Following Chancellor George Osborne’s autumn statement, MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, Rushanara Ali, said: “This Government is failing my constituents on jobs, growth and the deficit. People on low and middle incomes are being hit the hardest while millionaires are getting a tax cut. The poorest in society are paying the price for the Government’s economic failure with higher VAT, the granny tax, and real terms cuts to tax credits, jobseekers allowance, maternity pay and child benefit.

Local MP Rushanara Ali has been speaking at numerous events and meetings at the Labour Party Annual Conference 2012. It was a busy week in Manchester, where Rushanara Ali raised key issues affecting constituents in Bethnal Green and Bow such as education and unemployment alongside speaking on her work as a Shadow International Development  Minister. 

Rushanara Ali MP has welcomed the High Court ruling which will enable existing students at London Metropolitan University with full immigration status to continue their studies at the university.

Bethnal Green and Bow MP, Rushanara Ali today co-hosted a parliamentary reception to celebrate the work of London's Air Ambulance service where she met the doctors and paramedics from the service.  The reception followed a debate earlier this week on VAT on air ambulance fuel payments.  

Speaking in a House of Commons debate on the House of Lords Reform Bill, Rushanara Ali MP said that reforming the House of Lords would make it more diverse, democratic and fit for the twenty-first century.

Following the Budget Statement from the Chancellor George Osborne MP today, Rushanara Ali MP said "this government's economic policies have failed - today was an opportunity for them to finally acknowledge this and deliver a budget that would really help those who need it most.  Instead the Chancellor has delivered tax breaks for the very richest and yet again hit hard-working families, young people and poor children the hardest. 

Following news today that Al-Shabaab have banned aid organisations from Somalia, Rushanara Ali MP, Shadow International Development Minister and Vice-Chair of Somali Friends of Labour, said “reports today of rebels seizing and looting the offices of some UN and international aid agencies working in Somalia to alleviate the consequences of a severe drought, are incredibly concerning and open up the possibility of the crisis in Somalia turning into a full-blown disaster.  With 4 million people in desperate need of help in Somalia and a quarter of a million people in imminent danger of starvation, too many of them children, Al-Shabaab must allow aid organisations to deliver desperately needed aid and guarantee the safety of their staff and offices.  The people of Somalia have already had to suffer through a civil war, the drought and famine - what they need now is for the international community to provide them with the support they need and to work hard to find a solution to the ongoing conflict.”

Rushanara Ali MP joined Labour colleagues, to mark White Ribbon Day and show support for the White Ribbon Campaign’s work to reduce violence against women.

As Pakistan attempts once more to deal with serious flooding and the resulting humanitarian crisis, Rushanara Ali joined the call for the international community to provide the help and support so desperately needed.