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Dear *|FNAME|*,
In the past two weeks, I have voted twice against proposals to slash disability benefits and for amendments to remove these cuts altogether. I welcomed last week’s eleventh-hour decision to scrap proposed changes to Personal Independence Payments. However, the entire process has been a mess. Briefing last-minute changes without time to debate, scrutinise and consider the effects showed desperation and disregard for those who would be impacted.
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After the government withdrew cuts to Personal Independence Payments last week, the remaining provisions were under consideration this week. I spoke and voted against plans to cut £2 billion in support for hundreds of thousands of sick and disabled people. Stripping £3,000 a year from people who are too ill to work and already on low incomes will only deepen the poverty many already face. Even at this late stage, dropping this legislation would be a better option than rushing it through without full consultation.
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It was an absolute pleasure to attend this year’s Pride, which is always a powerful celebration of love, equality, and the ongoing fight for justice. Pride is a magic combination of party and protest, bringing together people to show solidarity with the LGBT+ community in the ongoing fight for liberation. Everyone deserves to live with dignity, free from prejudice and discrimination.
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Vandalism in Windrush Square
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Last week, we witnessed a devastating act of vandalism in Windrush Square as portraits of Windrush pioneers were defaced, slashed and covered with green paint. The attack on a prominent display celebrating the Windrush Generation has understandably distressed and dismayed our entire community but particularly those involved in the exhibition.
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Launching my Summer Activism Academy
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This week, I launched my Summer Activism Academy, a new initiative to help young people in Clapham & Brixton Hill gain hands-on experience and insight into changemaking in their community. I’ll be hosting this 3-day course across from August 5th-7th. If you know anyone aged 16-18 who lives in or goes to school in Clapham & Brixton Hill, please do share this opportunity with them.
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Hosting Commonwealth Parliamentarians
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I hosted a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association delegation from Ghana in the constituency. We paid a visit to the Mayor of Lambeth, paid our respects at the African and Caribbean War Memorial, and toured the Black Cultural Archives, where archivists kindly dug up some interesting records relating to Ghana. It is always a privilege to meet with other parliamentarians to share the issues facing our constituents and learn from one another.
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It was fantastic to meet Derry Girls star Siobhán McSweeney in Parliament this week to support ‘Philomena’s Law’ to deliver justice for survivors of Ireland’s Mother and Baby Homes in Britain. Currently, many survivors of the scandal are not accepting compensation offers because they risk losing eligibility for vital benefits if they do so. My colleague Liam Conlon MP is putting forwards legislation to address this, ensuring the women who suffered historic abuse are able to claim compensation without fearing loss of support.
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Thank you to Clapham & Brixton Hill constituents who came to lobby me on behalf of the Climate Coalition, an umbrella group of organisations focused on climate change and nature loss. I agree that the UK’s response to the climate crisis needs to go further, faster, in a way that is fairer. Tackling climate breakdown must be at the heart of everything government does going forwards.
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New Park Road Baptist Church Community Day
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It was wonderful to join this year’s New Park Road Baptist Church Community Day last weekend, a joyful celebration of faith, community and togetherness. Thank you once again to all those who helped to bring people together and put on such a warm and welcoming event.
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