There is only one place to start this week, and it is the news that finally, after months of speculation, on the soaked steps of Downing Street, Rishi Sunak has named the date of the general election.
Thursday 4th July 2024.
A chance to change for the better. Your future. Your community. Your country.
A chance to turn the page on 14 years of Tory failure.
I will be standing again as your Labour and Co-operative candidate for the Birmingham, Edgbaston constituency.
It has been the privilege of my life to serve as your MP over the past seven years, and over the coming weeks I will be humbly asking you to put your faith in me again.
It will be a long campaign, but I for one cannot wait.
This patch is my home – I was born in North Edgbaston, growing up on Shenstone Road and then Rotton Park Road. I went to City Road Primary School and later Lordswood School for Girls. My dad was a local bus driver on the number 11 route.
Since being elected, I’ve stood up for my constituents in Birmingham Edgbaston locally, regionally and in Parliament.
I have campaigned for measures to tackle speeding, which has led to a Council scheme to reduce the speed limit on dangerous roads. I have worked with West Midlands Police to oversee rapid improvements in their 101, 999 and Live Chat response time. I have worked with the police to tackle burglary and crack down on anti-social behaviour. Together, in North Edgbaston we closed the first exempt accommodation in the country.
I have successfully fought to keep our ticket offices open at University Station and Five Ways. I have continued to challenge the Government on the cladding scandal and secure funding for leaseholders that are stuck in unsafe and unsellable homes.
After four years of tireless campaigning, I am thrilled that Quinton Police Station is now set to be retained as a base for neighbourhood police teams.
I have never lost focus on what matters to local people. I have been a strong voice in Parliament, holding the Government to account on your behalf.
In the past 12 months alone, I have spoken in Parliament nearly 200 times, tabled over 150 written questions, sent dozens of letters to Ministers, and secured debates on issues ranging from the state of NHS dentistry to crime in our area.
If elected again on Thursday 4th July, I will continue to be your hardworking local champion and your strong voice in Westminster.
However, this election will not be like the last one five years ago.
This election is a real change election, an opportunity to not just elect me as your local MP, but deliver a change in Government.
It is time for change.
Time and again the Tories have pursued their own interests rather than tackling the issues that affect your family.
They’ve left the country worse off than when they started.
Living standards are down. Crime goes unpunished. Ambulances never come. Schools crumble over our children’s heads. Sewage floods our waters.
Mortgages and food prices are through the roof.
And if the Tories get five more years, nothing will change.
There’s a clear choice at this election.
More chaos with the Tories, or stability with Labour.
More decline and division. Or hope and unity with a changed Labour Party.
Labour has a long term, serious plan to change Britain. No more gimmicks. No more sticking plasters. We’ve set out the first steps that we would take in
government.
1. Deliver economic stability
2. Cut NHS waiting times
3. Launch a new Border Security Command
4. Set up Great British Energy
5. Crack down on antisocial behaviour
6. Recruit 6,500 new teachers
The choice is in your hands. You have the power of your vote to make that choice and to vote for change.
Healthy Start
This week in Parliament I spoke in a debate about Healthy Start, a scheme to provide families with young children vouchers that they can exchange for healthy food.
Adequate nutrition in the first months and years of a child’s life is critical to support their healthy development.
But in recent years, the health of children under five has stalled or declined across various measures, including infant mortality, childhood obesity, tooth decay and mental health.
During the cost of living crisis, young families have been particularly hard hit.
During the debate I asked the Minister if she would introduce a national take-up campaign to get support to more young mums.
And I set out my commitment to change regulations that stop mums from using vouchers for infant formula, which has risen in price by 25% in the past two years.
All families should be able to feed their children.
It is also why Labour will introduce free breakfast clubs for all primary school children in England, so every child is able to start the day with a healthy breakfast and parents are able to get to work.
"Wash Up"
A phrase you may have heard for the first time in the news this week is “wash-up”.
Believe it or not, this doesn’t have anything to do with the Prime Minister standing in a puddle in the rain outside Downing Street.
What it refers to, is all the legislation that the Government has promised to pass in this Parliament before it dissolves for the election, and a last minute rush to try and get some of those Bills over the line and into law.
What has happened since Wednesday has been a complete mess.
First the Prime Minister claimed that he had delivered his flagship smoking bill, before crumbling to pressure from his backbenchers and killing it, despite Labour telling the Government we would help them get it over the line.
Next, we learned that the Government had scrapped its Renters Reform Bill. After promising private tenants in their manifesto five years ago that they would abolish no fault evictions, once again this Government has caved to vested interests and the landlords in their own ranks.
Today, we have also learned that Bill on leasehold reform also hangs in the balance.
Once again, it shows that whether it is on public health or rights for renters, this Government cannot be trusted to keep its promises to voters and get legislation over the line.
How to contact me during the campaign
During the election, from the date that Parliament dissolves on Thursday 30th May, I will no longer be your MP.
At this point, I will become a parliamentary candidate again, and I will no longer be able to update you through this website for the duration of the campaign.
During the election, please contact me on preetkaurgill4edgbaston@gmail.com or call me on 0121 429 6722.
You can also keep in touch at www.edgbastonlabour.co.uk.
Finally, remember to register to vote, and better yet, apply for a postal vote too. The deadline is 11.59pm on Tuesday 18th June to register, and 5pm on Wednesday 19th June to apply for a postal vote.
Local News
MHWC
Next Tuesday, 28th May, the Mobile Household Waste Centre will be visiting Cuthbert Road, B18 4AG. The centre will be open between 07:30 and 13:00 so please come along if you have bulky household waste to dispose of.
Campaigning
If you would like to support me campaigning and join me doorknocking, please contact: preetkaurgill4edgbaston@gmail.com.
Best wishes,
Preet Kaur Gill MP
Birmingham Edgbaston covering Bartley Green, Edgbaston, Harborne and Quinton
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