Welcome to this week's newsletter!
This week has been a big one for this Government, finally passing the Safety of Rwanda Bill through Parliament to be able to stop the people smugglers controlling our asylum system. After months of delaying tactics by the Labour Party and others in the Lords we should finally be seeing planes taking off shortly. There are no guarantees of a quick fix-but I think it remains our best chance of truly getting to grips with this issue.
This week also saw the PM commit to increasing our defence budget, which will strengthen our ability to keep up with recent geopolitical shifts and rifts, while also guaranteeing the UK's safety and long-term resilience of our Armed Forces.
You will see below a call for a volunteer to help out with an idea I've worked on with Crewe Amateur Musicals Society, the Crewe Gang Show and YSD Theatre school to get funding for community productions. We are hoping to find someone to help us apply for and manage a grant and if you or somebody you know fits the bill for what we're looking for, please get in touch.
Also in this newsletter, you will see a clip from my appearance on this week's Politics Live on BBC Two, where we discussed a wide range of topics, including Labour's misguided plan to renationalise the railways and the collapse of the SNP in Scotland and a lot more. It's always interesting to take part in these sorts of shows!
On Friday I was asked to unveil a plaque and a newly planted tree to thank 50 years of service to our community by our very own local Father Christmas Peter Hargreaves, who you can read all about in this newsletter.
I also had the chance to attend the Great School Lunch in Parliament, to hear about the value a healthy nutritious school has for children and what more can be done to support those who provide them.
As always, if you have any queries or issues you need my assistance with please contact me at kieran.mullan.mp@parliament.uk
Have a great weekend.
In this week's newsletter:
- Planting a Tree for 50 years of Service
- Passing the Rwanda Bill
- Calling all Volunteers
- Politics Live
- The Great School Lunch
- Kellogg's Breakfast Club
- Defending Britain
- Traffic Report
Planting a Tree for Peters' 50 Years of Service
On Friday I was asked to unveil a plaque and a newly planted tree to thank 50 years of service to our community by our very own local Father Christmas Peter Hargreaves.
Peter joined Crewe and Nantwich Round Table 50 years ago and the plaque commemorated his work on the Christmas Charity Float for all these years including now 10 years as Father Christmas. You might also recognise him from my Christmas Card winner announcements!
The Round Table International has been active since 1927 and each year they set up projects where members and clubs raise money for the community and charitable causes. Each year, the Round Table organise the Christmas float. Last year alone, they raised an impressive £17,000. I've been out with them and seen the joy it also brings to people of all ages.
I said a few words of thanks on behalf of all of us in Crewe and Nantwich. I spoke about how Peter and people like him who join organisations like Round Table make a huge difference locally. We would be a lot poorer in all senses without them and as the MP I notice the same relatively small number of people popping up again and again helping in all different ways.
A red-leaved Malus tree was chosen as a nod to Peter's Christmas activities!
It was a pleasure to be able to thank him in person for his work to better our community."
Rwanda Bill Passes
Last night, we passed the Safety of Rwanda Bill, overcoming months of delay from Labour and others in the House of Lords.
There are no easy answers to tackling this issue and we have to make some tough decisions.
Whatever sympathy we might feel that people need help, we simply cannot allow our approach to asylum—who we help and why—to be determined by people smugglers.
Flights to Rwanda should get off the ground soon, sending a clear message: coming here illegally won't grant you the right to stay. Australia found this approach created a powerful deterrent. I expect there will be further court challenges, but this approach doesn't have to succeed with every case.
Then we can begin deciding who we want to offer refuge to with the support of the public, who can have confidence that we will decide.
Labour has no answers to this complex problem. Only the Conservatives have a concrete strategy to address this issue.
Calling Volunteers!
The Creme Amateur Musicals Society, the South West Cheshire Scouts Gang Show and the YSD Theatre Group are three local groups who make use of the Lyceum Theatre in Crewe to deliver community productions.
Over the years, some amazing productions have been performed at the Theatre, but costs of using the Lyceum are going up. Unfortunately, this means that the costs for putting on these productions have increased too.
As this was happening, I began to notice that Crewe & Nantwich was not receiving as much as it could from Arts Council England.
Working in unison, the three groups mentioned above have decided to put together a joint bid for a funding grant to Arts Council England so that they can continue using the Lyceum Theatre.
All three are keen to keep using the Theatre to continue putting on some fantastic performances, as they have done so in the past. It is important that all of the performers, old and young, get to carry on displaying their talents in a proper venue like the Lyceum.
To help achieve this grant, we are looking for someone to volunteer a bit of their time to assist on this project. It would be great to get someone who has worked on similar bids or co-ordinated projects like this. The role involves working alongside the stakeholders and myself to prepare, submit and monitor the bid. This will include keeping groups in contact, advising on the best course of action and assisting with the written aspects of the application.
If this is something that interests you, please contact my office at kieran.mullan.mp@parliament.uk, or message me on my Facebook page.
We look forward to working further with a potential volunteer and the stakeholders to get a positive outcome. I really hope these three groups can continue to use this great location, and have the funding to carry on performing their shows.
Politics Live
I went on Politics Live this week and we discussed Labour’s plans to renationalise the railways, the collapse of the power-sharing deal between the SNP and the Greens in Scotland, and a headteacher’s plan to extend the school day for extracurricular activities.
During this TV debate, it became clear to me that Labour’s nationalisation announcement didn’t amount to much - just buzzwords and empty promises. I appreciate that many things in the current model are not working as well as they should. I know it is not exactly popular to stick up for the private sector, but in the long run I don’t believe nationalisation is a silver bullet; in fact, I believe things could get worse if Labour comes to power.
Let’s be clear about this. By committing to rail nationalisation, Labour cannot actually guarantee that ticket prices will fall, or that the system will improve overall.
In fact, I suspect that the pressure on taxpayers will likely be even greater because whilst they do get a profit (roughly 2p in £1 of a ticket price), the private sector invests in the railways as well and runs them instead of civil servants running them. We have seen a more than doubling of passenger numbers and record investment since privatisation. I am not saying it is perfect, but does anyone really think that the best-placed people to run a railway line are civil servants?
It's true there are lower fares in other countries, but these countries put even more taxpayers' money into their railways. We could do that - but that means less money for other things.
If Labour are in charge, the trade unions – not customers! – will take centre stage. I respect the role of trade unions, but the interests of their members don't always marry up with the interests of passengers. Does anyone think making it even easier to strike should be a priority? The average salary for a train driver is £60,000 for a four-day week and they have been offered a £5,000 pay rise. But they won't budge on some of the archaic work practices.
Just one example is annual leave. Some can take a day off with as little notice as 10pm the day before. For others, it's just 48 hours. That's ridiculous, and these and other practices need to change to help improve railway services.
Labour's plan sounds appealing, and when the current system isn't working, well, it's easy to think something like this will fix it. I am not convinced.
The Great School Lunch
Last week, it was my pleasure to attend the Great School Lunch event hosted by 'LACA - The School Food People' in the Houses of Parliament. LACA are an organisation representing those who provide school lunches, be that Local Authority Providers, catering companies, or school staff who are on the frontlines serving school lunches.
The Great School Lunch was organised so that Members of Parliament could hear about the challenges that these groups are facing, engage with their needs and even try some school lunches for themselves! The event was attended by many MPs, as well as some local school children and staff, who were able to educate us on the current trends in this field.
I know how essential accessible, nutritious, and reasonably priced school dinners are to children and parents, especially at the moment. It was great to hear more about LACA’s work, the menus that are being offered and what Parliament can do to support this important part of a child's school experience.
Kellogg's Breakfast Club Awards
An alert to all local schools in Crewe & Nantwich! I am pleased to draw your attention to the Kellogg’s Breakfast Club Awards, which seeks to celebrate the achievements of outstanding breakfast clubs across the UK.
Within the competition, there are 12 regional categories, with one school from each region winning £1000, and the Grand Winner winning an additional £1000.
As a member of the North-West region, local schools can enter to compete against other schools in the region for the chance to win.
I also understand there are two further prizes to be announced; an award that celebrates the increased attendance associated with Breakfast Clubs via an Attendance Excellence Award, and a Parental Engagement Award.
To any school staff reading, you can get your school Breakfast Club involved by applying on the Kellogg’s website linked below:
https://www.kelloggs.co.uk/en_GB/our-story/breakfast-club-awards.html
Good luck to the Breakfast Clubs out there!
Defending Britain: New Funding
This week the Prime Minister announced the largest single investment in defence spending since the end of the Cold War, committing to 2.5% of GDP by 2030.
This strengthening of our national defence will ensure we can successfully stand up for British interests around the world, and defend our values when we need to.
We will see defence spending increase over the next 6 years by an extra £75 Billion, meaning Britain can defend itself in an ever-deteriorating security situation around the world.
This investment will see the UK industrial base receive the funding it needs; including £10 Billion for munitions development so that our Armed Forces benefit from the latest technology, whilst also guaranteeing our long-term support for Ukraine.
We are leading the way in Europe and I welcome this investment in securing the safety of Britain for all future generations.
Traffic Report
- Moss Lane- Until 2nd June
- Elm Drive- Until 17th May
- Mill Farm Drive- Until 31st December
- Mill Lane- Until 15th July
- Smithy Lane - Until 17th May
- Bankfield Ave - 29th April to 3rd may