Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza

I’m sure we have all been appalled by the scenes of violence that we have continued to see as the conflict in Israel and Palestine has stretched into a second week. My thoughts especially go out to all of those affected by the horrific events at the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza where hundreds of people were killed.

If we want to protect civilian lives, we must seek a ceasefire. I signed an Early Day Motion in Parliament agreeing with the United Nations Secretary-General that the collective punishment of the Palestinian people by Israel is unjustifiable, as well as also urging for aid to be allowed into Gaza, international law to be followed, and calling for negotiations towards a ceasefire. This is a very concerning and fast-moving situation which has the potential to spill over into a wider regional conflict, involving other nations and armed groups in the Middle East and beyond. Therefore, it is important to urge caution to ensure a resolution and hopefully the safe return of hostages held of Hamas.

The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary should make clear in their diplomatic efforts that breaches of international law are a red line. It is not good enough to take the Israeli Government at their word when they say that they will follow international law, as the Prime Minister has done. Human Rights Watch has deemed the blockade on Gaza a war crime. The Government must also press for aid to be allowed into Gaza as soon as possible to meet the demands of the 2.3 million people living there, as well as doing all Britain can to supply aid to the region. In Parliament I urged the Prime Minister to ensure the Government adopts an atrocity prevention framework in response to the crisis so officials are trained in preventing and responding to atrocities. I will continue to follow this situation closely and I am receiving regular updates.

The Conservatives Mismanagement of Prisons

Under the Conservatives the prison estate has been neglected and underfunded, leading to massive overcrowding and the deterioration of the conditions inside. This has had disastrous impacts on the health of prisoners as well as on efforts to tackle reoffending and ensure that once prisoners leave custody that they are able to lead stable lives. So, the Government announced this week that they intend to pay other countries to hold prisoners overseas. Just like the policy to deport refugees to Rwanda, this is a desperate attempt from a failing government, that will do nothing to solve the underlying issues. In this case it is a failure to resource prisons properly.

In response to the Government’s announcement I asked the Lord Chancellor about the plight of many women who are victims of domestic abuse who are themselves accused of offending and criminalised because of their abuse, in many cases being unjustly imprisoned. I urged the Lord Chancellor to amend the Victims and Prisoners Bill to ensure statutory defences for these women, to prevent more unjust convictions. It is truly shocking that 57% of women in prison have been victims of domestic abuse. Something needs to change. However, under the Conservatives, despite having a target the reduce the number of women in prison, the numbers have increased by 15% this year.

Wear it Pink

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which helps encourage fundraising into research and treatment for cancer. As part of this. I was delighted to show my support for Breast Cancer Now’s Wear it Pink fundraising campaign in Parliament this week, to aid of Breast Cancer Now’s goal that by 2050, everyone diagnosed with breast cancer will live. The campaign has been going for 20 years and raises millions each year. This year Breast Cancer Now’s focus is secondary breast cancer, when breast cancer spreads around the body, which can currently be treated but not cured. We need more money invested in research to ensure people can receive the best treatments possible.

Ongoing Housing Crisis

The housing crisis continues to hurt those in both the private rented and social rented sector, with a crisis of affordability, as well as a shortage of good quality accommodation forcing millions of people to live in substandard accommodation. The Government and providers of housing have completely neglected renters. The Housing Ombudsman, which examines complaints about providers of social housing and other landlords has found excessive delays in acting on tenants’ complaints have quadrupled in just a year.

In other news, the Government has finally announced that it will be moving forwards with the important Renters Reform Bill which will be having its second reading in the House of Commons next week. Thousands of people have been evicted by ‘no fault’ section 21 evictions since the Conservatives originally announced this policy in 2019 yet have refused for years to prioritise it. The Labour Party and I will keep pushing for the bill’s passage and implementation as soon as possible to protect renters.

——————————-

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

Member of Parliament for Edmonton