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Bell’s Newsletter

9th July 2022

Dear *|FNAME|*,

This week, Boris Johnson tendered his resignation in the same way he conducted himself throughout his time in office: without a hint of humility and without so much as an apology for his conduct. After months of scandals and cover ups, he announced will be leaving office in Autumn and not before time.

But Johnson’s premiership has shown the true face of the Conservative Party, with Tory Ministers and MPs overwhelmingly prepared to tolerate his corruption until they realised quite how unpopular this was with the public. I don’t envy his replacement, who will surely have to explain why they chose to back him in the face of Downing Street’s lockdown parties, ripping up rules and standards to try and secure his position, turning a blind eye to abuse, and the rampant culture of abuse, deception and corruption which has characterised this Government so far.

Of course, this all comes at the worst possible time. With energy bills rising to almost £3,000 this Autumn, people can’t afford to sit around waiting whilst the Tories fight like rats in a sack for the top job. If they can’t govern because they’re in total disarray, then they must stand down and make way for those who can.

During the last two years, British billionaires increased their wealth by £220 million a day. On current progress, 1.3 million people living in the UK are set to fall into absolute poverty next year. That’s a legacy no Tory leader is going to reverse because the billionaires are the people who bankroll them. Labour will move a motion of no-confidence in the Government next week; not just because we need an end to Johnson’s premiership but because we need an end to twelve years of Tory devastation.

Pride: Marching for LGBTQ+ Liberation

Last weekend marked the fiftieth anniversary of London Pride – when 2,000 activists marched through our city for the first time to protest against discrimination and police harassment towards the gay community. It’s always important to remember Pride’s radical roots. It was an honour to celebrate love and march alongside organisations at the forefront of the struggle for liberation like Stonewall and LGBT+ Labour, who are picking up the mantle of this ground-breaking activism and show my solidarity with the entire LGBTQ+ community.

Celebrating 74 years of the
NHS and Universal Healthcare

Speaking out against the sell-off of Streatham GP surgeries and against Tory plans to accelerate the privatisation of our NHS in Parliament last year.

In my regular column in the South London Press this week, I wrote about the sell-off of local GP surgeries to an American health corporation and what this shows about the sorry state of our NHS under the Conservatives. This week, we celebrated the 74 years of universal healthcare on our NHS. It’s no exaggeration to claim that the NHS is probably the single biggest achievement of any government in history. But with waiting lists at record highs and the Conservatives determined to auction off essential services, we must keep fighting to defend our NHS and the principle universal healthcare on which it was founded.

Catch up with Cancer

When the Tories fail our public services, it’s always the vulnerable who suffer most. With waiting times in the NHS at record highs, cancer patients are not getting the urgent care they need. For every month patients go without treatment, survival rates can drop by up to 10%. In London, 34.3% of patients are waiting longer than the target time of two months for urgent treatment.

I met with the Catch Up with Cancer campaign this week to speak to leading radiotherapy experts, patients, and workforce representatives about the Government’s upcoming 10-year Cancer Plan and the importance of radiotherapy. There is a serious need for increased treatment capacity to clear the backlog and reduce waiting times. I am fully behind the campaign to boost funding and invest in NHS radiotherapy.

Cost of Living Crisis

I joined members of my trade union, Unite, outside Parliament this week to highlight the financial turmoil facing the country after twelve years of Tory Government. They have created a Snakes and Ladders game that demonstrates what it’s like for the millions living below or close to the breadline right now, with the ever-present threat of “snakes” like benefit cuts, zero hours contracts, school holiday hunger, rent hikes, loss of pay, and energy bill increases. But there are also “ladders” like trade unions, affordable housing and a stronger social security net. Unite are calling for the restoration of the £20 Universal Credit lifeline to help some of the poorest households in our country weather the current situation.

In and Around Streatham

Streatham Food Festival

The Streatham Food Festival is a reminder that we live in the culinary centre of South London. Organised by Streatham BID, it was a pleasure to be out celebrating the amazing array of restaurants, cafes and local producers we’re lucky to have in the constituency. They are putting on some great deals as part of the festival to get people eating locally. This year, there’s even an official Streatham Food Festival tuk tuk you can flag down for a free ride between venues. With the festival running until today, there’s still time to take advantage of this and much more.

New Park Road Baptist Church Community Fun Day

It was lovely to attend the annual New Park Road Baptist Church community fun day with our Clapham Park Labour councillors and catch up with some local community legends. It’s always lovely to see people coming together to celebrate the diversity of our area: whether through food, music, games, and activities. I was also able to give out some of my newly translated leaflets to local Brazilian and Portuguese communities.

I’m still on the lookout for people who can help me update my latest leaflets into some other commonly spoken languages amongst those I help, including: Arabic, Amharic, Bengali, German, Portuguese, Somali, Spanish, Tigrinya and Yoruba. If you know someone who can help, drop my office an email: bell.ribeiroaddy.mp@parliament.uk

Visiting Temporary Accommodation at Stanthorpe Hotel

One of my favourite things about being an MP is getting out into the community, talking to young people about the political issues that interest them, and helping them engage with the political process. This week, I managed to fit in two school visits, taking part in a young leaders’ Q&A with students at Fenstanton Primary about my role as an MP and speaking with students at St Martin’s in the Field during their work experience debrief about the role of an MP, careers and why we should put the idea of lifelong learning at the centre of our education system.

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

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