Welcome to my regular newsletter, keeping you updated on my work as your Member of Parliament.
After almost a year of assemblies and discussions, this month I was really proud to launch our Hallam Citizens’ Climate Manifesto – the people of Sheffield Hallam’s plan for climate action ahead of COP26. I met with people in Hallam to launch this manifesto and deliver it to Downing Street, to call for the radical change needed at and beyond the UN climate talks. You can read more about the manifesto below!
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I am also so excited to share with you an update on our campaign to reform miscarriage care. During my debate last year the Minister committed to some of our recommendations, including recording miscarriage data and 24/7 standardised miscarriage support. Now, after months of campaigning, the RCOG has published draft guidelines which if implemented will mean people can receive care and treatment after every miscarriage, rather than having to wait for three recurrent miscarriages! This will represent the biggest reform to miscarriage care in 50 years and is a huge testament to all those who have been campaigning for reform for so long.
I have also been holding the Government to account over the sewage scandal and pushing for stronger legislation to protect our rivers and seas, campaigning to end the dodgy practice of fire and rehire and continuing my campaign to end the abuse of front-line workers. Thank you for reading my monthly update. As always please get in touch if there is an issue you would like me to raise or a campaign I should join.
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- For COP26 to be a success and bring about a just transition, decisions cannot be left to the whims of one politician or even one party. For as long as only a few wealthy and powerful people are making decisions, the decisions they make will be taken in their interests, not the interests of everyone – especially those most affected by the Climate Emergency.
- That is why I was so proud to launch our Hallam Climate Manifesto ahead of COP26 to push for the radical, just, and democratic transition needed to address the climate and ecological emergency. The ideas and principles outlined in this document have been drawn from months of assemblies and conversations. They describe the changes you all said you would like to see at a local, regional, national, and international level.
- This month we held an online launch with Hallam residents, campaigners Hope for the Future and Sheffield author Chris Saltmarsh. We also took our manifesto straight to Number Ten Downing Street and to meet Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State responsible for COP26, Ed Miliband. You can download our manifesto in full here:
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• I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone involved. During the ups and downs of the past year these meetings and the many ideas shared, have brought me energy to keep fighting. I hope we can use this Manifesto to push for democratic, transformative, and just climate action.
• I spoke to the Sheffield Star and Now Then Sheffield about the project and wrote this piece for the Sheffield Telegraph and this piece for Bright Green. In addition to delivering it directly to Number 10, I also raised our Manifesto in Parliament.
• I have been contacted by so many people over the past month about heather burning on peatlands, which is causing huge levels of pollution, causing the further degradation of our blanket bogs, and releasing hundreds of thousands of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. Protecting and restoring all our peatlands is fundamental to meeting our net-zero obligations and tackling the climate crisis. With over a hundred fires set on peatlands weeks before COP26, the Government’s half-hearted “ban” is not working. We need action now. I am continuing to push Ministers on this so that we can finally, fully ban the burn.
• After months of organising, cleaning staff at Sheffield University won their campaign for £10 an hour. I am so proud to have supported this campaign and I hope it will inspire all of us to get organised. If you are not already a union member, you can read more here.
• I have also been working with a Sheffield Hallam resident, who is unable to receive IVF treatment because her partner has a child from a previous relationship, to campaign for reform to the rules around who is eligible for IVF. I have written to the Government and our local CCG and earlier in the week I spoke to the BBC about the campaign.
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- Despite the huge mental and physical repercussion of miscarriage, there is still no legal requirement for employers to provide statutory paid leave. This has to change. We must follow countries like New Zealand and reform our outdated laws. Earlier in the month I wrote to the Minister calling for reform and I am supporting Sarah Owen MP’s new bill to extend leave to people who miscarry.
- This month the Environment Bill returned to the Commons. The Government voted against a number of important amendments, including an amendment to crack down on air pollution, which is linked to a staggering 40,000 deaths in Britain every year, and an amendment to stop water companies from dumping sewage into our rivers and seas.
- Thank you to everyone who has written to me about the sewage scandal over the past few weeks. The fact that the Government voted against action to stop water companies dumping sewage into our rivers and seas just a week before COP26 exposes once again that this government has no plan to protect and restore our natural environment. Although I was pleased to see the Government U-turn on this I am very concerned their watered down amendment won’t go nearly far enough. I spoke to Byline TV about this crisis and the important votes coming up around the Environment Bill.
- I questioned the Minister in the Commons on the Government’s refusal to set targets to reverse the decline of nature until long after COP26. I am greatly concerned that their refusal to take the necessary steps to address this crisis will heavily undermine our credibility at the summit.
- In my role as Shadow Minister for Nature, Water and Flooding I have been visiting a number of organisations and nature restoration projects. I visited the Allerton Project in Leicestershire to discuss the results of their exciting research into nature friendly farming. I also visited the River Don to see natural flood management in action and explore some of the projects underway to help slow flows and boost wildlife habitat.
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- In the wake of increased flooding across the UK, I spoke to the Guardian about the terrible state of private flood defences. There is currently no central record of who owns private flood defences protecting England’s at risk towns and cities. The government must do more to ensure private defences are up to scratch. You can read the article here.
- Earlier in the month I spoke during a debate in Westminster about the need for climate education to be included on the curriculum, to ensure a democratic, just transition to net-zero that puts communities- not a handful of elites- at the centre of our response. I also met with Teach the Future campaigners – a youth led organisation – ahead of the debate to hear more about the campaign. You can watch my speech here.
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- Last week the Government announced their Autumn Budget and Spending Review. What we needed was a Green New Deal to address the climate and nature emergency. What we got was the Chancellor cutting tax on domestic flights. This week I will be speaking during the Budget debate about what this budget does, or fails to do, for our public services.
- I have been supporting my colleague Barry Gardiner’s Bill to end the harmful practice of fire and rehire. Bad employers are firing their workforce and rehiring them on worse pay and conditions and the Government is letting them get away with it. We must end this race to the bottom on pay and conditions. Sadly, the Government chose to block the Bill.
- I spoke to Yorkshire Live about the damming Covid Report put together by a cross-party group of MPs, which concluded that the Government continually failed to act with the urgency needed throughout the pandemic. This is the biggest public health failing ever in the UK. We need an immediate public inquiry.
- The rising tide of verbal and physical abuse experienced by our front-line workers isn’t a “Covid problem” that will just go away – it is getting worse. I spoke to the Observer about the worrying Institute of Customer Service findings and what we can do to end the abuse. You can read more about my ongoing campaign here.
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Get involved:
It is not too late to donate to Wear Red Day with all donations going towards anti-racism education across the UK:
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29% of those with MS had appointments cancelled and delayed during the pandemic and many experienced worsening symptoms as a result. The Government must develop and resource a national plan to restore and improve neurology services. You can join me in supporting the #NeurologyNow campaign here:
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After a year of handing millions to Tory cronies for useless PPE and failed, privatised test, track & trace – the Government’s Health and Care Bill is set to increase the influence of private companies in our NHS. Last week I met campaigners working to stop this Bill and protect our NHS. Please sign their petition:
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4th November: As part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science there will be a panel discussion with charity workers, researchers and policymakers to explore what the future of care should look like.
6th November: On Saturday there will be a flagship national demonstration in Glasgow and large-scale regional demonstrations in other major cities . In Sheffield people will be gathering in Devonshire Green at 12pm.
9th-11th November: UK Green Film Festival returns to Sheffield’s Showroom Cinema with screenings including Now and Wood. Book your tickets here.
17th November: A panel discussion chaired by University of Sheffield political economist Professor Michael Jacobs, bringing together four experts from different viewpoints: a government economist; a business leader trying to ‘go green’; a trade union leader seeking to protect jobs; and a community activist campaigning for a Green New Deal.
20th November: There will be a fundraising punk gig with all money raised going towards direct action against bloodsports and wildlife persecution.
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Thank you for reading my newsletter. If you would like to share it with your neighbours or friends in Hallam, you can share the sign up link with them here.
As always, please get in touch if there are issues you would like me to raise or campaigns you would like me to get involved with!
Olivia Blake
MP for Sheffield Hallam
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