Parliamentary constituents making news

 

TheyWorkForYou website record of how our MPs voted on
Free school Meals During School Holidays

Letter to Hereford Times

Daily Mirror reports that a Lancashire shop has banned the local Tory MP after he voted against free school meals, while Yorkshire Live reports that Rishi Sunak and all Tory MPs have been banned from a North Yorkshire pub for the same stance against poor families.(1)(2)

What actions will Hereford Times readers take against Herefordshire MPs Jesse Norman and Bill Wiggin for also helping defeat the extension of free school meals, particularly as Jesse Norman is First Secretary of the Treasury and Bill Wiggin has links with offshore finance?(3)

In 2017, Bill Wiggin responded to "a front page story in the Hereford Times outlining his position as managing director of an offshore financial company by stating that the article was 'not news'."(3)

As the Daily Mirror and YorkshireLive stories emphasise, constituents can help to make the news, whereas my experience of Jesse Norman MP is that he tends to 'note' my views while voting against them, and the top-ups to Bill Wiggin's basic MP salary could pay for several school meals.

Alan Wheatley

Hereford

Notes

1. https://uk.search.yahoo.com/search?p=tory+mp+banned+for+life+free+school+meals&fr=uh3_news_web_gs&fr2=p%3Anews%2Cm%3Asb

2. https://www.theyworkforyou.com/divisions/pw-2020-10-21-154-commons

3. https://www.herefordtimes.com/news/15711401.mp-bill-wiggin-responds-to-criticism-over-off-shore-interests/

 

Citizen actions against grave injustices

In The Guardian, Mary Brown writes:

• Professor Tobias advises us to vote appropriately and also to watch The Dirty War on the NHS. (Letters, 9 December). I Googled it, to discover that this new film by the highly respected John Pilger, described by ITV as “a powerful and timely investigation [which] gives voice to those who warn that time may be running out in the battle to save both the NHS and the fundamental human right to medical care” is being broadcast, by ITV, on 17 December.

Timely? Time is running out. Come on ITV, show it on the 11th, at peak time.
 
Mary Brown
Chiswick, London

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/dec/10/johnsons-phone-snatch-shows-his-smash-and-grab-tendencies

If any News Forwards From Alan Wheatley blog readers feel bold enough to make calls on any subject or topic, perhaps they could start a petition with the aid of petition website Change.org? Petition signatures can be a news item in themselves.
https://www.change.org/start-a-petition?source_location=header 

Change.org 'Start a Petition' page

Meanwhile, Benefits & Work Publishing Ltd report:

Over £5,000 in one day for Mandatory Reconsideration challenge

Benefits and Work readers donated over £5,000 in the 24 hours after our last newsletter appealed for support for a crowdfunded legal challenge.

The judicial review, which will now definitely go ahead, is seeking to outlaw the cynical practice of mandatory reconsideration (MR).

Since the DWP [Department for Work & Pensions] introduced MRs they have succeeded in dissuading hundreds of thousands of claimants from challenging a benefits decision.

Michael Connor, who launched the challenge, thanked Benefits and Work readers for their support, saying:

“I still cannot quite believe the amount of support.

“The support from donations and encouraging comments for my case has meant the world to me. I have been informed that the DWP have employed two barristers to oppose my case. But they will not undermine my determination to fight and win this case. The court fees are paid. I have the finance to pay for any court filing, court order application and appeals if needed.

“I am so grateful and energised by the support for not now my, but our, case.”

We’ll keep you posted.

Source: https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/4137-fantastic-readers-response-smashes-legal-crowdfunding-appeal-target

And

Pressure for criminal investigation of ministers for claimant deaths increases

The campaign for a criminal investigation into the actions of former Conservative ministers in relation to claimant deaths is gathering pace.

Last week, John Pring of the Disability News Service (DNS) published a 12,000 word article DWP: The case for the prosecution which set out the links between the deaths of six claimants and flaws in the work capability assessment.

Pring has argued that Iain Duncan Smith, Chris Grayling and senior civil servants in the DWP ignored concerns raised by a coroner about the WCA.

DNS now says that Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has agreed that the article provides “strong and clear evidence” that Duncan Smith, Grayling and senior civil servants should be investigated over the WCA scandal.

McDonnell has also confirmed to DNS that Labour will hold an inquiry into claimant deaths linked to the DWP if it takes power.

“Labour will fulfil the promise Jeremy Corbyn and I gave during our campaigns to highlight the tragic deaths of disabled people resulting from austerity under the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

“We will hold an inquiry into these deaths.

“It’s critically important that people are made aware of the brutal treatment meted out to disabled people and lessons are learnt so that this never happens again.”

“We will hold an inquiry into these deaths.

“It’s critically important that people are made aware of the brutal treatment meted out to disabled people and lessons are learnt so that this never happens again.”

Source: https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/4136-pressure-for-criminal-investigation-of-ministers-for-claimant-deaths-increases