Westminster Report

BY David Burton-Sampson MP for Southend West & Leigh.
I was delighted to watch the King’s Speech recently in the House of Lords.
It was an honour and a privilege to see His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen, in full regalia, processing into the chamber and taking their place on the gilded thrones.
The pomp and the pageantry play an important part in our national life and present a picture of national identity, history and longevity to the wider world, while the substance of the speech sets the political agenda.
We were not disappointed! This Labour Government has already achieved so much, handing back power to local leaders, supporting local regeneration and growth plans and taking the pivotal step of a new deal for working people.
It has also put in place the biggest change to renter’s rights in 40 years, which was particularly welcome in our constituency, giving greater security to the 8,938 renters here.
We have seen other significant improvements too, including a new Best Start Family Hub at Blenheim Family Centre opening soon, three school breakfast clubs and new extended nursery provision at Chalkwell Hall Infant School.
South Essex College is getting more than two and a half million pounds worth of investment to upgrade its campuses and we are to receive a new youth hub – one of only 80 being rolled out across the country.
The removal of the two-child benefit cap is also very welcome helping 1800 families in Southend West and Leigh and lifting children out of poverty.
Added to all that, we have brought back into public ownership both our trainlines, which will soon be part of Great British Railways. We also opened our first Community Diagnostic Centre in the Victoria Shopping Centre, delivering seven day a week testing, early and late.
I have also been thrilled to see more than £2 million pounds worth of new government funding to transform the future of children with special educational needs and disabilities in Southend.
This is a breakthrough moment and one families here have waited a long time for. I personally have heard from these families during my “See Every Need” workshops, bringing parents, school leaders, health representatives and charities together, to get the changes right. Our reports have been sent to the Secretary of State for Education and the Minister of State for School-Standards and I am delighted that our local voices have fed into government policy.
There remains much scepticism among parents of SEND children that these reforms will actually happen, as they have been let down so many times in the past by previous governments but I am confident they will make a real difference to their children’s lives as they come forward in law.
I am also grateful for the government’s Water Reform legislation – set to go even further with the Clean Water Bill. I have been holding regular water summits since being elected, focusing on storm overflows, sewage discharges and bathing water quality, where we have held our water company, Anglian Water, to account. I am delighted that the local community is now taking the leadership of these summits, who are just as invested in this agenda as the government is.
I am also pleased to see a full, trans-inclusive ban on Conversion Practices coming forward. Sadly, I am aware of people who have been subject to Conversion therapy, with interventions intended to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or gender and I will be glad to see it end.
I applaud the commitment to a sustained increase in defence spending announced in the King’s Speech. I support the priority this government places on standing firm with Ukraine after Putin’s appalling illegal invasion and this government’s stance on the Middle East conflict.
This demands that we work together with our allies through international institutions. Our European Partnership Bill will strengthen and rebuild the ties of trust, trade and friendship with our European friends, that were so badly damaged by a poorly implemented Brexit. The promised return of the Erasmus scheme and better opportunities for young people to live, work and study in Europe is a great thing for our young people.
I am looking forward to seeing the legislation in this King’s Speech unfold, so we can make even more of a difference to people’s lives. In an uncertain world, I am confident that this Government is moving at pace to make the country fit for the challenges we face whilst prioritising hope and renewal.
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