Justice isn’t blind
This week in Parliament I questioned the Justice Minister, Mike Freer, on racial disparities in the level of convictions for joint enterprise. The Justice Minister acknowledged that convictions based on joint enterprise disproportionately affect ethnic minority groups. However, he stated that the Crown Prosecution Service can only apply the law when making charging decisions and plays no part in the decision making on individual joint enterprise cases.
Additionally, the Minister acknowledged that data is collected on the ethnicity of defendants who are prosecuted and convicted of a criminal offence, but not on whether the crime was part of a joint enterprise. He also stated that the government is considering whether such data could be collected as part of the common platform programme.
Contrary to the Minister’s response, research by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies suggests that the doctrine of joint enterprise is routinely applied in a racist way, leading to many miscarriages of justice. Assessing why it disproportionately targets ethnic minority communities, especially young black men, is only the first step. What is needed is urgent action to right historical wrongs and prevent future miscarriages of justice due to joint enterprise.
I will continue to press the Minister and the government. It is important that we work towards a future in which justice is truly blind.
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Save The Goat
As the MP for Edmonton, I am deeply concerned about the recent proposal to turn The Goat, the last remaining pub in Ponders End, into a restaurant. Not only is The Goat an asset of community value, dating back to 1778, it is also a locally listed building with significant historical and cultural significance.
The decline of pubs nationally is a worrying trend, with a report by the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) revealing that long-term pub closures have doubled to reach 485 during the first half of 2022. I believe that it is crucial that we do everything in our power to protect these important community spaces and keep them open for future generations to enjoy. That is why I am urging Enfield Council to step in and designate The Goat as an ‘Asset of Community Value’. This would ensure that the loss of this pub, with its heritage, cultural, economic, and social value, would be refused unless ‘authoritative marketing evidence’ shows there is ‘no realistic prospect of the building being used as a pub in the foreseeable future’.
While pubs may be facing a difficult time due to rising prices, reduced customer spending power and staffing shortages, its up to the Government to step in and act. For too long we have put profit first and community second. But if we continue to allow the structures that pull a community together then those communities themselves will pay the price, even if profits of property developers are protected.
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Windrush Lessons not Learnt
On Tuesday in Parliament, I questioned the Government about its apparent decision to give up trying to achieve justice for the Windrush generation. I wanted to know the Government’s response to the conclusion drawn by Wendy Williams that a failure to drive change would mean that it was just a matter of time before we faced another Windrush scandal.
The Minister’s response was that the Government greatly respect and take seriously what Wendy Williams says and that there is no question of abandoning those recommendations taken up by the Government in the wake of the scandal. The Minister went on to say that the change has been fundamental within the Government and that it is across all Departments, not just the Home Office.
I remain deeply critical of the Government’s failure over Windrush and their lack of action and commitment to change. The Windrush scandal was a disgrace, and the Government must do more to ensure that this never happens again. I believe that Wendy Williams’ work is invaluable and will continue to push the Government to do more to ensure that the changes made are lasting and effective.
I will continue to monitor the Government’s progress in this area and will not stop pushing for change. The Government’s failure to set up an adequate compensation scheme following the scandal and its failure to end the Hostile Environment which led to the scandal in the first place is a second crime by this Government against the Windrush generation. It is a continuation of the original scandal that shocked so many of us. There has been little in the way of justice for the victims of the Windrush scandal in the years since it first came to light, and it appears that as long as the Conservatives are in power that will sadly not change.
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Time to invest in schools
For 13 years this Tory Government, packed with private school alumni, has failed the 94% of pupils who attend state schools. A Labour Government will end that neglect and invest in state education.
Every parent should have the opportunity to send their child to a great local state school where they will be supported to achieve and thrive. That is why, as a party, we are committed to ending tax breaks for private schools and investing that money in delivering a brilliant state education for all children in England. We believe that governing is about priorities and VAT giveaways to private schools show exactly where the Conservatives’ priorities lie – not in helping every child get a great state education, but in helping the wealthiest in society.
It is important to note that there are 9 million school pupils in England, of whom slightly over 581,000 attend private schools, which equates to only 6.5% of all pupils. Labour has committed to end private schools’ charitable status and thus close the tax breaks that they currently enjoy. According to independent research, this would raise a total of £1.7 billion a year. The money raised from ending tax breaks for private schools will be invested in delivering a brilliant education for every child, including recruiting over 6,500 new teachers to fill vacancies and skills gaps across the profession, ongoing training for school staff, recruiting over 1,000 careers advisors, giving every child access to a qualified mental health counsellor at school and ensuring every child has access to a laptop/tablet.
The Conservative government has a choice – they can spend £1.7 billion on a tax break for private schools, or they can use that money to put into our state schools to deliver the best for every child. As Rishi Sunak has said, hard choices need to be made, but this is a very simple one. Labour will invest the money raised by ending tax breaks for private schools in driving up standards across the state sector, through recruiting thousands of new teachers, providing professional mental health support for every child, and ensuring young people leave education ready for work and ready for life with expert careers guidance and work experience for all.
By clamping down on special privileges for a wealthy elite we can begin the process of building a truly comprehensive first-class education for all children, regardless of background.
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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
Member of Parliament for Edmonton
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