Dear Newcastle

This last month has seen the Newcastle end the Premiership season on a real high with a win against Chelsea whilst England are about to open their World Cup campaign. And in Parliament we have had the return of Brexit as the Lords’ amendments to the Great Repeal Bill came back to the Commons.  Leaving the European Union is an immensely complex undertaking which has significant implications for jobs and investment in the North East. It is absolutely clear to me that the Government is too taken up by in-fighting and ant-European ideology to negotiate the best outcome for Newcastle.

 

Backing carers

I took part in five meetings with our frontbench team led by Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the EU Keir Starmer and canvassed constituents’ views before deciding how to vote – and I have set out the reasons for my decisions in this blog:

https://chionwurahmp.com/2018/06/my-votes-on-the-great-withdrawal-bill-lords-amendments/

As well as Brexit, I devoted a considerable amount of time to highlighting the need for long term support for victims of sexual exploitation following Operation Sanctuary. Newcastle’s Sexual Exploitation Hub – which brings the Council, the Police and charities together for person-centred support – is in danger of losing funding and I called an end of day Adjournment Debate to win commitments from the Minister that they will respond to the recommendations of the Serious Case Review and also meet me to discuss funding.

Supporting Help for Heroes at Central Station

Backbench and Constituency Role

• I am talking up a role on behalf of the Labour Party at the European level – I am now officially the Vice Chair of PES
• Spoke from the back benches eight times:
  • Twice in an urgent question debate on the East Coast Franchise (23 May 2018).
  • In a Westminster Hall debate on the Humanitarian Situation in Gaza (24 May 2018)
  • In the debate on the Heathrow Expansion statement (5 Jun 2018) on additional capacity for Newcastle airport.
  • In Environment, Food and Rural Affairs questions (7 Jun 2018) on additional powers and resources for local authorities to deal with litter.
  • Called a half-hour debate on support for victims of sexual exploitation in Newcastle (12 Jun 2018)
  • Twice in Exiting the European Union questions (14 Jun 2018) on clarity on the Brexit position and support for business.
• Asked 30 written questions.
• I am engaged in correspondence with Ministers on Housing, Primary Health Care, Litter and Long Term Support for Victims of Operation Sanctuary

Meeting with young people at Patchwork in Benwell

Shadow Ministerial Role

• Large number of speaking engagements in Newcastle, Westminster, Hay, Birmingham, the Hague, Paris and Ditchley.
• Spoke from the frontbench once in Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy questions (12 Jun 2018) on the impact of the Government’s Brexit strategy on our science sector.
• I continue to work on our industrial strategy undertake significant engagement with business including visit to GEC, roundtables and meetings.

Organisation

We have an intern from the US, Nichole Bloom from Berkeley for six weeks.

Media

Quoted regularly in local media and nationally including appearing on ITV Tyne Tees Carrillion report, Letfield, Sustrans Interview on cycling, BBC Radio Newcastle on adjournment debate & online abuse

Litter picking in Wingrove

Meetings and visits

Meetings (Organisation/Name)

Global Strategy Forum Chair’s lunch, Buckingham Palace Garden Party, Natural History Museun Annual Trustees’ Dinner, City of London reception, Late Show Ampersnand Inventions d8Wise / Trevor Fordy, Helen Cadzow, Earth I / Richard Blain, Paul Pascoe Leashold & Commhold reform, CBI North East reception, Rambert’s ‘Life is a Dream’ performance, Foundation debate on improving measures of economic growth, Great Exhibition of the North / Richard Moss, ABB limited / Ian Funnell, GSMA Mobile 360 conference The Hague, Action Against Hunger future of the Sahel conference Paris, General Electric / West midlands visit, Tackling terrorism in the UK briefing dinner, IPT Dinner Discussion, ‘Regional Development: Supporting Economic Growth Across the UK’, Regional Schools Commissioner / Katherine Cowell, TUC Northern Women in Leadership panel discussion, Cancer Research UK summer reception, Orcam / Louise Read, Lloyds Moneywise Credit Union Awards, Campaign for Science & Engineering / Dr Sarah Main, Campaign for Real Ale reception, English National Ballet’s ‘Sleeping Beauty’, Grant Thornton / Sacha Romanovitch, Ditchley Internet Safety Conference, Wingrove avenue litter pick, Carer Speed networking event, Engineering and Machinery Alliance reception, BCC ‘Improving access to capital’ Parliamentary Dinner, Federation of Master Builders / Brian Berry, Cambridge University / Professor Stephen Toope and Paul Mylrea, ‘Produced in Northumberland’ Day, ICAEW / Michael Izza, Local Government Association reception, 2018 Carer Friendly Communities Awards, KPMGNETech event, Chemical Industries Association dinner, Eid celebration at Newcastle Muslim centre, Exercise Medical Challenge, Equaliteas at Patchwork Project, Chief Constable Winton Keenen,  Westgate Junior FC training session

201 Northern Field Hospital briefing at Anzio House

Speaking

Inspiring Women Conference, Collusion debate, Chair Africa Tech Summit Fringe event, Africa Tech Summit, New Statesman and Veritas roundtable, Inspiring Change Civil Engineering contractors Association, Chair APPG Stem & Diversity, Digital Government 2018, Technology, Relationships & Freedom debate at Hay, Empire 2.0 at Hay, Mobile 360 conference Keynote, Action Against Hunger future of the Sahel conference, Prospect Women in Engineering Birmingham Conference Fringe, Jobs 4.0 – Automation and the future of work in the 4IR, Trainline panel Women in Tech, APPG Engineering Group meeting and Lunch, welcome Industrial Strategy & Long Term Patient Capital, Potting Shed in Leazes parks