Weekly Update – Friday 26 March 2021

Government’s new plan for immigration

The Home Secretary, Priti Patel, unveiled her new radically right-wing plan to crack down on refugees this week. Priti’s “New Plan for Immigration” undermines the fundamental right people have to claim asylum in the UK by pedalling the fake myth of ‘illegal’ immigration.

There is no such thing as claiming asylum ‘illegally’. Anybody has the right to claim asylum, regardless of whether they use Government created resettlement programmes to do so. Yet these proposals would punish refugees based on their mode of arrival, creating one rule for some and another for others. Refugees who arrive in ways the government doesn’t agree with will be punished harshly, placed in ‘reception centres’, stripped of their family reunion rights and given no recourse to public funds.

Meanwhile the plan would do nothing to strengthen safe routes for refugees. This is the clearest indication yet that this Government is willing to abandon international standards of human rights post Brexit. If they succeed, we live in a less hospitable country and a more dangerous world.

I voted to protect leaseholders

This week I voted for an amendment to the Fire Safety bill which would have guaranteed that leaseholders would not pay a single penny for the cladding scandal caused by Government deregulation and the greed of property developers.

Last week I spoke in Parliament on behalf of leaseholders in Edmonton who are living in places like Methven House and Prowse Court who affected by this scandal. These leaseholders are facing substantial costs because of remediation work that has to take place to make their properties safe. The reason leaseholders are not safe in the first place is because many property developers cut corners, exploiting Government deregulation of fire safety stands to do so. This means that as things stand and with the Government unwilling to help leaseholders, many leaseholders are stuck in properties they can’t afford to fix but also cannot sell their properties unless they do.

The Government voted against the amendment, meaning that unless things change many leaseholders will have to pay for the remediation work, one way or another. Nevertheless, I will continue speaking up for leaseholders in Edmonton and calling on the Government to step up and protect them from paying for a crisis they didn’t cause.

Uyghur Genocide

The Genocide against the Uyghur people by the Chinese State tragically continues but the world is beginning to wake up and act. The United States and Canada have announced serious sanctions while the boycott against cotton produced by forced labour is widening. However, our Government is yet to step up on this issue.

This week I voted for an amendment to the Trade Bill which, had it passed, would have ensured that the UK doesn’t agree trade bills with states that are guilty of genocide and other serious human rights abuses. As a result of the Government’s opposition, the Amendment did not pass. We were however able to secure significant victories, including sanctions against key Chinese officials and corporations.

Coronavirus Act

Yesterday I voted against granting the government an extension of the Coronavirus Act. While I agree that extraordinary measures are needed to tackle this pandemic, the government has failed to support those who have most needed their support and more needs to be done to ensure that those on furlough, the unemployed and sick are able to get by during this difficult time.

I can no longer endorse giving government ministers sweeping powers when they have repeatedly failed to protect the most vulnerable in the UK from this pandemic.

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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