I’m going to hold the Government to account – but in my own way
I was recently asked if Keir Starmer is radical enough for me: it was a simple no.
After 14 long years of Tory rule, I am back sitting on the side of the House of Commons where I started.
When I first became an MP under a Labour government, I was fortunate to serve as a minister under Gordon Brown, but for many of my new colleagues it might feel strange – and will take some getting used to.
No one is used to attacking the Government more than me in recent years; I even got ejected from the Commons for calling Boris Johnson a liar. But now, with a change of government, a different approach is needed.
Now, to criticise the frontbench is to criticise my own party – so I will continue to hold the Government to account, but in my own way.
I was recently asked if Keir Starmer is radical enough for me: it was a simple no.
But that’s why it is important in the Labour Party to have a broad church, and follow the right processes when we’re in government, especially as we are only 20 days or so in.
The initial approach is to contact government ministers, insist on a meeting and seek to persuade them to do things that I suggest – that’s a lot easier when we are all on the same team.
That’s why I did not vote for the SNP’s amendment to scrap the two-child limit for Universal Credit or Tax Credits, despite supporting the principles behind it.
This is due to the fact that the PM has clearly said his new commission on child poverty will consider removing the cap. If I felt the Government wasn’t committed to ultimately getting rid of the cap, then it would have been a different story.
It is also important for me to set a marker down to the opposition that I will not play their games going forward – the SNP’s motion was never going to change things, and they knew that as well as anyone.
If I have a dispute on my own side then I will lead the rebellion after knowing I have tried everything I could to change a position I did not agree with.
Others may do things differently, and that is fine too.
I am clear that scrapping the two-child limit is essential to tackling child poverty, which is at an appallingly high level after over a decade of Tory cuts and neglect.
But just 20 days into a Labour government, I know that patience is needed. Unlike the Tories, our party has the political will and drive to eradicate child poverty.
So, I have written to the Government, offering to work constructively and closely with them and urging them to move towards scrapping the cap as soon as possible.
That is what I meant by a different approach. To that end, I have identified where I think we can find the funding to pay for this policy: through the soon-to-be appointed Covid Corruption Commissioner.
It is no secret that so much of taxpayers’ money was shamefully wasted and lost under the Tories, whether it was through inadequate PPE, questionable contracts handed out through the VIP lanes, or via fraud.
We need to claw back every single pound, and once we do, it should amount to billions.
What better way to re-invest those billions than to spend it on tackling child poverty?
This is the argument that I will be making, working inside the party.
After all, I am sure that everyone in Labour wants to scrap the cap – it is just about finding the right way to do it, quickly.
It isn’t just on child poverty where I want to see the Government move further. I have a range of issues where I want to see bold change, and I’ll work constructively to bring it.
Police reform is one such area. This week I asked the Government in the House of Commons about my call for mandatory re-vetting and psychological testing of all serving police officers, following a series of high profile failures and examples of misconduct in recent years.
I would also add judges into the mix because in order to take seriously the epidemic of violence against women and girls I think we need to truly examine why some judgements are far removed from what is needed.
These changes will help restore faith and trust in our police force, and I hope to work with the government towards this.
I also want to see change when it comes to traffic stops under Section 163 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.
I was stopped myself without cause in 2020, which was very distressing. A 2014 report showed that unrecorded stops are made around 5.5million times per year and are often a daily occurrence for people of colour.
We must guard against discriminatory policing by ensuring a record is kept of all stops – including the reason for the stop, the outcome, and the self-defined ethnic identity of the person.
Now, under Labour, I want to see it happen.
And I want to see bold progress on tackling pay gaps. I want to work with the government to ensure that we introduce mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting for the UK’s largest companies, those with 250 employees or more.
Currently, there are only voluntary guidelines.
Black and minority ethnic people are more likely to be in poverty, so alongside ethnicity pay gap reporting I would like to see those companies release action plans, detailing their efforts to tackle pay discrimination and end pay gaps.
I hope to see these vital changes implemented under Labour.
There are so many more measures that I would like to see introduced in this Parliament, which I will be speaking more about in my upcoming columns.
The country voted for change, and with my unique perspective I am determined to play my part in delivering that bold agenda for change, working constructively from the backbenches.
In time, I expect it will be successful. And it’s the country that will win.
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk.
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