Dear,

It has now been just over a year since you, Labour members, chose me to be your Labour candidate for Poplar and Limehouse and then elected me to be your Member of Parliament. The past year has presented unprecedented challenges – starting with the disappointment of the General Election result and continuing with a global pandemic highlighting the inequality and insecurity entrenched with 10 years of the Conservative Party in government.

Helping the local people who have suffered as a result of this crisis has been central to my work – I have supported over 4,000 individuals on issues ranging from illegal evictions to fighting for asylum seekers right to stay in this country.

In spite of this, I have remained focussed on fulfilling the pledges I campaigned on, alongside hundreds of local members, during last year’s General Election. Please find below an update on what I have done so far to meet these pledges including photographs covering the period since the election and at various stages of the pandemic.

To stay updated with campaigns, news and opportunities to get involved with the work for Poplar and Limehouse, please sign up to my mailing list below.

Join the Mailing list

As always if you need support or assistance from me, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

In solidarity,

Health

Nowhere has the devastating impact of COVID-19 been clearer than in its disproportionate impact on ethnic minority communities. I have consistently raised this issue in Parliament including tabling a motion calling on the Government to ensure the safety of BAME workers, highlighting in the media how Covid-19 has exposed the deep inequalities in our society and holding the Prime Minister to account on his broken testing system and the failure to prioritise BAME communities.

The outsourcing of the Test and Trace system to Serco has been a complete disaster and demonstrates that we must end the internal market in the NHS and have a publicly owned and funded health service.

I have also been working closely with community groups during the pandemic – it was great to meet with the Tower Hamlets LGBT+ Forum and pledge my support for trans rights and further investigations into how the pandemic has affected the mental health of our community.

(Photo above left-right: New Statesman roundtable discussion on domestic abuse, mural reveal ceremony with youth in Wapping recognising NHS pandemic contribution, Parliamentary debate on COVID19 health response)

Worker’s Rights

There is a clear link between falling wages and declining union membership – understanding the calls of unions and their members has been central to my pledge to support workplace rights.

I stood in solidarity with Tower Hamlets Council workers and Unison members on the Council’s plans to fire and rehire workers on contracts with worse terms and conditions. I am pleased that the Labour Party leadership has taken a strong stance seeking to protect workers from these tactics including the Heathrow Airport strikers. I will strongly continue to oppose these plans.

Through the pandemic, key workers have put themselves at huge risk to keep vital services running. I have made representations for workers being made redundant in this pandemic including those in hospitality and catering. I have supported the campaign to hold an inquiry into the death of Belly Mujinga – a transport worker who was spat at in Victoria Station and later died from COVID-19.

Housing

The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Robert Jenrick was making backroom with deals with billionaires so they can avoid building affordable housing, which culminated in a debate on the Westferry Scandal. I spoke out in Parliament about the need for transparency in the Government’s new planning laws to ensure that local people can have a say on the decisions affecting them and also see greater regulation of the sector.

It is now also four years since the Grenfell tragedy, and yet no one has been held accountable for this injustice. I have been working with the Fire Brigades Union, local groups and the End Our Cladding Scandal campaign to push the Government to remove dangerous cladding from buildings, many of which sit in Poplar and Limehouse. I held a public meeting with constituents in June and have been working on setting up an umbrella group of all constituents affected by these issues and will continue to work on tabling changes to both the Fire Safety Bill and Building Safety Bill respectively.

(Photo above, End Our Cladding scandal campaign and below, meeting with Tower Hamlets Renters Union)

Migrant Rights

This Conservative Government has continued to demonise migrants to cover for their own failings to manage coronavirus. I called on the Government to end charges for migrants to access the NHS and stop the sharing of information about immigration status with the Home Office.

In the past few months, we have seen people desperately fleeing war, famine and persecution, reaching our shores by dinghy, only to be met with threats of military deployment. I joined the Socialist Campaign Group of MPs in standing in solidarity with refugees, migrants and asylum seekers demanding the Government make the UK a safe and welcoming haven for refugees.

I continue to support hundreds of local people who are treated with contempt by the Home Office. It is vital that these experiences are acted upon in Parliament – I signed an amendment to the Immigration Bill calling for an immediate end to the hostile environment.

Opposing wars abroad and challenging racism

As the MP for a constituency with a proud history of anti-racist organising, I have worked to empower those who have joined the Black Lives Matter movement and are opposing the hatred of the far right. In January, I attended the interfaith memorial event for Holocaust Memorial Day at Sandys Row Synagogue. After the murder of George Floyd, I called on the Government to stop selling arms to the US police and sponsored a motion demanding Parliament recognise and challenge institutional racism. Yet it clear that this Government is in denial about the role of structural racism in the experiences of minority groups in this country including in our healthcare system.

In the UK we continue to see a surge in Islamophobia – which is increasingly becoming enshrined in Government policy. I spoke out against the Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill – legislation that delays the long-awaited review of Prevent and introduces significant curtailments on civil liberties. Shortly after this, I voted against the “Spy Cops” bill which grants the police and security services the power to licence its agents to commit grave crimes without due regard for human rights.

I have written about my own experiences of Islamophobia and the need to ensure that policies and legislation are inclusive of the Muslim community. I opposed the Overseas Operations Bill and spoke in the debates of this Bill, which now unfortunately begins to enshrine in law the ability for our Armed Forces to commit crimes abroad with impunity.

I will continue to challenge all forms of racism across the world – from the persecution of Muslims in Rohingya to the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on ethnic minority groups.

Climate Change and the Environment

We knew after we lost the 2019 General Election that one of our most important challenges would be keeping climate change at the top of the agenda. I was pleased to support Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill, legislation written by scientists, lawyers and activists demanding urgent and radical action on climate change.

Locally, I have been working closely with groups campaigning to preserve our natural environment. I have supported the Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park to protect this important urban nature reserve in light of nearby development.

Tower Hamlets suffers acutely from poor air quality – more than 40 per cent of the borough’s population breathe unacceptably polluted air – with children and the most vulnerable members of our community worst affected. That is why I tabled a Parliamentary motion calling on the Government to clean up our air and ensure that everyone has the right to clean, regardless of their background. I have also drawn attention to the impact of decisions by the Government on the climate crisis, felt in countries such as Bangladesh in a Parliamentary motion.

(Photo below: Supporting local charity Bromley by Bow Centre’s pandemic fundraising efforts)

Education

As a member of the Education Select Committee, I’ve had a front row seat to this Government’s negligence toward young people – their exam results ‘algorithm’ which purposively discriminated against students from deprived areas, their total disregard for BTEC students, and their foot-dragging over preventing children going hungry during the holidays.

I’ve been proud to support the work of the East London National Education Union in their campaigns to ensure school reopening is safe and opposing academisation of schools during the pandemic.

Earlier in the year, I stood with local Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) campaigners outside Downing Street in order to present an invoice for £12 million, which was Tower Hamlets’ Council’s projected SEND budget overspend for 2022. In support of the campaign, I tabled a Parliamentary motion calling on the Government to immediately increase funding levels for SEND services that are being undermined by underfunding and cuts.

I continue to campaign on inclusive school curriculums including addressing the issues of racism and ensuring the needs to diverse communities are met, including the need to fund community language services.

(Photo above left-right: Supporting free school uniform campaign, Q&A session with pupils at Langdon Park School)

Brexit

I continue to have serious concerns about the Government’s approach to Brexit. The Prime Minister has made clear, that the transition agreement will end this year – whether we have a deal or not.

I’ve met with local activists and support their campaign to avoid a No Deal Brexit – the last thing we need in the middle of an economic crisis and global pandemic. I continue to oppose this Government’s callous approach to international relations such as their passing of the Internal Market Bill which broke international law.

I am also conscious that Brexit is being used to water down rights for migrants from the EU and elsewhere. I was delighted to meet with the Bangladeshi Italian Welfare Association (pictured above) to discuss how to support those to guarantee their settled status and on 5th December, I am holding an advice session with students applying for settled status.

Constituency cases and support

I have taken up over 4,000 individual cases on behalf of constituents ranging from housing and disrepair to cases where constituents have been detained abroad.

I have met with local charities, faith organisations, LGBT+ and women’s right campaign groups and housing associations to provide support and raise issues as part of my commitment towards local issues.

As the lockdown began, I volunteered with local foodbanks and set up a referral process directly from my office and also met with local businesses and traders. I have made representations to support market traders and have raised the issues of potential closures of leisure centres and day care centres in Parliament and with Tower Hamlets Council.

(Photos above left-right: International Women’s Day event hosting local women in Parliament, volunteering at the Darul Ummah food hub. Photos below left-right: Show racism the red card training with my office team, visiting local businesses and traders, Women’s 100 event)

This is just a snapshot of my work over the past year – please do subscribe here to receive regular updates about my work in Parliament and in the local community. Please also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and my website.

For all of my contributions in Parliament including Written Questions, please click here.