Paul Blomfield Former MP for Sheffield Central
As Parliament returns after the Jubilee holiday, the continuing turmoil inside the Conservative Party dominates the news. Sufficient Tory MPs have finally triggered a vote of confidence in the Boris Johnson – and the question now is whether they will do the right thing later today and remove him from the job he has disgraced for too long.
In other news, and more important to many, today is the start of Carers Week, which aims to raise awareness of the challenges faced by unpaid carers. As a supporter of Sheffield Carers’ Centre and Patron of Sheffield Young Carers, I have made a pledge to “press for unpaid carers, and particularly young carers, to be recognised, valued and supported”, and on Wednesday, I’ll be attending a Parliamentary event organised by Carers UK.
Tomorrow I’ll be speaking in a Westminster Hall debate on the case for a Statutory Gambling Levy, which has been organised by my colleague Carolyn Harris, in which I’ll be making the argument that I have made in previous debates, for gambling addiction to be taken seriously as a public health issue – with improved NHS services funded on a ‘polluter pays’ principle.
After the gambling debate I’ll be pressing Ministers in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy about their progress on improving energy efficiency in domestic buildings, and push for the need for a serious plan for retro-insulation.
On Wednesday morning, I’m meeting Magic Breakfast, an organisation which provides free school breakfasts to children living in the most deprived areas of the country and which works with three schools in my constituency. I will then be attending a Parliamentary Briefing with “More than a Score” on alternatives to SATS, which I asked Ministers about earlier this month.
I’ll also be joining residents from Wicker Riverside at a meeting I’ve arranged with Lord Greenhalgh, the Minister of State for Building Safety and Fire to discuss problems with funding the remediation of their building – which I have raised previously. Finally, I hope to drop by CAFOD’s annual supporters’ reception to meet constituents who will be attending.
I’m spending Thursday morning in a UK Trade and Business Commission inquiry on Free Trade Agreements with Japan and India, and in the afternoon I’m joining other Sheffield MPs in a meeting with the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Trust. On Friday, I’ll be meeting with local Councillors, and discussing the cost-of-living crisis and other issues with Citizens Advice and on Saturday I’m heading up to Wakefield to campaign in the by-election.