I recently organised another meeting with GTR and Network Rail in Westminster with my Croydon MP colleague Chris Philp, which was very productive on the bottle necks on the Brighton line and need for upgrades of diesel lines such as from Uckfield to become electrified. I was pleased to hear the steps being taken to improve train reliability for my frustrated constituents. As I’ve said before and will keep saying, I think this is proof nagging works! MP stands for ‘most persistent’. You can guarantee I’ll continue working hard on this issue for all residents and businesses. Please do take the time to contact me sharing your experiences of our local train services and I will be sure to raise them again with GTR.
I’ve received countless emails from both concerned parents and students regarding digital safety. Following these, I took the opportunity in the Chamber to speak up on the Protection of Children (Digital Safety and Data Protection) Bill during private members bills discussions. I also recently met with A-level students from Michael Hall School, Forest Row who were very concerned about the addictive nature of what they are seeing and the impact on their studies and concentration. They absolutely want to see action and we will continue to push the Government on this feedback from young people.
It was great joining ITV Meridian’s monthly programme, The Last Word discussing a myriad of topics including defence, Ukraine, getting more people into work, including those under 25, and the Employment Bill. Finishing on the topic of how we can all work together to encourage more women into politics at any level. This following International Women's Day and with an all-female panel, this such an important topic, that I’m very passionate about as the Shadow Minister for Women. The interviews on my website and if you're interested in getting involved in politics or standing as an MP, we’re the party who are here, ready, and absolutely thrilled to welcome you, 50 years on from our first female leader Margaret Thatcher and now on our fourth in Kemi Badenoch-all on merit and elected by our party. In an era of what can feel like tokenism - no woman wants to reach the top in any field without knowing they climbed the ladder of opportunity themselves due to the talent, ability and hard work and that’s what I advocate in Westminster and locally.
Finally, I was honoured to join HM the Queen who hosted a special reception at Buckingham Palace to mark 15 years of WOW - Women of The World. This was such a special occasion to be a part of and to celebrate with friends, new and old, reflecting on WOW’s journey and the road ahead for gender equality. More on this in next week's column.
