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Dear *|FNAME|*,
On Wednesday, Mother of the House Diane Abbott MP led a debate on the government’s plans to cut Personal Independence Payments (PIPs) for millions of disabled people. I reiterated my call for the government to scrap cuts to PIP and other disability benefits, which will only push disabled people deeper into poverty and ill health. It is not hyperbole to suggest we may count the ultimate cost of these cuts in lost lives.
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Last week’s election results show that these cuts will do our party no favours at the ballot box either. They show how the current strategy risks alienating our base whilst holding the door open for Reform. Many who voted for change last year worry that Labour has abandoned the most vulnerable, with PIP and winter fuel cuts coming up repeatedly on the doorstep. Instead of doubling down, we need to learn the lessons of this defeat and change course.
I also put my name to a letter calling on our government to drop these disability benefit cuts. The government’s failure to consult on the most drastic cuts only emphasises they are unworkable in their current form. There is still time to listen to disabled people, recognise the harm these cuts will do and come up with a workable plan that safeguards support for the most vulnerable.
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Clapham’s New Post Office Open for Business
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On Friday afternoon, we celebrated the official opening of Clapham Park Post Office, which will provide a wide range of services for our community. Last year’s closure of Clapham Common Crown Post Office was a real blow to our community. The decision to close this busy branch attracted widespread local opposition and triggered a community campaign to protect local postal services. Thank you to the new postmaster Krishan Shah and his family for their investment into the new branch and to everyone who campaigned with me.
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Extending Free School Meal Provision
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It was a pleasure to kick off a busy Friday with a visit to St Helen’s Primary in Brixton, one of the 750 pilot schools for the government’s Free School Meals programme. Children at St Helen’s will now enjoy a healthy free breakfast as well as a healthy free lunch. It was great to see the impact this is having on pupils, who were full, focused and ready to learn. I am looking forwards to seeing the programme rolled out across the country. No child should be held back by hunger. We must keep working to expand free school meal provision.
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Stop Kids Being Priced out of Citizenship
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This week, I tabled an amendment to the upcoming Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill aimed at preventing children being priced out of citizenship in the country they call home. The UK child citizenship fee remains one of the highest in Europe: £1,214. Many kids who have British citizenship rights miss out because their families cannot afford this fee. Like the Windrush Generation, many end up facing barriers in later life, subject to immigration rules that were never intended for them.
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They may experience difficulties accessing student finance, renting a home, or travelling. I’m pleased to have cross-party support from a range of MPs on this issue. These children are as British as anyone. It’s time to end this anomaly, waive the fee for kids born in this country and ensure no child is priced out of citizenship.
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VE Day: Remembering Our War Dead
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This week marked 80 years since the end of the Second World War. On VE Day, we remember the sacrifice of everyone who fought, served and died during the Second World War. I joined a local remembrance event with members of our local community, including armed service personnel, councillors and children from Corpus Christi Primary.
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The African and Caribbean War Memorial in Windrush Square commemorates the hundreds of thousands of soldiers from former British colonies in Africa, the Caribbean and across the Commonwealth who fought together to defeat Nazism. Too often, these soldiers have been whitewashed from our history. The fight against fascism was not just international; it was multiracial and multicultural.
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I rounded off my Friday with a visit to the Second Streatham Hill Scout Group, based at Christ Church Primary. It was great to answer their questions about my role as their MP and hear about all the things they are working on. Our local scouts are a credit to our area, embodying the best of community spirit, teamwork, and leadership. With young people like this leading the way, our future is bright.
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