This Week the first King’s Speech since 1951 opened a new session of Parliament on Tuesday, as the government used the address to lay out its plans for the next year. After thirteen years in power, this was the government’s last chance to set out its priorities leading up to the general election. They missed that chance.

The Conservatives have given up governing. With a legacy of stagnant growth, sky-rocketing poverty, crumbling schools and hospitals and a cost-of-living crisis – the Tories have already failed. Their failure to deliver on their promises meant they’ve broken politics and degraded Parliament – damaging trust in politics. This was the Prime Minister’s first King’s Speech, yet he has nothing to offer above division and more of the same.

Even the measures that were announced do nothing to help ordinary people. The Bill to support the future licensing of new oil and gas fields is an environmental catastrophe and won’t take a penny off energy bills. Instead of killing our planet by extracting more fossil fuels, we should be ending our reliance on them and bringing our privatised energy sector back into public hands.

While measures to reform leaseholds are welcome, it is disappointing that they will not be scrapped altogether and that the government has also failed to bring forward legislation to ban conversation therapy.

After thirteen years the Tories have run out of ideas. The country is crying out for change and all this government can offer is stoking division. We must now look towards next year’s general election and a new Labour government that can deliver not just change but hope.

Constituency Garden of Remembrance

This week I took time to place a symbol of remembrance in the Constituency Garden of Remembrance in Parliament, on behalf of Edmonton. On Saturday, Armistice Day, we take a moment to remember the service and sacrifice of our Armed Forces.

Together, we honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice to keep our country safe in conflicts through the years. This year, we commemorated the 70th anniversary of the Armistice, 60 years since the last service person was demobilised, and the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush, celebrating the generation who helped rebuild Britain.

As well as remembering sacrifices made in the past we must also look to the future. That is why a Labour government will legislate to give veterans the respect they deserve. We will scrap visa fees for non-UK veterans and their dependents. We will establish an Armed Forces Commissioner to act as an independent voice for Armed Forces personnel and we will strengthen mental health help with a boost to specialist support while bringing down waiting times for veteran mental health services as part of a £1 billion Labour commitment to ensure everyone receives treatment within a month. I can think of no better way to honour our veterans, past and present.

Pressing the Government on Gaza

On Wednesday in Parliament, I pressed the Government on the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the West Bank. With no regard for international law, Israel continues to kill hundreds of innocent civilians every day. Following the terrible attack by Hamas on 7th October Israel has responded with a policy of collective punishment, killing more than 10,000 Palestinians, cutting off water and food supplies, using banned weapons, and forcibly displacing tens of thousands from their homes.

That’s why I pressed the government to do more to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches those in Gaza who need it. While Immigration Minister, Andrew Mitchell MP assured me the Government is doing everything it can to ensure that aid reaches those who need it, it is evident to anybody paying attention that this is not the case. For as long as the Government fails to hold Israel to account for its war crimes and does not call for a ceasefire conditions won’t allow the right amount of aid to reach those who need it. Backing Israeli military actions that kill civilians while also working to feed those same civilians is a nonsensical position.

We must now prioritise bringing an end to all civilian deaths and I will continue to push for that both in and out of Parliament.

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