Speeches and Articles - Hilary Benn - Member of Parliament for Leeds Central

Hilary’s Article for South Leeds Life – November 2020

Half term hunger It is the Government’s responsibility to make sure that children do not go hungry.” These were the words of my parliamentary colleague Kate Green when she moved the motion calling for free school meals to be funded during the autumn half term, Christmas and Easter holidays. The…

Agriculture Bill

Lots of constituents have contacted me about the protection of UK environmental, animal welfare and food safety standards and child health in future trade deals. I support the #SaveOurStandards campaign. While the UK Government’s Trade Bill and Agriculture Bill have been making their way through Parliament, I have supported amendments…

Hilary’s Article for South Leeds Life – October 2020

Covid-19 Since March, our lives have been dominated by Covid. As I write, Leeds has just been put under new restrictions which mean that families won’t be able to see anyone else in their homes. It is the rising rate of infections in our city that has made this inevitable…

Internal Market Bill

I have been contacted by many constituents about the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill. I share the concerns raised by my constituents and that’s why I opposed the Bill at Second Reading in the House of Commons. You can read below what I said in my speech on 21 September.…

Hilary’s Article for South Leeds Life – September 2020

Managed Area, exams, evictions and paint brushes The independent review into the managed area in Holbeck recently published its report. It’s worth reading, although I found parts of it rather frustrating. In particular, I was genuinely puzzled as to why there was such an apparently low response rate to the…

Hilary’s Article for South Leeds Life – August 2020

Bielsa, face masks and volunteers First things first. Many congratulations to Leeds United on winning the Championship and being promoted to the Premier League. It’s been a long wait, but a bright future beckons now that the club is back where it belongs. I recently watched a television programme on…

Hilary’s Article for South Leeds Life – July 2020

As I write this, I’ve just remembered that today I should have been at the Beeston Festival which is always one of the highlights of the year. It’s a reminder of just how disrupted normal life has been by this pandemic. And yet we have found new ways to support…

Hilary’s Article for South Leeds Life – June 2020

Looking at my diary at the start of each day has presented a whole new world since lockdown began. Where once there were meetings that involved travel, near or far, and papers I had to remember to take with me, now there are Zoom, Skype, Teams and Webex video meetings.…

We can only beat coronavirus if we work together across the world

The last few weeks have brought out the best in our communities in the face of great adversity. People looking out for their neighbours, ensuring that the most vulnerable have access to food, and checking in with friends and family who live alone. 20,000 former nurses, carers and doctors have…

Hilary’s Article for South Leeds Life – May 2020

Firstly, a big thank you to all the council staff, voluntary organisations and volunteers who have been doing so much over the last month to help others. The theatre company Slung Low has been delivering meals to people in Holbeck and Beeston supported by the Real Junk Food Project. Holbeck…

Hilary’s Article for South Leeds Life – April 2020

Coronavirus When I finished writing my column for South Leeds Life at the end of February, I could scarcely have imagined that so much would change so quickly in the following four weeks. As the coronavirus has spread across the globe with no vaccine yet available – although lots of…

Hilary’s Article for South Leeds Life – March 2020

Storms Ciara and Dennis have reminded us once again of the risk of flooding in Leeds and across the country. The flood defences in the city centre, including the movable weir at Crown Point Bridge which can be lowered when the water level rises, have made a difference, but there…

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