youth vaping. More in a Birmingham Live article  here .  I have supported this Bill from the beginning. You can watch my speech from April here:  Spiking From a city-wide roundtable I led on spiking in Birmingham This week, the Prime Minister announced that he will make spiking a new, specific criminal offence. This will send a clear signal that spiking is a crime, and perpetrators should feel the full force of the law, empowering victims to report offences and giving them confidence the justice system will support them. The Prime Minister also demanded coordinated action across the police, transport network and venues to stamp out this cowardly act and take back our streets. This will include training thousands of staff working in the nighttime economy on how to spot and tackle spiking. Find out more here . For years, I’ve been campaigning for stronger protections for women, as everyone should be able to feel safe when they go out at night. I welcome the Government’s commitment to crack down on spiking as part of their mission to stop women from being targeted.  Domestic Abuse Pledging to end violence against women and girls It’s unacceptable that an estimated 2.3 million people in England and Wales are believed to have experienced domestic abuse in the last year.  This Labour government is introducing new New Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPO) to ensure more victims receive the protection and support they deserve. Find out more now .  Breakfast Clubs With school children in the constituency The government is committed to offering free breakfast clubs in every primary school in England. Breakfast clubs support children’s attendance and attainment, enabling them to thrive academically and socially.  Primary schools can sign up here . Gambling Fighting for change to reduce gambling harms Gambling addiction ruins lives. It's only right that those who are profiting from gambling are helping to tackle its addiction.    This Labour government is strengthening gambling harm legislation, bringing forward a statutory levy and online slot stake limits of £5 for over 25s and £2 for young adults aged 18 to 24. Gambling businesses will now pay £100 million towards the research preventions and treatment of gambling harms. Find out more here . Employment Rights Bill In the Employment Rights Bill committee This week, the Employment Rights Bill committee has commenced evidence sessions. As a member of the committee, I have been listening to evidence and hearing about how our historic legislation will make work pay and deliver growth across the UK. Find out more about how Labour’s plans to introduce new workplace rights to end unfair employment practices and grow the economy will affect you here .  Assisted Dying This week, after much consideration and consultation with my constituents, I voted against the assisted dying bill in Parliament.  This decision is informed by my experience as a children’s services manager, my personal beliefs and concerns about insufficient safeguards. You can read my full letter detailing my position here.  I spoke to BBC Radio 4 about my position on assisted dying and my relationship between faith and politics. You can listen to the full episode here .  Co-operative Party  With Chancellor Rachel Reeves As Chair of the Co-operative Parliamentary Party I, along with Co-operative MPs, wrote to the Chancellor Rachel Reeves to thank her for her support of the co-operative sector. We work with Labour to share the co-operative movement’s priorities and, now in Government, we’re working to deliver a fairer and stronger economy for our communities. You can read my full letter here . Gurpurab Event  At Gurpurab event in Parliament It was wonderful to attend a brilliant Gurpurab event in Parliament hosted by the APPG for British Sikhs. It was a unique opportunity to share the message of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, on truthful living. Sikhs pray for the betterment of all by living a life devoted to selfless service.  Darts Championship  With Fallon Sherrock at darts event It was great to meet Fallon Sherrock at the Westminster Darts Championship hosted by James Frith MP with Prostate Cancer UK and Paddy Power. 1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer in their lives. The risk increases with age and is higher for black men. It can be curable if detected and treated early, so I urge men in my constituency to get checked.  Innocent Drop-in  At the Innocent drop-in It’s not right that two-thirds of the UK population still aren’t consuming enough fruit and veg. It was great to meet Innocent Smoothies in Parliament and to hear about all the work they are doing with early years settings and low-income families to access rose vouchers for fruit and veg.  Carers  At the drop in for Islamophobia Awareness Month I will always champion carers and providers, who do so much brilliant work to provide care in our communities.  It was great to meet with carers in Parliament to discuss the challenges they face on a day to day basis.  Local News Rotton Park Road Shooting I know many of my constituents will be concerned after the fatal shooting on Rotton Park Road at the junction of City Road over the weekend. Another man also remains in hospital and is said to be in a stable condition.  I’m urging anyone with any information, dashcam or mobile phone footage that might be relevant to contact West Midlands Police via the Online Portal or by calling 101 or Live Chat, quoting log 5228 of 22 November. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.  Free Buses From 7pm on 9th to 13th December, you can hop on any bus in the West Midlands for free. This will make it easier to enjoy the season all while showing how great our bus network can be.  Harborne Day Centre This week, I wrote to Cllr Rob Pocock and Council Leader John Cotton to repeat my call for the preservation of Harborne Day Centre. In my letter, I requested a meeting with relevant partners to explore other models of delivery in order to maintain the centre. I have also suggested seeking trailblazer status, which would unlock government support. See my letters below.  Best wishes, Preet Kaur Gill MP Member of Parliament for Birmingham Edgbaston, covering Bartley Green, Edgbaston, Harborne, North Edgbaston and Quinton