View this email in your browser

Bell’s Newsletter

26th January 2024

Dear *|FNAME|*,

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a momentous judgement this afternoon, recognising grounds for South Africa’s genocide case against Israel. The interim ruling said that Israel must “take all measures within its power” to prevent the further killing and harm of Palestinians under provisions outlined in Article II of the Genocide Convention 1948. Israeli politicians dismissed the judgement, suggesting that it would continue with a war which has already claimed over 26,000 Palestinian lives – most of them women and children.

After today’s ruling, it is not just Israel on trial but the entire international community. We stand at a crossroads where we must choose between a world where states are held accountable for their actions and a world where potential genocides can go on unchecked. Our government must heed today’s call for provisional measures to stop the slaughter and do everything in our power to ensure the UK is not complicit. That can begin with diplomatic efforts for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire that prioritises civilian life and centres on the safe return of all hostages. There is also no justification for UK arms exports to continue to Israel whilst the ICJ case is ongoing.

In Parliament

• I voted to throw out the Tories’ fossil fuel drilling bill on Monday evening. Letting companies extract yet more fossil fuels from the North Sea is not about energy security for us; it’s about energy profits for them. Their fixation with drilling for new oil and gas will only leave us behind on the race to build renewables. It will leave the country colder and poorer. Instead of greenlighting new fossil fuel drilling and weakening our climate commitments, we must prioritise the construction of low-cost renewables and energy efficiency measures like home insulation. These measures will not just make the energy we use more financially sustainable for households, they will make it more environmentally sustainable for the planet.

• We are entering a dangerous period as the war on Gaza spills over into a wider regional conflict. Parliament finally had the opportunity to scrutinise joint US-UK airstrikes on Yemen this week. It is an important democratic principle that elected representatives should be able to input on such potentially seismic decisions as embarking on military operations and wars.  I remain unconvinced that dropping bombs on a war-torn country and escalating hostilities in the region is the best way of securing our maritime interests, let alone a more peaceful situation in the Middle East.

• Labour held two Opposition Day debates on Tuesday. The first of these was on the issue of persistent school absence. The second focused on industrial policy (or our lack thereof) and called on the government to protect UK steel. The government’s current plans for the industry will leave thousands of workers in Port Talbot redundant and the UK the only G20 country unable to make steel from scratch. Making steel workers redundant and relying on imported steel is not a just, green transition. We need a job creation plan which recognises that making low carbon steel in the UK is key to meeting our climate commitments and offers a fair deal for steel workers. 

Opening King’s College Hospital’s New Peace Bereavement Suite

I was at King’s College NHS Trust for the official opening of their Peace Bereavement Suite, designed for bereaved families who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death. It is named in honour of a former midwife at the Trust, Peace, who sadly died in 2015. It was a privilege to meet with Peace’s family to hear about her life.

I’d like to thank the King’s midwives and everyone who has worked so hard to make sure families experiencing baby loss can benefit from this space. I hope it will provide a sanctuary for those who are sadly in the first stages of the grieving process. We must make policy at a national level that recognises the trauma behind every baby loss and ensures every family receives the level of support and care they deserve.

Visiting the Bibby Stockholm

I visited the Bibby Stockholm as a member of the Joint Committee on Human Rights to view conditions, speak to those currently accommodated there, and question Home Office officials and service providers about the scheme. Warehousing people on this floating prison away from the rest of society is a shameful way to treat anyone, let alone those who have fled from some of the world’s worst horrors to reach our shores. Instead of dreaming up more and more bizarre ways to punish people for seeking sanctuary, we need a government that will work to speed up claims, allow people to work and help them to rebuild their lives.

Visiting Ruach City Church

Thank you to Bishop John Francis and the congregation at Ruach City Church Brixton for welcoming myself and local community leaders to your lovely Prayer for the Nation service on Sunday.

Canvassing in Clapham Common

It was lovely to be out canvassing in Clapham Common over the weekend, talking to residents about the issues that matter to them. 

As ever, if you have any questions about the work I’m doing as MP, please get in touch at this address: bell.ribeiroaddy.mp@parliament.uk.

Best wishes,

Bell Ribeiro-Addy,
Labour MP for Streatham

Keep up to date with my work by following me on social media