I voted to clean up Parliament

This week I voted to ban MPs from holding second jobs, with a few exceptions for public service roles like the NHS or army. However, the Government blocked Labour’s motion and instead pushed through some vague promises that fail to implement any actual changes to rules around MPs standards.

The action of the Government over the last few weeks and years has severely damaged public confidence in Parliament. Not only was Boris Johnson caught out trying to get his friend off the hook by scrapping the cross-party Standards Committee but, in the wake of that scandal, more and more details have come to light of Tory MPs who spend most of their time earning huge amounts from lucrative second jobs. This is wrong and has to change. As Members of Parliament, we earn a generous wage, putting us in the top 5% of earners in the country. There is no financial reason for any MP to have a second job. Being an MP is a full-time job and any Member who relegates it to a hobby is failing their constituents.

Moving forward, it’s crucial that we strengthen the rules against lobbying, end the revolving door of employment between Ministers and Lobbyists and ban second jobs. This corrupt Tory government has damaged parliament through its actions. It’s time to clean up yet another Tory mess.

Edmonton Incinerator

I’ve consistently opposed the expansion of the Edmonton Incinerator on the grounds that it would not only be hugely damaging to the environment but would present a very real health risk to residents. I was pleasantly surprised to see the CEO of the company that is bidding to construct the incinerator express similar sentiments recently.

In a recent interview, Jose Manuel Entrecanales said he believed the incinerator was oversized and unsuitable for London. He also recognised the fierce local opposition to the expansion. These are very welcome statements from the CEO of Acciona, which put in doubt whether the reckless plans to expand the incinerator will go ahead at all.

It’s also a reminder that the fight to stop the expansion isn’t over. There’s still time for the North London Waste Authority to pause and review the procurement process. Edmonton is not a waste dump for the more affluent areas of London. I’m hoping that the NLWA will come around to this point of view in the near future.

Select Committee Update

This week on the International Development Select Committee we took evidence from a number of senior civil servants on the impact of the merger of the Department for International Development (DFID) and the Foreign Office. Boris Johnson’s decision to effectively scrap the International Development department by merging it with the Foreign Office was quickly followed by vicious cuts to foreign aid. Overall, under this Prime Minister, the UK has stepped back from its role in the international community and the merger of the DFID with the Foreign Office was part of that process.

I used the evidence session to ask the Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, Sir Philip Barton, about the way in which some of the technical changes and the impact of the merger could lead to a de-prioritisation of development spending. Sir Philip and the other witnesses at the session accepted the merger had created some difficulties and they were unable to point to real and tangible benefits that have been created from the merger.

At the International Development Select Committee, we will continue to hold the Government to account on these important issues. The Prime Minister may be keen for us to move on from his decision to cut aid but we will not allow that to happen.

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Thank you for taking the time to read my latest update, if you have any issues that you would like to raise directly with me then please do email  edmontonconstituency@parliament.uk. I’m always happy to help whenever possible.

Kind regards,

Kate Osamor MP