It was a busy couple of months in Parliament during the run-up to Recess with the Government crumbling around us and the cost of living scandal hitting hard. I had the opportunity to challenge Government racism in Parliament on several occasions, speaking up for Londoners about tackling institutional racism in the Metropolitan Police, supporting the PCS Union’s inquiry into racism at the Cabinet Office, pointing out the Government’s failure to implement the Windrush Lessons Learned Review and using a PMQ to highlight the ongoing injustice of inhumane and costly deportation flights.

In Parliament I’ve also hosted a number of campaigning organisations. I’ve been working with the Federation of Ethnic Minority Healthcare Organisations to put race front and centre of the Covid Inquiry, coordinating a successful letter to Downing Street to ensure racial health inequalities are included in the terms of reference. The All Party Parliamentary Group on African Reparations also heard our first evidence session this month on the question of restitution, discussing obstacles to repatriating objects that were looted under Empire. And thank you again to everyone who attended our Streatham Labour Members’ social in July.

In local news, I’ve been working alongside our Labour councillors to highlight Tory attacks on London’s public transport and protect our buses, meeting with local residents to discuss housing issues and getting along to lots of local events. July also saw the conclusion of my reselection process, during which I was thrilled to secure the backing of all eight former Streatham branches. It is reassuring to know that I have the backing of the Streatham Labour Party membership and I look forward to us working together to build on the work we’ve done so far and get the Tories out. 

Parliament is now in Recess, so I won’t be back in the House of Commons again until September but I’ll still be taking the fight to the Tories over the summer, campaigning for action to address the poverty and financial precarity facing the country after twelve years of their policy choices. As ever, I’ll also be out and about in the constituency, talking to residents about the things that matter to them.