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Stephen has today published the latest edition of Churches Update. In this edition, you can read:
Kier Starmer’s Christmas message
John Ashworth: “Families facing a difficult Christmas”
Labour MP joins clergy support trust
Stephen Timms: “Are asylum seekers gaming the system?”
To read the latest edition, click here.
During Work and Pensions oral questions on Monday 13 December, Stephen pressed the Minister on support for low-income and out of work families.
Polling from YouGov shows that one in ten Brits say they could not afford a £5 per month increase in their cost of living - or £1 a week. During oral questions, Stephen explained that the cost of living is increasing, which is proving to be most difficult for families affected by the £20 a week Universal Credit cut, which he has long campaigned against.
Speaking in Parliament, Stephen asked the Minister “with prices rising so fast, is not the social security safety net now just too low?”
You can watch the full exchange below.
On Tuesday 7 December, Stephen spoke in the Nationality and Borders Bill debate on the cost of citizenship in the UK.
The Government has introduced the Nationality and Borders Bill to Parliament. Stephen signed New Clause 8, which would stop the Home Office from charging fees that exceed the cost of processing a citizenship application for a child.
In the debate on the Bill in the House of Commons, Stephen highlighted the current costs of applying for British citizenship which, at £1,330, are nearly four times the cost to the Home Office of processing the application.
Speaking in the debate, Stephen said “for 10 years, [migrant families] get no child benefit, even if the children are British citizens; no Universal Credit if somebody loses a job; and no free school meals if the family hits hard times, prior to the pandemic. That is the hostile environment for law-abiding, hard-working migrant families, which is why families are so worried about what is in this Bill.”
You can watch Stephen’s full speech below.
On Thursday 2 December, Stephen spoke in the House of Commons on pension scams and urged the Government to act.
The Work and Pensions Select Committee, which Stephen chairs, has reported back on its inquiry into pension scams. The Committee heard evidence from a number of different people and organisations, including the Pension Scams Industry Group, who have estimated that £10 billion has been lost to pension scams by 40,000 people since 2015.
During the Backbench Business debate on Economic Crime, Stephen raised this issue in Parliament. He urged the Government to include paid-for scam advertisements in the Online Safety Bill, which is currently undergoing pre-legislative scrutiny.
Speaking in the debate, Stephen said “if [the law] is not changed, crooks will continue to ruin the lives of thousands by advertising scams online. That would be an unforgiveable failure of Government.”
You can watch Stephen’s full speech below.
Credit: Amir Toossi, Unsplash
Stephen has joined five other Labour MPs in warning the government that the future of London’s Docklands Light Railway (DLR) could be under serious threat unless a sustainable funding deal for Transport for London (TfL) is agreed.
The six MPs, all Labour members in East or South East London constituencies, wrote to transport secretary Grant Shapps yesterday. The letter stated “…some of the [DLR] trains are now close to 30 years old” and that failure to give TfL a long-term deal means “…there is a risk that the existing contracts for new trains may have to be unpicked”.
TfL has received four short-term bailouts worth more than £4bn from central government since the start of Covid-19. The first came after revenues fell by more than 90 per cent during the first lockdown. The latest funding package runs out in five days.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, echoed the calls of Stephen and his colleagues. He warned that TfL services will likely need to be cut if a deal cannot be agreed.
Having sent the letter, Stephen said: “These cuts would have devastating effects on the DLR and the East London communities that rely on the network. I am particularly concerned about what it would mean for residents in the Royal Dock, where the DLR is the main transport option.”
Stephen has criticised the Windrush Compensation Scheme after it was revealed that only 5% of Windrush victims had received compensation.
The Home Affairs Select Committee today issued a damning report on the Scheme. They called for it to be taken out of Home Office control.
The report found that the compensation scheme, for which up to 15,000 people were expected to qualify, had compounded injustices faced by the Windrush generation, with some applicants saying the process has become a source of further trauma rather than redress. The Committee discovered that twenty-three eligible applicants have died before getting a payment, the committee found.
The new report identified a “litany of flaws in the design and operation” of the compensation scheme including an excessive burden on claimants to provide documentary evidence of the losses they suffered. Claimants faced a "daunting application process", "unreasonable requests for evidence" and were "left in limbo in the midst of inordinate delays", the MPs said.
Following the publication of the report, Stephen, who Chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Immigration Law and Policy said: “In March last year, the Home Office published the Windrush Lessons Learned Review. It highlighted – very starkly – some of the deep problems which were pervasive in the Home Office. In the Foreword, the Home Secretary made some encouraging promises.
“Today’s report by the Home Affairs Select Committee shows that little has changed. Many of the Windrush victims are still being penalised by the systemic culture of failure in the Home Office. They are being asked to provide evidence via an onerous and lengthy application process which is causing great hardship.
“I remain hopeful the government will introduce a similar scheme to compensate victims of the Toeic scandal. However, the apparent indifference by Home Office Ministers to improve the current system is troubling. I hope any scheme that is devised is more flexible and efficient than what the Windrush claimants have had to endure.”
Credit: Hansard
Stephen has signed an Early Day Motion (EDM) about the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme. The EDM urges the government to get the scheme up and running without any further delays.
The Afghanistan Citizen’ Resettlement Scheme is a new route opening for the resettlement of Afghan refugees, prioritising those most in need including women, girls and children given their particular vulnerability.
Having signed the EDM, Stephen said “I am deeply frustrated that the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme has still not opened for applications, despite being first announced on 18 August.
“I have pressed the Home Secretary on a number of occasions to give a date as to when the scheme will start accepting applications. I have not received an answer. This is hugely frustrating for my constituents who have family stuck in Afghanistan.”
The full text of the EDM can be read here.
On Monday 15 November, MPs debated the Lords Amendments to the Social Security (Uprating of Benefits) Bill. Stephen spoke in the House of Commons on the value of the state pension.
The Government made a manifesto commitment in 2019 to maintain the triple lock, under which pensions rise each year in line with average earnings, inflation, or by 2.5% - whichever is higher. However, the Government has since introduced legislation to disapply the triple lock for the financial year 2022/23. It has cited the forecasted 8% rise in average earnings as the reason for this.
The House of Lords amendment to the Social Security (Up-Rating of Benefits) Bill would have reinstated the triple lock, which the Bill has made redundant. The Lords amendment would have allowed the Government to adjust the earnings-linked increase to account for the aftershock of Covid-19.
Stephen backed the amendment, but it was voted down by the Government.
Speaking in the debate, Stephen said “It is quite likely, depending on the increases in prices and earnings next year, that the state pension will never catch up with earnings in the future, unless there is a catch-up initiative of some kind…if there is not, then that will be contrary to the Government’s long-held intention that the state pension should at least keep track with earnings.”
You can watch Stephen’s full speech below.
Credit: Štefan Štefančík, Unsplash
Stephen has welcomed the launch of employer and sector insight programmes, run by the The Social Mobility Foundation (SMF).
The SMF looks supports ambitious young people from low-income backgrounds to access top universities and professional careers. Their new programmes - which are free of charge - include mentoring, internships with top companies, university application support, and skills workshops.
The charity provides support in 11 professional sectors, including Law, Medicine and Accountancy. Students apply to join the programmes in Year 12 (England and Wales), Year 13 (Northern Ireland) and S5 (Scotland). Support continues from this point throughout university to help young people obtain graduate jobs.
Applications are now open for the 2022 programme. More information and the closing dates can be found here.
During oral questions to the Department for Work and Pensions on Monday 8 November, Stephen asked the Minister why unemployment support is at its lowest level in over 30 years, in real terms.
At the end of September, the Government reduced Universal Credit by £20 a week. According to independent research, this is costing six million families an estimated £1,000 a year and support for those out of work is at its lowest level in decades.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Stephen asked the Work and Pensions Minister, “why has the level of unemployment support been set at this historically, extremely low level?”
You can watch Stephen’s full contribution, and the Minister’s response, below.
Stephen has congratulated a local family who have completed a 55km walk in support of the mental health charity, MIND. The walk – which took fourteen hours to complete – raised over £3,000.
The Alaudin family from East Ham resolved to undertake the walk for charity after seeing friends and family struggle with mental health problems, particularly over lockdown.
The walkers – who were aged between 13 and 42 – undertook a number of training walks prior setting off for Woking earlier this week. They aimed to raise £1,200 but their current donations have totalled £3,200. Some of the group suffered injuries along the way, but refused to give up. They eventually arrived in Woking and were met by a jubilant group of local residents who had been monitoring their progress.
The group’s organiser, Shafiq Abidin, said: “Mental health is a topic which still generates a lot of stigma, both in silence and out loud. This is especially true in the Asian community, where the pleas of many that are suffering in silence are still being ignored.
We wanted to participate in a charitable cause that we thought could accumulate a meaningful amount of money for MIND. I am glad we did it, even if we did have to fight through the pain barrier to do so!”
After speaking to the group outside East Ham Town Hall, Stephen said: “The pandemic and social distancing measures have had a profound effect on the people’s mental health, and particularly in East Ham. The pressures that have been placed on those already suffering from mental ill health cannot be underestimated, and we must do our best to help.
“I congratulate the Alaudin family on completing such a gruelling walk. They have raised a huge amount of money which will, no doubt, go some way to helping those who are struggling with mental health problems in our community.
“It is not too late to make a donation – I made one earlier this week – and would encourage others to do so!”
Should you wish to donate to the group, then you can do so here.
On Wednesday 3 November, Stephen led a debate in Parliament on adult dependent relative visas.
In 2012, the Government made significant changes to the immigration rules which made it harder for British nationals to bring their elderly parents or grandparents to the UK to care for them. Family members are only permitted to stay in the UK if they can demonstrate that they require a level of long-term personal care that their home country cannot provide.
Before the rule changes, thousands of applications for adult dependent relative visas were approved. In 2016, the Home Office reported that, in 2010, 2,665 applications for adult dependent relatives were successful. After the changes, in 2014, only 723 were successful. In 2017, the Home Office did not issue a single adult dependent relative visa.
Stephen led a Westminster Hall debate on this matter, to highlight the impact of this immigration policy on healthcare professionals in particular. He told the story of one doctor, a British National based in Birmingham, who came from India in 2004 to train as a GP. He lost his father to Covid-19 in India earlier this year. His 70-year-old mother wants to join him here, but is being prevented from doing so as she does not qualify for an adult dependent relative visa.
Speaking in the debate, Stephen said “there is no justification for forcing committed, dedicated NHS doctors to choose between their work and their home in the UK, on the one hand, and their deeply felt duty to their elderly parents on the other, to support and care for them in difficulty and in old age. Will the Minister commit today to review this unfair policy?”
You can watch Stephen’s speech, and the Minister’s response, below.
David was a kind and generous man. His wife and children have my deepest condolences. He was committed to his constituency in Southend, and gave his life - tragically and appallingly - in serving his constituents. Members of Parliament must always be accessible to their constituents, as David was.
David also loved Newham. He was born in Plaistow and grew up in Forest Gate, where his mother lived until her death, aged over 100. David was proud of his old school, St Bonaventure’s - an excellent Catholic boys’ school when he was there, as now - and was known to wear his school tie in the House of Commons. He used to visit the school often.
He stood for election to Newham Council in 1974 and 1978. He wasn’t successful, but, despite party differences, always took a supportive interest in the Council. When I was Council Leader, trying to persuade the Conservative Government to bring the Channel Tunnel Rail Link through a station in Stratford, he was our one committed and unwavering ally on the Government benches. His contribution was crucial to the success of the campaign, which led on to London hosting the 2012 Olympics with the stadium at Stratford, and to the regeneration under way now. Newham has lost a great friend today.
The annual national conference of the Labour Party was held in Brighton this year, from Saturday 25 to Wednesday 29 September.
Stephen met with party members, campaign groups and charities. He also attended a number of events and held a Faiths Reception.
Over the course of the conference, Stephen spoke at several events. This includes a panel discussion on improving security within the gig economy, a roundtable on ending homelessness, and a Christians on the Left prayer breakfast. Stephen also shared some thoughts at the Trussell Trust’s event on ending the need for foodbanks, the Prince’s Trust’s roundtable on employment for young people and the Tamils for Labour reception.
At each event, Stephen was able to share some of the work the Select Committee for Work and Pensions, which he chairs, is doing in these areas. He also spoke about the impact on and experience of his constituency of East Ham around these issues.
Speaking after the conference, Stephen said “I enjoyed returning to Brighton for the Labour Party Conference this year. It was uplifting to meet so many members, volunteers and campaigners working hard to bring positive change in this crucial period of recovery. I look forward to working alongside them again in the future as the new Parliamentary term kicks off this month.”
Stephen met with representatives from the Alzheimer’s Society at the Party Conference to lend their support to their Cure the Care System campaign. The campaign envisions a future where people affected by dementia are able to live the life they want, with greater independence, choice and control.
As there are only a limited range of medicines available to treat dementias, such as Alzheimer’s disease, many people with the condition get the support through social care, such as home care or residential care. While dementia isn’t curable yet, we can cure the care system.
Figures from Alzheimer’s Society show that there are as many as 770,000 people with dementia in England, with that number set to grow to over a million in just ten years.
Stephen said “It was great to meet with Alzheimer’s Society at the Labour Party Conference this year. I will continue working with them on their campaign to ensure that social care reforms brought forward by Government meet the needs of the 1,830 people living with dementia in Newham, which is projected to rise to 2,680 by 2030.”
Fiona Carragher, Director of Research and Influencing at Alzheimer’s Society, added “We really welcome Stephen’s support for our Cure the Care System campaign. Social care reform has been ignored for too long, but that’s changing.
While there’s still a long way to go, Alzheimer’s Society have a pragmatic, long-term plan for social care that delivers for people living with dementia in East Ham. We look forward to working with Stephen to bring about a social care system to be proud of as a nation.”
On Wednesday 15 September, Labour MPs held a debate on Universal Credit and Working Tax Credits. Stephen spoke about the Government’s planned welfare cuts.
The reduction, due to take place on 6 October, will see 6 million families lose £20 a week. It will lower the level of support for an unemployed family to the smallest amount as a proportion of average earnings at any time since the Second World War. It will also impact the 40% of people claiming Universal Credit who are already in employment.
Speaking in the debate, Stephen drew upon evidence taken by the Work and Pensions Select Committee, which he chairs. The Committee had previously heard from a single father of two who said the cuts will force him to ask the question: “do I go hungry, do my kids go hungry, or do we keep the house warm?”
Speaking in the debate, Stephen said “somebody worrying about about how to buy their next meal is not going to be able to focus on finding a decent job. Taking £20 a week away will leave the level of support below the basic minimum that is needed.”
At the end of the debate, Labour put forward a motion calling on the Government to stop the cuts, which passed by 253 votes to 0. However, the vote is not legally binding.
You can watched Stephen’s full speech below.
During questions to the Chancellor in Parliament on Tuesday 7 September, Stephen highlighted the impact the £20 a week Universal Credit cut will have on households across the UK.
The cuts, due to go ahead on 6 October 2021, will impact 5.5 million families both in and out of work.
Speaking in the chamber, Stephen said “40% of the people who claim Universal Credit are already in work. Does the Chancellor understand that they will be very hard hit by this cut, which is the biggest overnight benefit cut in our history?”
The Chancellor explained that the Government is looking at other ways to support people in work, but did not promise to reconsider the cuts to Universal Credit.
You can watch the full exchange below.
Stephen has written to the Secretary of State for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, George Eustice MP calling for further action on climate change. The letter followed a campaign by residents of East Ham which urged the government to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
In his letter, Stephen outlined how achieving net zero emissions would benefit the economy and bring about a healthier way of life, whilst also preserving nature. The World Wildlife Fund noted recently that delaying spending of just 1% of GDP now risks doubling the cost for future generations. This could risk £90 billion of annual benefits from cleaner air, improved health and long-term sustainable jobs.
Stephen has previously called for the Prime Minister to “do his homework” and ensure COP26 delivers what is needed. His letter outlined steps that the government could take, such as a step-by-step net zero strategy and the need to bring in public and private investment into the sector.
The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York have set up a Commission to look at families and households. Stephen invited Commission members to observe family life in Newham to help their research.
The Commission are looking to address the challenges facing households, whilst highlighting the positive work that is being done to support families. They aim to report in Winter 2022 with policy recommendations for government.
Newham has the UK’s highest proportion of children living in poverty. An estimated 10,000 families have No Recourse to Public funds and many face severe financial difficulties. These pressures have been exacerbated by the pandemic, as the number of Trussell Trust foodbank parcels rose more than fivefold in Newham in 2020-2021. However, there are several community organisations and faith groups in the borough, working hard to support these families.
Five of the Commissioners – Chair Professor Janet Walker, Co-Chair Rt Revd Paul Butler, Elaine Storkey, Julie Gittoes and Dez Brown – took part in the visit to Newham. They visited local community organisations and faith groups, including Ascension Community Trust, Alternatives Trust and the Renewal Programme. Stephen also chaired a roundtable at Bonny Downs Community Centre with a number of grassroots groups, charities and faith leaders supporting families across Newham. The Commission also visited two local households to hear of their experience of raising a family in Newham.
Speaking after the visit, Stephen said: “Newham families have faced acute pressures during the pandemic, made worse by poor housing and benefit problems. Church-based and other faith and voluntary sector initiatives have been crucial in supporting families. They have been key to our community’s resilience. Their commitment to local people has meant a great deal.
I was glad to introduce Commission members to groups supporting family life in the borough. I hope their efforts will influence policy that affects families, and look forward to their report towards the end of next year.”
Credit: Habib Dadkhah, Unsplash
Stephen has congratulated The Ottoman restaurant in Manor Park on being shortlisted for a prestigious British Kebab Awards.
The Ottoman on the Romford Road has been shortlisted for the British Kebab Awards for Best Newcomer category. It was announced as the finalist and the winners will be announced at a ceremony in London.
Speaking after the news was announced, Stephen said “I am delighted the Ottoman has been shortlisted. It is richly deserved! I know the restaurant has been popular with residents of Manor Park since it opened.”
