Campaign diary: 02 June
Fighting for every vote
I spent the Friday and Saturday knocking on doors and listening to residents’ concerns.
As Labour’s candidate I am taking no vote for granted. Along with Labour councillors and campaigners, we’ve picked up casework throughout the weekend and reported a number of issues to the council.
A lot of people said that they were fed up with Rishi Sunak and wanted a change after 14 years of the Conservatives. People raised serious issues which need a determined local MP and a change in national government to address.
These issues included:
Crime and anti-social behaviour. This issue was raised again and again. No-one should feel unsafe on their own street and in their own constituency. But the police have been cut back. 700 police officers have been cut from West Mids Police under the Tories.
I spoke about wanting to work with community groups as MP, and Labour’s pledge to hire 13,000 new police officers and PCSOs. I will fight for south Birmingham to gets its fair share so community policing teams can be bolstered and there can be more patrols on our streets.
Public services. I heard appalling accounts of waiting times for NHS surgery dates and ambulances. And schools that are struggling to provide the support that pupils need.
We need to invest in community services to reduce pressure on emergency services. I talked about my work on SEND through the GMB union, which represents teaching assistants and other SEND workers.
Work and wages. People are still struggling with the cost of living crisis. Wages are falling behind and they are lower in the constituency than in other areas.
I spoke about Labour’s plan to make work pay and restore fair treatment at work. We are the party of people who work and people who want to work, and I am proud to have helped develop these policies. Labour will also fund free breakfast clubs in our primary schools, which would provide real help to young families.
Immigration. There is real anger over the government’s failure to stop small boats, as Rishi Sunak promised - and the money wasted on the failed Rwanda scheme.
Labour would pull together a new Border Force Command to smash the criminal gangs that are killing people in the English Channel. We already forced the Government to scrap the discount which allowed employers to pay 20% lower wages to non-UK nationals in some jobs.
Keir Starmer has announced new plans to provide more training places at home, and to ban companies that break the law from hiring non-UK nationals.
I’m back out on the doorstep as we fight for every vote in every part of the constituency.