Weekly Update – Friday 25 February 2022
Weekly Update – Friday 25 February 2022

Weekly Update – Friday 25th February 2022

Ukraine

I’m sure we have all been shocked and appalled by the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine that began in the early hours of Thursday morning. Our thoughts must be with the people of Ukraine at what must be an incredibly distressing and potentially perilous time and I’m sure the Ukrainian community in Edmonton and across the UK will be incredibly worried about family and friends still in the country.

What must be stressed is that this is a completely indefensible and unjustifiable act of aggression by Putin’s Government, which has been made even more stark by Putin’s ridiculous claims that the Ukrainian Government is committing a genocide in the Donbas region, is developing nuclear weapons and that the Government is completely awash with Nazis. These claims have no standing, and this military action by Russia is far from a defensive action but an act of imperialist aggression to subjugate the Ukrainian people.

The international community must remain strong and united in its condemnation of the illegal war in Ukraine. The Labour Party supports the strongest possible sanctions against Russia in concert with the international community. This would include the exclusion of Russia from the Swift payment system, the international communications system which enables banks to make secure cross-border payments quickly and facilitates international trade.

The UK also has a duty to step up and offer whatever support it can to support refugees who are fleeing the war. Currently there is no safe route for Ukrainians to enter the UK as visa applications are no longer being accepted for those stuck in the country. We should follow the move the Government of Ireland has taken of lifting visa requirements on Ukrainians travelling to the country, to enable them to seek refuge.

As this is a fast-moving situation, I am regularly receiving updates, and I will continue to keep up with developments as it progresses over the coming days.

GMB Reception

In Parliament on Tuesday, I attended a reception held by the GMB union and Uber to mark the voluntary recognition agreement that GMB has agreed with Uber, the first agreement of its kind globally. This agreement will allow the 70,000 UK Uber drivers to have a collective voice in their dealings with Uber and will allow for collective bargaining, consultation and an established representation framework between workers and Uber.

So many people in Edmonton work for Uber, as well as for other similar companies operating in the gig economy, and I will always support workers who organise for their rights and interests. Sadly, I’ve received a constant stream of emails from Uber drivers over the last few years who have had their Uber accounts suspended, meaning that they have lost their means of supporting themselves, without means of appealing.

While Uber drivers won the battle last year to be classified as workers rather than self-employed after a lengthy court battle, there is still a long way to go to fight for decent terms and conditions for Uber drivers and more widely across the gig economy. This will take both action both from workers as well as through Government legislation to ensure fair employment practices.

Sickle Cell Treatment Breakthrough

This week we heard the positive news that the first new treatment for Sickle Cell in more than two decades has begun to be administered in England. The drug, Crizanlizumab, is to be administered monthly and is believed to cut the number of A&E visits for its recipients by 40%, significantly improving the quality of life for recipients and avoiding the pain and distress that often comes with visiting hospital during a Sickle Cell crisis.

However, this scientific breakthrough must be coupled with an improvement in the individual care and dignity which all patients should be treated with. Widespread shortcomings in Sickle Cell care have been exposed since the tragic death of Evan Smith at North Middlesex Hospital occurred as a result of the hospital’s failings. A recent report by the Care Quality Commission recently found that there are still improvements to be made by North Middlesex to improve its Sickle Cell care. Of course, as we know Sickle Cell disproportionately affects Black people and is a prevalent condition in the local area, and so it is a priority for me to see progress and I will continue to watch closely.

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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

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