Rosie Wrighting MP column: Working for Kettering in Parliament this session

The end of April also marks the end of this Labour Government’s first Parliamentary session, which means that our work in Parliament over the last year and nine months will draw to a close, the Parliamentary agenda will be cleared, and a new session will begin in May. This gives the Government a new opportunity to set out its plans, and gives the public a new opportunity to scrutinise them.

With that in mind, I wanted to reflect on the work we have done over the past Parliamentary session, where we have passed over 50 new pieces of legislation, and how that work will impact people in Kettering, Rothwell, Desborough, Burton and the villages, who are always at the front of my mind when I am voting in Parliament.

In the last year and nine months, this Government has been working to turn the page on 14 years of Conservative failure and start the process of delivering long-term change.

So far, we have made the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation with our Employment Rights Act, which will go further to make work pay by introducing rights to reasonable notice of shifts, the end of fire and rehire and establish day one rights for paternity, parental and bereavement leave for millions of workers. 

We have created Great British Rail – a publicly owned and accountable body to improve rail services and keep fares low.

We have established a publicly owned energy company in Great British Energy, to bring clean energy and cheaper bills to British consumers and industry. And, we have passed a law to bring 450,000 children out of poverty, including 2,500 in Kettering, by removing the two-child benefit cap and providing security to working parents.

The Water (Special Measures) Act will reverse the Tory decline in environmental standards and hold the water industry and bosses to account. And, the Crime and Policing Bill will tackle violence against women and girls, anti-social behaviour and retail crime, while rebuilding public confidence in policing and the wider criminal justice system.

This week, the Renters Rights Act will come into force, providing renters with security and dignity in housing by outlawing no-fault evictions, amongst other protections for private renters.

I know there is more work to do, and I stood on a manifesto that promised to change and rebuild our country. Our work this Parliamentary session is the building-blocks for that change, matching the ambition people in Kettering, Rothwell, Desborough, Burton and the villages have for their family and community, with a long-term plan to make sure people feel better off.

As ever, please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns at [email protected]