Paul Blomfield Former MP for Sheffield Central
I’m pleased to start the week with a successor in place as the Labour candidate for Sheffield Central and was delighted to congratulate Abtisam Mohamed who won a strong mandate from our members at yesterday’s selection meeting. I pay tribute to all the candidates at every stage of the process who contested the election so positively – and particularly to Eddie, Rizwana and Jayne who were shortlisted for the final stage. I’ll be catching up with Abtisam over the next few days to plan how we work together through to the election – whenever it comes over the next couple of years.
As soon as I get to Westminster today, I’m heading to 10 Downing Street with six mothers who have lost children to gambling addiction to hand in a letter co-ordinated by Gambling with Lives calling for independent public messaging around gambling-related harms – ending the influence of the gambling industry.
I’m then going to the House of Lords where I’m speaking at an event celebrating the contribution of international students – on which I spoke in Parliament last week opposing plans to cut numbers. Later I’ll be joining the debate on the Online Safety Bill debate, to welcome moves to make deepfake porn illegal, having worked local with a constituent who was a victim of it
On Tuesday I’m joining a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Carers, specifically on the impact the cost of living crisis on carers, with a meeting on a similar issue with the APPG on Disability later in the week. My last Big Conversation online event is on Tuesday evening, you can sign up for it here and look out for my report on all the issues raised by January.
I’m heading up to York on Thursday where I’ll be speaking at the Annual GuildHE Conference at York St John University, highlighting some of the challenges facing higher education. Back in Sheffield on Friday I’m visiting asylum accommodation, catching up with the Vice Chancellor of the University of Sheffield, and holding one of regular meetings with Councillors in the constituency.