The APPG for Nature held a virtual event on the Global Deal for Nature and a Green Recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. As Chair of the APPG, Barry hosted the discussion which had an expert panel.
You can see the full discussion here;
Barry grills the Ministry of Defence during the Environmental Audit Committee
This week Barry crossed swords with the Military Generals over the environmental sustainability of Defence Procurement. During the grilling, Barry pushed the Generals over whether they considered climate change to be a significant geo-strategic military threat, much as our neighbours across the Atlantic in the Pentagon do. Barry also forced the Generals to answer whether they would commit to culminating and quantifying individual impact assessments so that they can gain an overall picture into the climate impact of military projects.
To watch the, at times heated exchange, click the link below.
Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman
Today our community came together in an act of grief, of tribute and of unity.
We gathered at the top of Gotfords Hill in Fryent Country Park. For many of the 200 or so people who attended, this was the first time they had felt able to visit the park since the ghastly murder of the two sisters, Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman.
Their mother Wilhelmina, had written a moving tribute to her two beautiful and talented daughters and gave even those of us who did not know them, a window into the joy of their lives. Prayers, cleansing and reclaiming the park, were led by the Bishop of Willesden, Pete Broadbent. The local vicar Natasha Woodward, who had convened the event, conducted the service; and I spoke of the way that the murders had defiled two full and love-filled lives, the Smallman family, and our whole community. And as we laid our flowers in silent tribute, all of us there expressed our solidarity with the family against the evil that has struck them and our determination not to let the horror of the murders infect our love of that ancient and beautiful space at the heart of our Borough.
The family members themselves had come to visit the park two days earlier to pay their respects and they had specifically asked that the Park should not be remembered as a place of horror, but as a place of peace and beauty.
There are serious concerns about the initial police response and the ghoulish release of photographs which I have raised with the Borough Commander and these are now subject to separate investigation by the Independent Office of Police Conduct. Today was not the occasion to dwell upon those. But all of us present felt a real sense of relief that a man had earlier been arrested in connection with the murders.
We pray that justice is served and that Bibaa and Nicole may rest in peace.
Round up of Barry on Politics Live
Barry was on Politics Live yesterday before Labour leader Keir Starmer faced off against Boris Johnson at Prime Minister’s Question Time.
Barry discussed the Government’s response to coronavirus, the safety of people whether they be going back to work or to school and the impact the virus has had on businesses and the furlough scheme. The best bits from yesterday can be viewed below.
Barry interrogates witnesses about food provision during Covid-19
Barry interviewed witnesses during Tuesday’s Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee regarding food supplies during Covid-19. He interrogated both Professor Lang, Professor of Food Policy at University of London and Anna Taylor, Executive Director of The Food Foundation He pushed witnesses to comment on the differences between the centralised and community based approaches to providing food for vulnerable individuals who were shielding from Covid-19.
Barry was concerned that no account had been taken of what sort of food people would eat and the nutritional value of them depending on the diverse make up of each constituency and whether the Government recognised the importance of community based provision with regards to food parcels for the shielding.
Barry also touched on food voucher schemes and why there appeared to be a disconnect between supermarkets that would normally take part in these schemes to help those that needed these vouchers the most and whether the issues were rectified quick enough.
The full exchange can be viewed below
Barry writes to the Chancellor regarding support for the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Industry
Barry has written to Rishi Sunak regarding the inadequate Government support for the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Industry.
The Government promised to do “whatever it takes” to combat the economic and health impacts of Covid-19. Therefore, the latest announcement that Government has allocated just £3.3m to the London Borough of Brent is pitiful.
There are 9,000 businesses in Brent that might reasonably qualify under the government’s published criteria. Simple arithmetic dictates that on this basis, each firm could expect no more than £366. This is nowhere near the sums of £10,000 or £25,000 that businesses were led to expect.
Watch: Barry seeks assurances from The Home Secretary
Barry was in Parliament today to ask for assurances from The Home Secretary Priti Patel regarding his constituent and the Windrush Compensation Scheme.
The Home Secretary advised that if presented with the case she would be happy to help. Barry will hold her at her word and demanded action as they have waited far too long already for a British passport, compensation for how he has been treated as well as loss of earnings.
Watch: Barry speaks & writes to Home Secretary regarding Windrush Comepnsation Scheme
Barry has written to Priti Patel, the Home Secretary regarding the Windrush Compensation Scheme. It is unacceptable that only 5% of victims of the Windrush scandal have received any sort of compensation.
In Barry’s letter, he references a constituent who has lived in the UK for 58 years and has incurred direct losses amounting to £37,165.33. These are all directly attributable to the failure of the Home Office to recognise his status as a British Citizen and his right to work in the UK. He is still yet to receive a penny in compensation.
The Government should feel deeply ashamed as the 3rd anniversary of the Grenfell Tower tragedy approaches
Barry has written to the Housing secretary, Robert Jenrick as the 3rd anniversary of the Grenfell Tower approaches.
Across the UK, 20,000 – 23,700 households across the country are still living in unsafe buildings. According to government building safety data for March this year, 6500 of these are in the social sector and between 13,500 and 17,200 households in private sector residential blocks.
In Barry’s letter, he asked the Secretary of State to answer these questions:
When the Government will commence work onsite with all the buildings identified as at risk?
How much additional funding will be provided to enable these essential works to proceed?
By what date does the Government expect all unsafe buildings to be fully remediated now the June 2020 deadline has passed?
What further steps the Government plans to accelerate the pace of the remediation?
What discussions have taken place with building owners, insurance companies and warranty providers.
On the 28th April you gave a commitment to Parliament that help would be available to leaseholders faced with waking watch costs and fire remediation work; please update me on the progress of this assistance package?
In Barry’s letter he also refers to the Government advice for Leaseholders/Advice Note 14.
The government needs urgently to speak with surveyors and mortgage lenders to overcome the issues Advice Note 14 has created and which is holding up the sale of thousands of homes.
Barry sought assurances that the Secretary will not promise further timelines for making homes safe until he has secured the necessary funding from the Treasury to ensure such promises can be met.
For the families in my Constituency, and across the Country, three years after the Grenfell tragedy when 72 people lost their lives, this is now of the utmost priority.
Barry writes to the Trade Secretary regarding the immediate suspension of export licenses to the US
Barry wrote to Liz Truss, the Secretary of State for International Trade and called on her to open an urgent investigation to establish whether any of the equipment supplied to the USA by the UK has been misused in the internal repression of the American civilian population.
Until the conclusion of such an investigation, Barry believes there is a moral and legal obligation to immediately suspend the export licenses of small arms, rubber bullets, tear gas and all other equipment which could be used for internal repression in the USA.
