Following an appalling sexual assault at a Travelodge, I’ve brought together a group of MPs to demand a meeting with the company's CEO.
We need to see an urgent review of their security policies, so horrific incidents like this can never happen again.
I’ve written to Travelodge demanding an urgent meeting about this disturbing case.
This horrific incident was an appalling failure in the hotel’s duty of care.
It raises deeply concerning questions about security procedures and guest safety - which Travelodge must now meet with MPs to answer.
Absolutely horrified to read this in the news today.
It's appalling and should never have been allowed to take place.
Travelodge need to review their security policies urgently.
Women deserve to feel safe in hotels.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
It was good to speak to the Mirror about my priorities for reforming the SEND system, ahead of the publication of the Schools White Paper today.
As a SEND parent myself, I came to Parliament determined to
secure real change for families like mine 👇
www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...
"We must stop treating speech and language support as optional."
An incredibly powerful article from @thurrockjen.bsky.social 👏👏 It's time the Government saw speech and language support "not as an expense but as an upfront investment"!
Parents voices must be at the heart of upcoming reforms to the SEND system.
Thank you to everyone who’s completed my survey – I’ve had over 100 responses! www.surveymonkey.com/r/JenCraftMPSendSurvey
If you need an easy read version, email jen.craft.mp@parliament.uk
(Thurrock residents only)
I want to hear from you about fixing our broken SEND system.
If you're the parent or carer of a child in Thurrock with special educational needs or a disability, please fill in my survey: www.surveymonkey.com/r/MG8ST6Q
I'm determined that parents' voices are at the heart of the upcoming changes.
Latest report on govt use of BSL is testament to the progress made since 2022, with new departmental plans to continue growing awareness.
Clearly much more to do to embed needs of deaf signers at the heart of govt, which I will keep pushing for as chair of the BSL APPG.
www.gov.uk/government/p...
Great to speak at the East of England APPG meeting on Health Innovation yesterday.
A big thank you to @healthinnoveast.bsky.social for the work you're doing to improve prevention efforts across the East.
I am absolutely determined that children and their families are at the heart of incoming of reforms.
It's great to see the Secretary of State for Education committed to working closely with SEND parents, restoring trust in our broken system. /2
SEND parents are furious that we have to spend time and energy we do not have, fighting against a system designed by successive Conservative governments to deny our children the support they need.
Change is coming under Labour, but after a decade of failure, parents are understandably anxious. /1
97 years ago this week, women finally won the right to vote on equal terms with men.
Now, we have a record 264 female MPs in parliament.
We owe this success to the women who came before us.
I think our grandmothers would be proud to see how far we’ve come since they first went to the ballot box.
I have chosen to sign a reasoned amendment which aims to halt the progress of the government’s welfare bill.
While I recognise the need for reform, I have serious concerns around the impacts of the proposed legislation - particularly for disabled people.
If an unmarried women looses her partner during pregnancy, she must undergo a traumatic legal process to register their name on the child's birth certificate.
I've proposed a bill that seeks to provide a simple process for bereaved mothers, dragging outdated legislation into the 21st century.
This week, I asked Education Minister @cmckinnellmp.bsky.social about the progress in delivering the British Sign Language GCSE.
As Chair of the BSL APPG, I've been working hard with fellow MPs and @bda.org.uk to get this lifechanging qualification introduced at the earliest opportunity.
Black woman with shoulder-length hair is speaking to a person. Text: Changing culture, one voice at a time: MPs speaking out on mental health
🗯️ 'Changing culture, one voice at a time'
Reflecting on MP Jen Craft's recent speech sharing her lived experience, @andybell-centremh.bsky.social explores the power of MPs speaking out about mental health to fight stigma and foster culture change:
www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/changing-cul...
Brilliant to see the government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee taking effect in Thurrock, with eight new neighbourhood officers now on the beat thanks to this funding.
Constituents want visible, local policing. This is an excellent first step, and an important investment in our police force.
The aims of the government’s Mental Health Bill can only be achieved when learning disabled and autistic people have access to proper community support.
We need a system of integrated care that encompasses health, housing and occupational needs👇
For people with learning disabilities or autism, a locked mental health ward can be a living hell.
Under the 1983 Mental Health Act, these conditions alone can be used to justify detention.
I strongly welcome the government’s new Mental Health Bill, which will help end this shameful practise.
Like thousands of other people with a serious mental illness, I've created my own package of care.
Because I deserve to live, and to live well.
We must overhaul community mental health services, to give people with a serious mental illness the ability and right to live the best lives they can. /2
In a debate on the Mental Health Bill, I spoke about my personal experience of serious mental illness.
While I have received good care, this is sadly the exception, and not the rule.
Too often, treatment is patronising, reductive, and inconsistent. /1
A real honour to attend so many community events in Thurrock marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
An opportunity to celebrate that famous victory, while reflecting on those who sacrificed so much to defend our country and our freedoms.
A letter from the Health and Social Care Committee to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention. Read the letter by following this link: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/81/health-and-social-care-committee/news/206727/gamblingrelated-harms-mps-call-on-government-to-act/
Gambling can cause serious harm. Financial, physical, and mental harm.
In England, there are 117 to 496 gambling-related suicides every year.
We're calling on Government to act now. Read more: committees.parliament.uk/committee/81...
Ahead of #VEDay80, I reflected in Parliament on the remarkable social change brought about by the end of the war.
As 300,000 disabled servicemen and women returned home, attitudes toward disability changed – leading to groundbreaking legislation considering the needs of disabled people.
On the 80th anniversary of VE Day, we pay tribute to those who defended our nation and our freedom.
It's an opportunity for us to reflect on the extraordinary bravery of the wartime generation, in Thurrock and across the country, and celebrate the British values they fought to defend.
In recent years there’s been a systematic failure to identify and address child sexual abuse in the family – with victims' voices ignored.
I asked @jessphillipsmp.bsky.social how Labour’s strategy on violence against women and girls will tackle this complex form of abuse.
My full letter to the Education Minister below 👇
The British Sign Language GCSE is key to tackling the barriers that deaf people face in society.
After disappointing delays, this progress in its development is really welcome news.
Earlier this month, as Chair of the BSL APPG, I wrote to ministers asking for the next consultation on the new BSL GCSE to be brought forward📝
Pleased to see this launched today - bringing us one step closer to making this life-changing qualification a reality for young people.
@bda.org.uk
My full letter to the Education Minister below 👇
The British Sign Language GCSE is key to tackling the barriers that deaf people face in society, and this progress in its development is really welcome news.
School support staff, teaching assistants, and learning support assistants play a key role in enabling the inclusion of children with SEND in our schools.
I asked @cmckinnellmp.bsky.social what steps the department is taking to upskill the school support workforce to meet the needs of every child.
