Today, we needed urgent action to tackle the cost of living crisis, support local businesses and get our economy firing on all cylinders. Instead, my constituents will continue to struggle with the cost of the weekly shop and soaring energy bills, the Chancellor failed to sort out the supply chain […]
New figures published yesterday by the End Child Poverty Coalition show that there are over 30,000 children in Leicester living below the poverty line. That’s 6,000 more than there were in 2015. Leicester saw the biggest increase in child poverty in the East Midlands, and one of the highest in […]
We’re currently in an unprecedented period of economic uncertainty, and while the Government has taken some significant steps to support people, including by increasing the Universal Credit (UC) standard allowance, I’m concerned that those who claim legacy benefits have been overlooked. Constituents who get benefits like Employment Support Allowance (ESA) […]
This week the Government announced several measures to support businesses and households through the coronavirus outbreak. These measures are welcome, but the truth is that other countries are already providing far more support to workers, the self employed and people who’ve lost their jobs. Of course the Government […]
Foodbank use has increased massively across the UK in recent years – with some Leicester-based foodbanks reporting a 30% increase in demand since the introduction of Universal Credit. The Making Ends Meet report, published by my Labour colleague Alison McGovern MP, sets out a credible plan to end the need […]
I am deeply worried by new figures from Feeding Britain, a national charity working to alleviate and eliminate hunger across the country, which show that £560,000 was deducted from Universal Credit (UC) claims in Leicester in the month of August 2019. A little under half of that sum came in […]
I recently visited New College Leicester to help launch their “Tins for the Tenth” campaign to feed at least 10% of the homeless population. According to the housing charity Shelter, at least 280,000 people in England are homeless with thousands more at risk of being homeless, including 3,700 people here in […]
I’m really pleased to be joining the board of trustees for Feeding Britain, a national charity working to alleviate and eliminate hunger across the country. Hunger has no place in 21st Century Britain and we need to make sure it becomes a thing of the past. As chair of […]
It is a total disgrace that in the 21st century, in one of the richest countries in the world, 40,000 children in our city are now growing up in poverty and 1 in 5 children say they worry about having enough to eat. Growing up poor makes it harder for you […]
I recently attended an event in Parliament hosted by the Disability Benefits Consortium (DBC), an organisation which represents 80 national disability organisations. At this event, the DBC launched a report which shows that disabled people have been hit four times harder than non-disabled people by benefit cuts over the last […]
One of the biggest challenges facing low income parents is the cost of childcare. This is an issue I have campaigned on ever since I was Director of the Maternity Alliance charity, before I became an MP. I’m very concerned that under Universal Credit, parents are required to pay their […]
Over 30 per cent of vulnerable families here in Leicester could be missing out on the Healthy Start vouchers that they may be entitled to. Families with children under 4 and pregnant women are entitled to the vouchers to help them buy fresh fruit, vegetables and milk. Pregnant women can […]