Kate Osamor MP
Inaugural Political Summer School This week I held my inaugural political summer school for 10 students, selected from schools across Edmonton. The school took place over 3 days and gave students to see how Parliament works up close and hear from some fantastic speakers. They included the Editor of the Enfield Dispatch, Economist Ann Pettifor, Activist Stafford Scott, Jeremy Corbyn, Angela Rayner, the Leader of Haringey Council Cllr Peray Ahment and the co-founder of the campaign group Joint Enterprise: Not Guilty by Association Gloria Morrison. The Students were given talks on a range of important topics, from the role of Unions and the Media in politics, and a session on ‘How Legislation is Passed’ by the Education team here in Parliament. The Students were also given a tour around Parliament and got to sit in in a debate in the Chamber on the Northern Ireland Bill. Parliament belongs to the people and I’m always keen to give young people in Edmonton the chance to come and see what I’m doing in Parliament as their Member of Parliament. Watching the work of MPs and the Government close up in Parliament is something I think that everybody should do. Politics isn’t something that is done to us in Westminster but something that we can all be involved in. I hope that the students who attended the three days this week have taken that lesson with them and I look forward to inviting more students to attend another summer school next year. |
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Northern Ireland Bill On Tuesday I voted against the Tory’s Legacy Bill which addresses issues related to “the Troubles” between 1968-1998. I am proud to say that the Labour Party, alongside all Northern Ireland parties, voted against the Bill at both Second and Third Readings. Throughout the Bill’s passage, Labour have consistently tabled amendments based on concerns raised by victims of the Troubles. We believe in taking a principled approach and standing up for the rights and justice of all those affected. One crucial aspect we support is the removal of the immunity clause from the Bill. The Bill as it is does not go far enough to help all the victims of that awful period. That is the test against which we have measured the Bill and it’s why I voted against it along with my colleagues in the Labour Party this week. |
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Illegal Migration Bill Votes On Tuesday the Illegal Migration Bill came back to the Commons for the last time. In that sitting, I voted on more than 9 Lords amendments to try and remove some of the worst parts of the Bill. The Government voted down those amendments so the Bill remains unworkable and immoral. The Bill is now waiting for Royal Assent before it becomes law. It’s clear that when the Bill does become law its going to cause immense cruelty and chaos. The Bill does not effectively tackle criminal gangs or deter small boats. Instead, it hampers efforts to secure international return agreements, impedes the prosecution of trafficking and smuggler gangs, and unjustly incarcerates vulnerable groups, including children, pregnant women, and torture victims. The creation of safe and legal routes should be our top priority to help ease the refugee crisis and stop people from risking their lives crossing the channel in small boats. Yet when the ping-pong process was ongoing between the Lords and Parliament the Tories failed to table a single concession. The Illegal Migration Bill may be about to become law but I’ll continue to advocate for the end to the hostile environment and a humane immigration policy that offers refugees safety instead of criminalising them. |
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Anti-Union Bill This week I also voted against for a Lords amendment to the Tories ‘Sacking Nurses’ Bill. The Government’s approach has led to the worst strikes in decades, and this Bill is another attempt to undermine key workers. I’m completely against this legislation which is an anti-democratic attack on the right of workers to organise. The purpose of the Bill is to distract from the Tory economic and NHS crisis while villainising unions, made up of the very NHS workers Tory ministers clapped during the pandemic. The Bill grants the Secretary of State enabling powers to impose minimum service levels across crucial sectors such as health services, fire and rescue services, education services, transport services, nuclear installations, and border security. Contrary to the Government’s claims, this Bill does not have international approval. The Director General of the ILO and the US Labor Secretary have rejected the proposed plans. The Government is running scared from scrutiny and has failed to assess the risk of exacerbating recruitment and retention crises in public services or evaluate the bureaucratic burden on employers. Every time the Tories are in Government, they do the same thing; restrict the fundamental rights and freedoms of working people while making it easier for a rich elite to exploit them. This is just another example of that pattern. It is a pattern that the next Labour government must reverse, by repealing this Bill and expanding the rights of workers across the country. |
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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 |