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The result of the General Election was a huge disappointment and disaster for the Labour Party nationally.
In Hall Green the people had a choice between two Labour Party supporting candidates and they chose the official party candidate as their MP. I respect their decision and wish them well for the future along with their new MP, Tahir Ali.
I extend my thanks to the people who voted for me and for the many kind messages of support. I particularly thank those supporters who worked tirelessly with me during the short campaign for their heroic efforts and for the time that they put in delivering leaflets – often in unpleasant weather – and trying to drum up support on social media. They all deserve a well earned rest.
The election has dramatically changed the political landscape of our country and the challenge facing socialists and social democrats is whether they want the Labour Party to be a broad based church of views and opinions, as it once was, or whether it becomes a narrow metropolitan sect based on political purity and conformity. If the latter course is taken then, I believe, the very future of the party is in doubt.
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I have always opposed fracking so I am delighted the government said they will ban it, even if their decision was a political one and not a moral one.
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Diwali is the festival of lights and is an ancient Hindu festival celebrated in autumn every year. The festival signifies the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, and hope over despair and extends over a five day period.
I know how important Diwali is to my Hindu constituents and it is also celebrated by my Sikh and Sri Lankan constituents. The festival is one of joy and hope for the future and I offer my very warmest congratulations to all of my constituents who will be celebrating it.
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Dear Chief Executive,
Will You Pledge to Help the West Midlands Become the UK’s First Real Living Wage Region?
We write to ask if you can help the West Midlands become Britain’s first Real Living Wage region - where every employer pays its workers and contractors at least £9/hour and is accredited as such by the Real Living Wage Foundation.
As you probably know, low pay is a curse on our region. Since 2015, the number of people across the West Midlands visiting foodbanks has now risen to 142,000 per year - including 51,000 children. Low income is the biggest single reason for food bank use - and in our region, around 1 in 4 workers are paid below the real living wage which is only £9/ hour - that’s 571,000 workers.
However, our region has one of the lowest numbers of employers accredited by the Living Wage Foundation; Just 1 in 1,000 businesses are accredited in the region.
Paying the Living Wage however, is good for business. Ninety-three per cent of Living Wage-paying businesses have benefited from paying the Living Wage since they started. When workers have more money in their pocket, they feel more fulfilled in their career. It is good for their family, as they enjoy a better standard of living, and with the worker no longer needing to work two or three jobs to make ends meet, they have more family time. It is good for the employer as a better paid worker is happier, more committed and less likely to leave. Less churn of staff leads to a more stable and productive workforce. 75% of accredited Living Wage employers say that it has increased motivation and retention rates for employees.
So, we the undersigned are writing to the top 250 employers in the West Midlands Combined Authority area, along with the public sector to ask:
Will you commit to becoming a Real Living Wage employer accredited by the Real Living Wage Foundation, over the next 12 months?
We would be grateful if you could email yes or no answers to , by Monday 4th November 2019.
We will publish all responses to this survey on Monday 11th November, which is the beginning of Living Wage Week. According to the Living Wage Foundation, to become a Real Living Wage employer, “you need to pay all of your directly employed staff a Living Wage and have a plan in place to extend that to regular sub-contracted staff as well. The current Living Wage rates are £9.00 per hour [outside London].”
We have enclosed a guide - which can be found here: -
https://www.livingwage.org.uk/sites/default/files/Living%20Wage%20Implem...
We believe that together we can end the curse of poverty pay. And we hope we can count on your support in making it happen.
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Dear Mr Staley,
We were extremely disappointed to learn of Barclays’ intention to end the current agreement with the Post Office that allows our constituents to withdraw cash from their local Post Office branches. This change will only add to the cash crisis many of the most vulnerable and elderly in our communities are currently facing. We would strongly urge you to reverse this decision to prevent your customers – and our constituents – from being left behind in the wake of the banking sector’s digitisation.
As you will be aware, 3,312 high street bank and building society branches closed between January 2015 and August 2019 – at least 481 of which were Barclays branches. This unprecedented and unsustainable rate of closure has left many of our communities with little or no access to face-to-face banking services – with some of our constituencies being left with very few, or even zero, bank branches.
While we understand the impact technological change is having upon the banking sector, we must underline the need to provide people with the basic banking requirements they need, expect and deserve. Free and easy access to cash forms the bare foundation of the service customers should expect to receive.
The Access To Cash Review, the conclusions of which were published in April 2019, found that around 17 per cent of the UK population – or 8 million adults – would find it difficult to function in a cashless society. This underlines the need to maintain a base level of support for people who will undoubtedly struggle to make full use of the digital economy and ensure that nobody is left behind as these economic changes continue to take effect at pace. Data from Which? clearly demonstrates that, despite the increase in digital banking and contactless payments, almost three quarters of people still use cash frequently. For some, this will be a matter of choice, but for others – particularly in more remote or rural areas – this results from sheer necessity.
When we couple this changing picture with the frankly staggering rate of ATM closures across our country, we have to begin to question whether the banking sector is really serious about maintaining the banking provision our constituents need and deserve. Data from Link shows that over 500 ATMs were being closed every month throughout 2018; further removing access points where local residents can manage and access their money. Just after these statistics were released, a spokesperson for UK Finance said: “this is why all the high street banks have arranged for everyday banking services to be available through 11,500 Post Offices across the country”. You will therefore understand why there is such a deep level of anger and concern at Barclays’ latest decision to withdraw services from Post Office branches. Even the thin gruel provision is to be removed, it seems.
Quite simply, amidst the current uncertainty many people face around access to cash and wider banking services, this decision appears to be a retrograde step which will impact your poorest customers hardest. It sends a message – rightly or wrongly – that those who cannot properly access the digital economy will have the carpet dragged from under their feet as our high street banks continue to abandon the communities that have sustained them for decades.
We would therefore strongly impress upon you the need to review and reverse this decision to prevent any of our constituents from being further side-lined in our local and national economies.
Given the significant public interest around this issue, we will be sharing this letter with our constituents and with the media. We would welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss our concerns in person, should you be available to do so.
Thank you for looking into our concerns – we look forward to hearing from you as a matter of urgency.
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Dear The Rt Hon Raab,
Re: End the Turkish Invasion of Northern Syria
We are writing on behalf of our constituents and the Kurdish community who have contacted our offices about the Turkish invasion of Northern Syria. It is a sad day to see our Kurdish allies being assaulted by the Turkish military on the orders of President Erdogan. We believe the United States has made the wrong decision to withdraw military support from Northern Syria.
The Kurdish led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have played the leading role on the ground and have lost over 11,000 men and women in the fight against ISIS. They led this fight willingly and help to bring about a degree of peace and stability in this war-torn region.
Out of the chaos that has consumed Syria for almost ten years, Kurdish forces in North Eastern Syria have not only liberated millions from extremism and tyranny but have in its place established a system of democratic governance, one which is remarkable for its commitment to women’s participation at every level.
In recent days the US-led Combined Joint Task Force – Inherent Resolve, compelled the SDF to demolish defensive fortifications along the Turkish-Syrian border. This action was conducted on the
understanding that it would address Turkish security concerns and that US efforts would continue to guarantee the safety of the people of North Eastern Syria from potential Turkish military action. To follow this with the immediate withdrawal of US forces, albeit giving American consent for a Turkish invasion, is nothing other than a gross act of betrayal.
Turkey’s 2018 invasion of the Kurdish enclave of Afrinshows us precisely what President Erdogan has planned for the North East; ethnic cleansing, extensive bombing of civilian areas, the use of proxy
forces including former ISIS fighters and other extremists, and the destruction of any form of democratic governance. We cannot allow this to happen.
The SDF currently hold tens of thousands of former ISIS fighters and activists in detention. The Turkish invasion represents a clear and significant risk of an ISIS resurgence, fuelled by the escape of many of those previously captured to join the cells still operating across the region. Former US officials familiar with the security situation in Northern Syria have explained this threat at length. The decision should be reversed immediately, and appropriate action taken against Turkey to prevent further loss of life and destabilisation in the region.
We believe the actions of the United States to withdraw military forces from the area after reaching an agreement with Turkey is an act of betrayal and leaves the one region of Syria that is under stable
democratic control open to destruction and ethnic cleansing at the hands of Turkish forces, as well as leading to a resurgence of Daesh in the region.
We urge you to intervene and to outline the steps being taken by the UK Government to halt this assault, and what diplomatic measures are being taken with both the United States and Turkey to reverse their current policies which are causing the destabilisation of the region.
It is our hope as MPs to see an end to violence in Syria. Attacks on the Kurdish population will not assist in achieving peace in Syria. Our constituents ask that you use the UK’s seat on the UN Security
Council and international influence to make it clear, in the strongest terms, to your Turkish counterparts that this aggression is unacceptable and must be halted.
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Approximately 180 members – out of a total membership in the Hall Green Constituency of over 1250 – have voted to have an open selection.
The full membership will now have a choice and I confirm I will be a candidate in the reselection and will automatically be shortlisted as a sitting Member of Parliament.
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Rosh Hashanah is a two-day religious festival commemorating the Jewish new Year and the creation of the world. Wishing the Jewish community in my constituency and across the world "Shana Tova."