Stephen visits Christians Against Poverty's new office

On 10 October, Stephen travelled to Bradford for the opening of Christians Against Poverty’s (CAP) relocated head office.

CAP is a debt charity which seeks to tackle the causes of poverty by empowering local churches to provide free financial support and budgeting skills. Since 2010, they have helped over 20,000 people become debt free.

CAP first opened its headquarters in 2001. Ten years later, it opened a neighbouring centre to house more staff and volunteers. The organisation has since grown significantly, so CAP have moved into one single building.

During his visit, Stephen addressed CAP’s staff team, volunteers and supporters. He was given a tour of the premises and heard from a number of the charity’s support teams who will now be based together in the new building.

Speaking after his visit, Stephen said “I enjoyed visiting Bradford again, for the opening of Christians Against Poverty’s new headquarters. Now, more than ever, families across the country need CAP’s vital support. Without the efforts of their volunteers based in local churches across the UK, many would be in a terrible situation this winter as they grapple with the cost of living crisis. CAP’s new building looks like a great place for staff to carry out their vital work.”

Stephen seeks protection for wildlife laws

Stephen has today written to the Secretary of State for the Environment asking that the government commit to keeping key nature protections within UK law. 

Stephen has been approached by number of constituents who are concerned that the government plans to water down regulations which protect vulnerable habitats and species. He made clear in his letter that protecting biodiversity, halting the decline of nature and restoring habitats and wildlife must be a priority. 

Speaking about the letter, Stephen said “The recent announcements by Ministers in recent months are an unprecedented attack on nature. The government is threatening to tear up the laws that protect our best wildlife sites, weakening protections for nature in the planning system and may be about to scrap vital proposals that would help farmers help nature". 

A consultation was held on environmental laws earlier this year. In July, the government said it was analysing responses to the consultation and would publish a formal response “in due course” .

Stephen asks Chancellor to raise benefits in line with inflation

On Friday 23 September, the recently appointed Chancellor - Kwasi Kwarteng - gave a statement to the House of Commons on the Government's plans for growth. During the statement, Stephen asked if he will raise benefits in line with next month's inflation rate.

Inflation is around 10%. However, social security benefits were only uprated by 3% in April. The previous Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, had made assurances that there would be a catch-up increase next April.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Stephen asked “will the Chancellor give the important assurance that his predecessor gave, that social security benefits will be fully uprated in the usual way, in line with this month’s inflation figure?” Kwasi Kwarteng refused to repeat that assurance.

You can watch Stephen’s question, and the Chancellor’s response, below.

Stephen pays tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Credit: Samuel Regan-Asante

Stephen has paid tribute to Her Majesty The Queen in the House of Commons.

Speaking about her many visits to Newham, Stephen endorsed the Prime Minister’s view that she had a unique ability to “transcend difference and heal division” evidenced by when she met a group of protesters at the opening of London City Airport in 1987. He noted her comments to the group eased the rancour between the objectors and the airport.

You can read Stephen’s address to MPs here.

Launch of Keeping the Faith 2.0

Stephen has launched a new report looking at how faith groups and local authorities are building on partnerships forged during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Keeping the Faith 2.0 was commissioned by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Faith and Society as a follow-up to a 2020 report which charted the dramatic increase in collaboration between local authorities and faith groups at the start of the pandemic crisis. It found that two thirds of local authorities reported an increase in partnership working with faith groups after the pandemic began. The report found that over 90% of the local authorities described their experience of working with faith groups in the pandemic as “very” or “mostly positive”, and that over three quarters expected the partnerships to continue in the future.

Keeping the Faith 2.0 is drawn from in depth interviews with faith group and local authority leaders from around the UK, carried out in the year after the earlier report. It assesses how partnerships between local authorities and faith groups forged in the intense initial months of the pandemic have developed since.

The research showed that the initial focus of partnerships on food distribution had broadened out to encompass first vaccination, and then wider mental health and wellbeing support. Faith groups were being more systematically involved in service provision. Their pandemic experiences, and the greater recognition it had brought them, had galvanised their sense of mission and purpose, and strengthened their confidence.

The Faiths Minister, Paul Scully, attended the launch. He welcomed the report and assured the audience that central Government would continue to look at ways in which it could work with those whose of faith. “I know you will continue to provide seemingly limitless reserves of commitment and goodwill and trust to people who face difficult times,” he said. “The government wants to work with you on that, to co-create the kind of solutions and world we want to live in.”

Speaking at the launch, Stephen said: “We warmly welcome this new report, highlighting lessons from the intense collaborations formed as the pandemic crisis broke, and suggesting how those lessons can best be applied and developed in the future.”

To read the report, click here.

Stephen urges Government to review its arms trade with Israel

Stephen has written to Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary - and Prime Minister elect - asking for the UK to reflect its trade policy with Israel.

There are growing concerns that Israel is using increased violence against Palestinian nationals. According to international human right bodies, such as Amnesty International, Israel is enacting a system of apartheid rule, violating international law.

A number of constituents have been in touch with Stephen noting that the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs found that 260 Palestinians were killed by Israeli attacks on Gaza between 10 May and 21 May last year. Thousands more were injured, and over 110,000 people were displaced.

The UK continues to trade with Israel. Both countries have benefited from decades of military trade. For many, this raises worries that the UK is supporting Israel’s illegal activity in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Speaking about the letter, Stephen said: “I am troubled to learn the UK may be encouraging repression against Palestinians and violation of international law through its arms shipments. The Government must review its trade policy as a matter of urgency.”

Stephen visits CAP head office

On 3 August, Stephen visited the Christians Against Poverty (CAP) head office in Bradford. He met with the Chief Executive, Paula Stringer, and some of the charity’s debt advisors.

CAP is a charity tackling the causes of poverty by empowering local churches to provide free debt advice and budgeting skills. Since 2010, they have helped over 20,000 people become debt free.

After meeting with the Chief Executive and debt advisors to discuss ways in which MPs and CAP can work together to help reduce debt in the UK, Stephen was given a tour of the charity’s new office, as they expand their team.

Speaking after his visit, Stephen said: “I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to CAP’s head office. It was great to meet with the Chief Executive and hear from CAP debt advisors. I applaud CAP’s volunteers around the country for their remarkable work to help people out of debt and poverty. Their work is more important than ever during this cost of living crisis.”

Stephen questions delays at Beckton Water Treatment Works

Credit: Harry Grout

Stephen has asked Thames Water why a multi-million pound desalination plant in Beckton, which was built to supply Londoners with water during a drought, has been shut down until next year.

The Beckton Water Treatment Works in east London can draw 100m litres a day from the River Thames. It opened in 2010 with the capacity to pipe drinking water into 400,000 homes in London.

But Thames Water has admitted the high-tech plant is offline and unable to be used before 2023. In a statement, the company said: “Due to further necessary planned work the plant is currently out of service. Our teams are working as fast as possible to get it ready for use early next year, to achieve protection to our supplies if we were to have another dry winter.”

Stephen said he was puzzled by Thames Water’s decision to mothball the plant after the driest July on record. “The plant was built in my constituency at great expense to Thames Water customers twelve years ago," he said.

"It was built to help out in a crisis exactly like the one we seems to be heading into at the moment with drought conditions. It's expensive to run, it take a lot of electricity which at the moment is very expensive. It may be that Thames Water does not want to pay the costs of running it at the moment," he added.

Thames Water is advising customers to cut down water usage by taking shorter showers, turning taps off when brushing teeth and using watering cans, rather than hoses in the garden.

Stephen calls on benefit deductions to be paused

Credit: Sarah Agnew, Unsplash

Stephen has said automatic repayments to the government by people claiming benefits should be put on hold to help households struggling with huge financial pressures during the cost of living crisis.

About 2.4 million households – nearly half of all claimants on universal credit – have on average £62 docked each month to repay benefit advances, tax credit overpayments and debts owed to landlords and utility companies.

With inflation set to peak at its highest level for 40 years, the report from the cross-party Work and Pensions Committee highlights how the deductions from benefits, usually taken to recover money owed for a variety of debts and advances, are pushing some people into hardship and leading them to depend on foodbanks.

A report published by the Work and Pensions Select Committee - which Stephen chairs - calls on DWP to pause the deductions and restore them gradually only as the rate of inflation reduces, or when benefits have been increased to accurately reflect the rise in prices. In addition, the Committee recommends that the Government reviews and increases the benefit cap - which has remained frozen since it was lowered in 2016.

Speaking about the report said: “Deductions by [the] DWP from benefits are contributing to the hardship, and the government should give those struggling some much-needed breathing space by following its own advice to other creditors and pausing repayments until the threat of inflation recedes.”

Stephen speaks at ParliaMentors graduation

Stephen has spoken at the graduation ceremony of the ParliaMentors, an award-winning leadership programme for university students from different faith and belief backgrounds.

Stephen is a long-standing supporter of the programme. It allows students to gain a unique insight into the political process while being mentored by MPs and Peers.

The ParliaMentors Programme is run by the Faith and Belief Forum. it works to build good relations between people of all faiths and beliefs, and to create a society where difference is celebrated.

Speaking afterwards, Stephen said: ‘“The ParliaMentors cohort are young leaders who have very bright futures ahead of them. I commend the Faith and Belief Forum for the way this programme empowers students of different faiths to create change and develops them in leadership.’

Stephen urges truthfulness in Government

On Monday 18 July, Stephen spoke in Parliament about Boris Johnson’s misleading claims on employment figures.

Following the Prime Minister's resignation announcement, there was a debate on a vote of no-confidence in Her Majesty's Government. In the debate, Stephen explained how, since last November, the Prime Minister has claimed 10 times in Parliament that employment levels are now lower than since the start of the pandemic. This is untrue.

 In February, the Chair of the UK Statistics Authority wrote to the Prime Minister, challenging this assertion. The latest employment figures show there are 210,000 fewer people in employment than before the pandemic. In March, Stephen asked Boris Johnson if he accepted this correction. The Prime Minister agreed and said he took steps to correct the record. However, he then repeated the misleading claim again in Parliament in April and – to date – has not corrected the record.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Stephen said “democracy does not work if Ministers routinely say things they know to be untrue. Why did they not see through him before?”

You can watch Stephen’s full speech below.

Stephen calls on Indian Government to secure the release of Jagtar Singh Johal

Stephen has written to the Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, urging her to press for the release of British Citizen, Jagtar Singh Johal.

In October 2017, Mr Johal was unlawfully abducted in India. This was three weeks after his wedding, and he was tortured into “making a so-called ‘confession’ to trumped up political charges.” There are now ten cases pending against him.

The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention recently found that the Indian Government failed to prove that Mr Johal’s confessions were given freely. They also found that he was targeted because of his faith and human rights work.

The British Government claim to seek the release of British nationals who are arbitrarily detained overseas. There are concerns, however, that the Foreign Office have not done enough in the case of Mr Johal and his family. Stephen has asked the Foreign Secretary to explain what actions are being taken to secure his release and keep his family informed of his welfare.

After sending his letter, Stephen said “It is concerning to learn that very little has been done in the last five years to secure his release. I urge the British Government to continue raising his case with the Indian Government and ensure he has a right to a fair trial”.

Stephen urges Government to take action on emergency in Sri Lanka

On 13 July there was an Urgent Question in the House of Commons on the state of emergency declared in Sri Lanka. Stephen argued that, as a condition of the medium term support Sri Lanka will need following its economic collapse, it must be required to meet its obligations under the resolutions of the UN Human Rights Council.

In February 2020, Sri Lanka withdrew from UN Human Rights Council (HCR) resolutions on reconciliation and human rights issues following the civil war. The situation in Sri Lanka was assessed by the UN HRC in March 2021, where a new resolution was adopting mandating the council to collect and preserve information and evidence of crimes relating to the civil war.

Over the past few months, Sri Lanka has suffered from fuel, food and medicine shortages and thousands have protested in the street. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed acting president by the outgoing leader, Gotabaya Rajapaksa. A state of emergency has since been declared in the country and a new President has been appointed.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Stephen said that, in 2013, “… the UK with Sri Lanka jointly moved a resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council setting out a mechanism for resolving the legacy of the issues we have heard about today. Sri Lanka has largely ignored its obligations under that resolution.”

You can watch Stephen’s full question, and the Minister’s response, below.

Stephen urges Government to improve Access to Work

During oral questions to the Department for Work and Pensions on Monday 11 July, Stephen pressed the Minister on improving the Access to Work scheme.

Last November, the Government responded to a report by the Select Committee for Work and Pensions - which Stephen chairs - on the disability employment gap. Within this response, it promised to improve Access to Work, which provides help to support people with a physical or mental health condition or disability to access work.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Stephen pressed the Minister for an update on delivering this promise. You can watch his full question - and the Minister’s response - below.

Stephen opens debate on cost of living

On Tuesday 5 July, there was an Estimates Day Debate for the Department for Work and Pensions on the cost of living. Stephen opened the debate, and focused on the levels at which benefits are set and uprated.

Prices are rising and inflation in May was the highest since 1982, at 9.1%. It is expected to reach 11% by October. In response to these rising costs, the then-Chancellor - Rishi Sunak - announced measures to support households in February, March and May.

During his speech, Stephen focused on the two measures that would be funded by the DWP - the household support fund and the payment for those receiving disability benefits. He welcomed the measures but highlighted a number of concerns with them too.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Stephen said “welcome though the Chancellor’s announcements are, I agree that it would be far better to have an uprating system that works properly, rather than having to resort to these stopgap measures to deal with the emergency.”

You can watch Stephen’s full speech below.

Stephen joins call for the NHS Children's Hospice Grant to be extended

On 22 June, Stephen attended an event in Parliament about children’s palliative care, and joined the call to protect and extend the NHS Children’s Hospice Grant beyond 2023/24, supporting Richard House and other childrens’ hospices.

At the event, which was hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Children Who Need Palliative Care, the charity Together for Short Lives presented data from a new report, setting out the importance of NHS funding for hospice care for young people and their families.

The Children’s Hospice Grant was introduced in 2007 as a central grant to children’s hospices. In 2021/22 it was worth a total of £17 million and is planned to increase to £25 million in 2023/24. Together for Short Lives welcome this rise, but are concerned that officials are not committing to protecting and extending the grant. They warned that children’s hospices could be forced to cut care and support for children if they were unable to access the grant in the next two years.

Speaking afterwards, Stephen said “I was pleased to attend the APPG’s event to hear about new research on available support for life-limited children and young people with complex healthcare conditions. It is important to recognise the vital care hospices provide children and their families across the country, like Richard House Children’s Hospice in Newham. In doing so, they offer families a lifeline and take pressure away from overstretched hospital services.”

Stephen asks Ministers to look at use of bearskin caps

Stephen has written to the Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, asking that his department ban the use of real bearskin for military caps.

The Government currently uses bearskin for the ceremonial caps worn by the Queen’s Guards. Many bears - mostly Canadian black bears - are shot, or severely hurt from this process.

In recent years, ECOPEL and PETA have created a faux fur, which they describe as being “…virtually indistinguishable in appearance and performance” to traditional fur. Not only does the new fur meet the Government’s requirements, but it is also environmentally friendly, lighter and minimises waste. ECOPEL are also committing to supply faux fur freely until 2030.

After sending the letter, Stephen said “The Government should be finding ways to actively cut down the use of bearskin. The faux fur from PETA and ECOPEL sounds very promising. I hope the Ministry of Defence will consider it as a long-term replacement.”

Stephen addresses Life Science Conference

Stephen has presented the welcome address at the Swiss-UK Life Science Conference in partnership with the University of Oxford this week. Held at St Hugh’s College, the conference brought together prominent scientists, academics and policy makers in the Life Science field.

As part of his role as Trade Envoy for Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Stephen spoke about the importance of UK-Swiss collaboration in the areas of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. He paid tribute to the team at Oxford University responsible for developing the Astra Zeneca Covid vaccine and emphasised the importance of a cooperative approach in addressing health challenges of this nature.

Speaking after the event, Stephen said: “Since assuming the role of Trade Envoy, I have been increasingly struck by how much the UK and Switzerland have in common. There are huge volumes of trade between us in each direction and both countries pride themselves on innovation. The pandemic has highlighted the need to work together on global health and bilateral partnerships like this one have the opportunity to lead the way for the future.”

Stephen seeks clarification on abortion regulations

Stephen has written to Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis, seeking clarification on the constitutional impact of the new abortion regulations.

The regulations create new powers to directly fund abortion provision in Northern Ireland. There are concerns, however, that these will go even further than the previous rules and may give the Northern Ireland Secretary powers to bypass the country’s Executive branch altogether.

In his letter, Stephen asked the Secretary of State whether the new regulations will be compatible with the Belfast Agreement and the devolved government in Northern Ireland.

Having sent the letter, Stephen said, “I am troubled to learn that the new powers from the Abortion Regulations could affect the Belfast Agreement as well as the decades of checks and balances that have been built into Northern Ireland’s political system.”

Stephen argues for better benefit uprating processes

During a debate in the House of Commons on 22 June, Stephen spoke about the experiences of families struggling with current benefit levels, and urged the Government to improve the process for setting these rates.

On 22 June, MPs debated the Social Security (Additional Payments) Bill, which was introduced by the Government to provide additional support for benefit claimants during the cost of living crisis. Stephen acknowledged that big measures are needed to help support low-income families in the coming months, as inflation is expected to rise to 10%.

Speaking in the chamber, Stephen said “the reason the Bill is needed is that the system for social security uprating has failed. It is a long-standing system. There is nothing new about the way it is done, but the unforeseen burst in inflation means that it simply has not worked this year.”

You can watch Stephen’s full speech below.