My Views

Ensuring access to clean water water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is essential. Clean water reduces maternal and infant mortality and the rise of antimicrobial resistance and it helps prevent the spread of disease. Sadly, 1.4 million lives are lost each year due to inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene.

People need to know that they will be able to find and access an AED when they so desperately need it.

I believe in the right for everyone to have a rich, fulfilled and healthy life with nature and a decent environment at its heart. Biodiversity is inextricably linked to trees and I know the public wants to see us both protect our forests and woodlands and plant more trees.

I believe that Ministers should focus on tackling these backlogs, but it remains to be seen whether the funding and other steps they have announced will be enough.

I have long supported calls for more rights and better protections for tenants, including a ban on section 21 evictions to prevent renters from being uprooted with little notice and minimal justification.

One year has now passed since the destructive earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria on 6 February 2023 that sadly affected 8.8 million people, left 6000 people dead and 12,000 injured in Syria alone.

I believe we need to build an NHS that is fit for the future, joining up health and care services in the community. I want to see technology harnessed to improve patient care, to shift our focus to prevention, tackle health inequalities and enable more people to live well for longer.

There should be measures to prevent pet thefts from happening, and I welcome the Pet Abduction Bill. This legislation, introduced in December 2023, would create offences of dog abduction and cat abduction. It also includes the power to make similar provisions for other pets.

All animals feel pain and suffer. I support the introduction of a ban on snares.

We must build an NHS fit for the future by providing it with the staff, technology, resources, and reform it needs to improve maternity care, address inequalities in maternal and neonatal outcomes, and ensure all patients get the support they need.

I am concerned about the Government’s policy of mandatory photographic voter ID for elections to the UK Parliament and in certain other elections.

Pensioners living alone are being impacted by the rising cost of living. Over the past year and a half, food prices, energy bills and other costs have risen by levels not seen in a generation.

Many people, including parents, schools and school leaders, contacted me in the run-up to the Autumn Statement about funding for schools as part of a nationwide push to make the case for education - they were bitterly disappointed that schools were overlooked in the Chancellor’s recent announcements.

From 1st January, energy bills will be rising again to a level that is unaffordable for many families. Yet I am concerned that the Government appears to have no plans for reducing bills.

E-cigarettes are part of the drive towards a smoke-free society. But I do have concerns about the rise in e-cigarette use among children, as well as the environmental impacts of disposable vapes.

Following the recent decision by the Premier League to deduct 10 point from Everton FC, I have signed Early Day Motion 79 as a sponsor.

The Fire Brigades Union have recently launched the ‘Firefighters’ Manifesto’, which calls for negotiated pay, the recognition of occupational disease and the right to strike, as well as investment, standards, and a service fit for extreme weather events.

The needs of people with dementia must move to the top of the agenda. We must prioritise research, because ultimately our goal must be to prevent, treat and cure this heart-breaking condition.

Residents have raised concerns with me about per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water. I do not want to see these chemicals in our drinking water supplies.

Meeting with complex disabilities charity Sense at the Labour Party Conference.

Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announces Young Futures knife crime programme.

Speaking at the Health & Care Forum at the Labour Party Conference.

Supporting people with Parkinson’s at the Labour party conference.

Strengthening our animal welfare laws is a priority and I will always support action to achieve the strongest possible animal welfare policies. All animals deserve protection and I believe it is wrong to promise tougher legislation if promises are then not seen through.

The Government’s targets on air quality are weaker than the current WHO guidelines and I believe they are insufficiently ambitious.

Vehicles parked on pavements are an issue, particularly for vulnerable pedestrians such as older people, families with pushchairs, wheelchair users and people with visual or mobility impairments.

We owe it to all those living with cardiovascular disease to set out a proper plan to improve outcomes, providing our NHS with the staff, technology, and resources it needs to bring down waiting lists and improve patient care.

One in five pensioners live in poverty. In my view, this shows the importance of Pension Credit, which is intended to provide support for pensioners on very modest incomes.

In my view, no animal should be made to suffer unnecessary pain and degradation, and we must drive up standards and practice in line with the most recent advances and understanding. Many animal welfare organisations oppose the use of e-collars and instead promote positive training methods.

I support calls for a green prosperity plan to ramp up investment to reach £28 billion per year for tackling climate change, growing the green economy and creating good, green secure local jobs across the country.