2022 April 27

On Monday 17 January 2022 I spoke at the Report Stage of the Elections Bill. I called on the Government to pause the legislation and reconsider provisions to dictate the priorities of the Electoral Commission, introduce mandatory photo ID to vote and further regulation of ‘joint campaigning’ by third party organisations and political parties. It is right that the Government has reversed its position on joint campaigning and removed these measures.

The Environmental Audit Committee held the second session of our inquiry into “Green Steel” on Wednesday 27 April 2022. We interviewed a panel of industry experts about progress towards decarbonising the steel industry, and what policy and financial support will be needed to continue this process.

I attended a Grassroots Football event in Parliament on 27 April 2022 hosted by the Football Foundation. I signed up to the Local Football Facility Plan for Walsall. The event was attended by Chris Hughton, former Tottenham Hotspur player and manager of Brighton and Hove Albion, Newcastle United, Norwich City, Birmingham City and Nottingham Forest.

On Wednesday 27 April 2022 I attended a virtual meeting of the Libraries Information and Knowledge All-Party Parliamentary Group, chaired by Gill Furniss MP. Ukraine’s collections of literature, history and research are at risk from Russian rocket and bomb attacks. As well as being important for the identity of the Ukrainian people, public records and library collections are essential for national recovery post-conflict. Librarians are also playing a role in guarding against misinformation.