Rushanara Ali

On 16 June the Prime Minister announced the merger of the Department for International Development (DFID) into the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). DFID does a fantastic job to aid some of the world’s poorest people. At a time when Covid-19 has pushed millions into poverty and on the brink of starvation, it is irresponsible for the Government to abolish DFID which has done so much to reduce global poverty.    Continue reading

On 24 June during an Opposition Day debate, Rushanara urged the Government to ensure that weekly testing is in place for all NHS and social care staff. This will help combat the spread of the virus in hospital and care settings, making work safe for our NHS, care staff and patients.  Continue reading

During the Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill, Rushanara called on the Justice Secretary to take further action to prevent radicalisation and extremism within the prison system, and to invest in communities to help fight against religious and far-right extremism. It is vital we strike the appropriate balance between our security and civil liberties. Continue reading

Rushanara has repeatedly questioned the Government on the ongoing EU-UK negotiations. Failure to secure a deal that protects rights, standards and guarantees frictionless trade will cause devastation to our economy and people’s lives. Continue reading

During Education Questions, Rushanara questioned the Minister on school re-openings. She said that families have been put in the difficult position of having to choose between survival and education as the Government’s rushed through plans to re-open schools failed to provide the assurances that parents, teachers and pupils needed.    Continue reading

On 2 June the Government published its report looking at the impact of Covid-19 on BAME groups. The report confirmed what we already knew, that health inequalities amplify the risk of Covid-19, meaning that those living in the poorest parts of our country, as well as those from BAME backgrounds, have a higher risk of death during this pandemic. It found that people of Bangladeshi background face the greatest danger of dying from the disease, and are twice as likely to die from it compared to those from white British backgrounds. Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, Other Asian, Caribbean and Other Black ethnicities had between 10 - 50% greater risk of dying. Here in Tower Hamlets, we have one of the largest ethnic minority populations in the UK which means that many families have been badly affected by this virus. The findings from this report are crucial, yet the Government has failed to set out the actions it will take to tackle these disparities, and the underlying racial and socioeconomic inequalities which have caused this. During an important debate on this report, Rushanara urged the Government to take urgent action.   Continue reading