Parliament returned from summer recess with a bang this week as we voted into the early hours on the EU Withdrawal Bill. With this historic piece of legislation leaping over its first parliamentary hurdle by 326 to 290 votes, we are now one step closer to ending the supremacy of EU law in the UK.
The Bill may be better known as the Great Repeal Bill but it is one big copying exercise, moving all existing EU laws into UK law. The idea is to ensure as much continuity and certainty as possible so that businesses and individuals know where they stand when our EU membership ceases. Then, once we have full control over our own law again, we can look at which of those EU laws we wish to keep, change or repeal.
As a new MP, it was an honour to play my part in ensuring parliament respects what British people voted for at the referendum. I now hope to help the UK build a positive future beyond the EU, and was delighted this week to be voted onto the International Trade Committee where I hope to scrutinise the government’s progress in establishing new global trading partnerships.
Locally, it has been a busy summer recess and my team and I have been working with council, government and local school leaders to see how we might boost the work already underway to improve secondary school standards in Havering. We are also liaising with the Care Quality Commission about standards in local care homes; working with Keith Prince AM on improving bus services; and pushing the issue of police response times, which have not been up to scratch since the Mayor of London adopted a new pilot scheme to merge borough policing teams.
And then, if all goes to plan, there is the small matter of my getting married this weekend!