Ukraine

Events have taken a dramatic turn following President Trump’s original telephone conversation with President Putin and his recent meeting with President Zelenskyy in the White House, which did not go well. We all want to see an end to the war but this has to be based on a lasting peace, with security guarantees for Ukraine backed up by the United States of America.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been providing strong leadership and has made his support for President Zelensky clear. There can be no settlement without Ukraine’s involvement and sufficient security guarantees. The Prime Minister has also announced an increase in defence spending to reach 2.5% of GDP by 2027 to be funded by the very difficult decision to reduce aid spending. The Prime Minister told the House of Commons:

“I want to be clear – this is not a choice I am happy to make. We will continue to play a key humanitarian role around the world in places like Sudan, Ukraine, Gaza, tackling climate change and supporting multinational efforts on global health challenges like vaccination. We will do everything we can to return to a world where that is not the case, and we can rebuild our capacity on development.” 

Gaza

The fragile ceasefire is still holding although, at time of writing, Israel has halted all humanitarian aid. President Trump recently suggested that the population of Gaza could be moved out to Jordan and Egypt and the Gaza Strip rebuilt as a “Riviera of the Middle East”. Foreign Secretary David Lammy recently made the UK’s position on this very clear. He said: “We’ve always been clear in our belief that we must see two states. We must see Palestinians live and prosper in their homelands in Gaza and the West Bank.” This must mean Palestinians being able to return to their homes and then start to rebuild them.

Three Bits of Good News for Leeds

The Government has confirmed £15m in funding for two major cultural projects in Leeds. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has committed £10m to help develop Holbeck’s historic Temple Works building, paving the way for it to become the home of a new British Library North. The importance of the Temple Works scheme in supporting a new British Library North is huge, and it has great potential to bring economic and social benefits to Leeds, West Yorkshire and the North.  A further £5m in funding has been confirmed in support of plans to create a National Poetry Centre at the landmark Trinity St David’s Church on Woodhouse Lane.

Thirdly, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) has published responses to their consultation on the first proposed routes for the new mass transit system covering Leeds and Bradford. More than three quarters supported the proposal for a line from St James’s Hospital to the White Rose Shopping Centre in the south of the city. More details can be found here:

Public’s preferred routes for Leeds to Bradford tram revealed – BBC News

Labour’s NHS Plan Starts Working

Last week, the Government celebrated hitting our pledge to deliver over two million more appointments seven months early.

Figures published by NHS England revealed that between July and November last year, the NHS delivered almost 2.2 million more elective care appointments compared to the same period the previous year.

Waiting lists have fallen by almost 160,000 since Labour took office, compared to a rise of almost 33,000 over the same period the previous year.

Thousands of patients have received vital operations, scans, treatments, and consultations earlier than planned, helping them get back on with their lives and back to work sooner.

Tackling the Dentistry Crisis

Hundreds of thousands of people across England will soon be able to access urgent and emergency dental care as the Government and the NHS roll out 700,000 extra urgent appointments.

Delivering on the Government’s manifesto pledge, NHS England has written to integrated care boards across the country, directing health chiefs in each region to stand up thousands of urgent appointments over the next year.

Local, Political and Parliamentary Activity

• Various meetings on legacy in Northern Ireland and briefing on other Northern Ireland matters
• Speech in Belfast to mark the first anniversary of the return on devolved government
• Campaigning in Doncaster
• Addressed Leicester Labour Society
• Guest speaker at Liverpool Labour Group Fundraiser
• Briefing on the Leeds mass-transit system
• Update on the Leeds New Hospital Programme
• Meeting with Holbeck Together
• Meeting to discuss anti-social behaviour in Middleton Park ward
• Visit to Quick Labs in Holbeck
• South Leeds Life Column