Dear all,
I began this week by speaking at event organised by 50:50 Parliament and Chamber UK, on the subject of women’s health.
One thing I have always sought to do with the privilege of my platform is highlight the stories and voices of remarkable women who have changed our country for the better. Through history they often do not get the credit they deserve, so where I can, I always try to pay tribute to those women and other forgotten figures who blazed a trail before us.
One such local hero, who you might not have heard about before, is Dame Hilda Lloyd.
Dame Hilda Nora Lloyd was the first woman to be elected president of a UK medical royal college, becoming President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in 1949. In 2022, I was honoured to join the opening of the Dame Hilda Lloyd Network in Women’s Health Research in our constituency.
In the 1930s, Dame Hilda became famed for the so-called “flying squads,” where groups of midwives used then new gas and air technology to provide emergency care and transfusions at the scene to women giving birth. Back then, our country was facing an epidemic of maternal deaths. Backstreet abortions were rife, with countless women dying of complications like sepsis. On the frontline in Birmingham, Dame Hilda saw first-hand the relationship between poverty, women’s rights and maternal health, and dedicated her life to improving outcomes for women.
It was a pleasure to speak about Dame Hilda’s work to transform maternal healthcare in the last century this week, because at the beginning of this new parliament and government, her pioneering work still holds lessons for us now.
In 2024, women’s health is too often an afterthought. The UK has one of the largest female health gaps in the world, and the largest in the G20. Women are underrepresented in clinical trials; surveys show we often feel like we are not listened to properly by medical professionals; and the national state of maternity care is still, too often, poor.
I’m pleased that Labour has set an ambition to improve the state of maternity care by training thousands more midwives and health visitors, and incentivising continuity of care for women across their pregnancy. In particular, it is welcome that the Health Secretary has set an explicit target to end the black maternal mortality gap, which means black mothers in the UK are 4x more likely to die than white women.
But with nearly 600,000 women on a waiting lists for hospital-based gynaecological services, the new government has a lot of work to do!
I’m looking forward to working with women and organisations like 50:50 Parliament to raise the profile of these issues in the new Parliament, so we can take new strides forward to improve women’s health.
Birmingham will host the Invictus Games
I was thrilled to see the announcement this week that Birmingham will be the host city of the 2027 Invictus Games.
The Invictus Games are an inspiring sports event for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women, both serving and veterans. It is a great sign of our city’s strong reputation as the host of major sporting events, following the Commonwealth Games the other year.
The Games will offer an opportunity to promote skills, training, and encouragement for young people in the city, including through volunteering opportunities and a schools engagement programme. The Games will also be an opportunity to show Birmingham as an exciting and vibrant place to visit, to support our tourism and visitor economy.
Birmingham has proudly played a leading role in treating Armed Forces personnel and Veterans at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine in my constituency. With our proud links with the Armed Forces, and nearly 2,000 servicemen and women in our constituency, I’m very proud that Birmingham will be hosting the Invictus Games in three years' time.
The Olympic Games begin
Today is the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Paris. I and everyone is wishing everyone in Team GB the best of luck as they go for gold in this year’s contest.
In particular, I want to give special mention to Joe Fraser, from our constituency. He will be competing for Team GB in gymnastics, after he managed to bring home a stunning three gold medals in the team, pommel horse and parallel bars events at the Commonwealth Games.
Joe’s first event is on Monday, and I’m sure you will join me in wishing him the very best of luck.
Visiting Birmingham and Solihull Women's Aid
It was great to have the opportunity this week to visit Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid to see the brilliant work they are doing at the new Theresa Stewart Women's Centre.
As a former children’s services manager in the city, I worked with victims and families affected by domestic violence day in and day out.
I look forward to working with them to support survivors of domestic violence and abuse. Their helpline is 0808 800 0028.
National crime spree under the Conservatives
This week, in a local Co-op, a shopfloor assistant told my team that they were quitting their job because of having to constantly deal with shoplifters.
New data released by the ONS this week shows that shoplifting is at its highest level in 20 years. Far too often, it is shop workers who pay the price, with hassle, abuse, lost margins, and even violence the result.
This wasn’t inevitable. It is a result of the Conservatives stripping back community policing and weakening efforts to tackle so-called “low value” crime, which has meant police forces effectively ignore thefts valued at under £200.
The new statistics released this week also revealed robbery up 8% year-on-year, and a staggering 40% increase in theft from the person in just a year.
Under the Tories, criminals have never had it so good. Labour has pledged to recruit 13,000 new community police officers and PCSOs and to pass a law to make assaults and abuse against shop workers a specific offence.
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Meeting the Board of Deputies
This week it was wonderful to catch up with Philip Rosenberg, the President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews. We discussed opportunities for
the BOD to work with Sikhs to see both communities included under ethnicity as well as under religion in the Census and other monitoring frameworks.
Better Streets for Birmingham
As part of my ongoing campaign to address the spate of road collisions, dangerous driving and speeding incidents in our constituency, it was great to sit down with Better Streets for Birmingham to discuss next steps today.
I know this is a huge issue for many residents, and I look forward to working with you and other stakeholders to bring the change we need.
Best wishes,
Preet Kaur Gill MP
Member of Parliament for Birmingham Edgbaston, covering Bartley Green, Edgbaston, Harborne, North Edgbaston and Quinton
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