I have been Ilford South's MP since 1992 and seek to represent all my constituents on both personal and political matters. Please explore my site to find out more about me and my work for Ilford South and the Labour Party.
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Mike Gapes MP has been commended by the World Development Movement for supporting attempts to strengthen the climate change bill.
Mike has joined over 200 MPs who have signed the Early Day Motion 736- calling for the climate change bill to include carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from international aviation and for a tougher target for cutting CO2 by more than 80 per cent by 2050.
There is growing pressure to strengthen the bill’s proposals in line with the latest science. Warnings are coming from campaigners, scientists, the UN and MPs that the bill must be tougher in order to successfully tackle climate change.
Benedict Southworth, Director of the World Development Movement said:
“We are delighted that Mike Gapes is supporting calls for a tougher climate change bill. If this law is really going to have any chance of helping to prevent dangerous climate change we have to reduce our carbon emissions in the UK by more than 80 per cent and include international flights in the target. The government must take leadership on tackling climate change and help to prevent the loss of livelihoods and lives of millions in the developing world.”
Mike Gapes said:
“My constituents have told me they’re worried about climate change and the climate change bill is a bold and innovative move to address those worries. However, we must ensure the bill reflects the latest science and listens to the advice of the UN to include carbon emissions from all sectors. We must reduce our emissions by at least 80 per cent by 2050 and include international aviation and shipping to show strong international leadership, giving the people of Ilford South and people across the world the chance of a sustainable future.”
Families in Ilford received a big boost this week with the news that a new right to request flexible working will come into force.
The right to request flexible working will be extended to working parents who have children up to the age of 16 helping many families balance their work and family life much more easily. I am delighted by this. Extending the right to request flexible working hours to the parents of older children will give a big boost to busy parents who need more help balancing work and family life.
Mike Gapes MP for Ilford South has signed a motion in Parliament (Early Day Motion 912) calling on the UK Government to help women affected by HIV and AIDS in the developing world. The Women Matter campaign, which is spearheaded by leading international development charity VSO is asking the UK’s Department for International Development to put women at the heart of its new global HIV and AIDS strategy and to use its influence to encourage other international agencies to do likewise.
The disappointing Mayoral and Assembly votes were not entirely unexpected. But Labour did better in London than nationally increasing the number of GLA members from 7 to 8. In Havering and Redbridge Balvinder Saund increased our share of the vote.
This was not just a “mid term protest”. It is more serious and deep seated. After 11 years in Government our many economic and social achievements including record investment in health and education, low inflation, low interest rates, continuously rising living standards and record numbers of people in work have been taken for granted. The impact of globalisation, increased migration and the credit crunch has led to great fear and economic uncertainty which is affecting incumbent governments worldwide as President Sarkozy in France can also testify. Several months of terrible headlines partly due to our own mistakes, and a feeding frenzy from the Tory press and their cynical “political commentator” friends in the BBC which reminds me of the venomous bile directed at Neil Kinnock in the 1980’s.
What is to be done ? Labour must stand firm in defence of its successful economic record but we must also regenerate and renew by returning to our ethical, socialist and co-operative roots and values, bring in protection for temporary and agency workers, take low paid workers out of income tax and increase the minimum wage. Our focus should remain on jobs, housing, and poverty reduction and helping people in this country and worldwide get social justice.
The “time for a change” argument is always easy to make particularly if the incumbent government is stale. But the Cameron Bullingdon Club Old Etonian Toffs now running the Conservative Party have had a free run up to now. Labour must now unite and launch a vigorous fight back to expose the Tories and their policies. There could be two years until the next General Election and a lot can happen before then.
Mike Gapes spoke in the debate on the consequences of the cyclone in Burma in Parliament today. Here is what he said
http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/VideoPlayer.aspx?meetingId=1691&rel=ok
3.15 pm Mike Gapes (Ilford, South) (Lab/Co-op): I agree with much that has been said and I will not repeat those points, but I want to pay tribute to the non-governmental organisations that are today doing vital work in Burma, but also in other parts of the world, saving lives and improving the conditions of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people. That work goes on, day by day, regardless of whether newspapers and television programmes are showing any interest in it. It is important that members of the British public know that those organisations are not corrupt, that they are efficient and that, as has been said, money that is given gets through directly. I concur with the hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Mr. Moore) who talked about the situation with the vile brutal regime in Burma. It is important that we understand that as well as not doing enough, or actively impairing humanitarian efforts, it has also devoted its television channels to broadcasting smiling, dancing women, telling people to go out and vote; it has postponed its referendum on its fake constitution in the area that is now under water by just a few weeks, seemingly in the belief that it can then run some falsified referendum in a few weeks’ time; and it is still pursuing its brutal repression of the ethnic groups in the rest of its country. This, after all, is a very complicated country, where there is a brutal military regime at the top, which does not have the support of the people, and where Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy, 20 years ago, won a democratic election—then she was put under house arrest, which she has been unable to leave. It is important to place that on the record today.
Mike Gapes raised the future of London at Prime Minister’s questions today here is what he said and the response by Gordon Brown.
Q2. Mike Gapes (Ilford, South) (Lab/Co-op): Last week, the Prime Minister made a very successful visit to my constituency of Ilford. Does he agree that London is the most successful and diverse city in the world, with fantastic community relations? Investment has been made in its buses and trains, and there is still Crossrail to come. Does he think that all of that would be put at risk if someone with uncosted commitments and shadowy advisers were to be parachuted into our capital city?
The Prime Minister: People know that more people are able to use public transport—buses and the London underground—as a result of the Mayor of London’s policies. In addition, more people are able to get affordable housing as a result of his policies. What would be completely unacceptable to the people of London would be to wake up and find that, as a result of a Conservative Mayor, housing was being cut, affordable housing was being taken away and the very transport services they relied on were being savagely cut. We will not allow that to happen.
Watch it here
http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/VideoPlayer.aspx?meetingId=1537&rel=ok
Gwyneth Dunwoody Member of Parliament for Crewe and Nantwich since 1974 has died suddenly aged 77. Mike Gapes pays tribute to her
Gwyneth was unique. Throughout her long political life and career she was a formidable political figure with strong opinions which she was never reluctant to state. But she was also a person who was kind and generous to her friends. I first met Gwyneth when I was a young Labour party staff member at Transport House over thirty years ago and I then worked closely with her at Walworth Road when she was a Member of the National Executive Committee. Gwyneth always had a kind word for the party staff from the caretakers to the receptionists and she knew all their names and stuck up for those toiling behind the scenes. Although she was always sceptical about the European Union, Gwyneth was a strong internationalist and fighter for international justice and equality. She served for many years as Labour’s representative to the Socialist International and on the Bureau of Socialist International Women. Although her views were out of fashion in recent years Gwyneth remained Labour through and through. She will be sadly missed but never forgotten.
On Saturday I attended and spoke at the packed Telugu Association of London (TAL) celebrations of the Telugu Ugadi (New Year) at Ilford Town Hall. It was a very enjoyable event.
This morning I was delighted to welcome the Prime Minister Gordon Brown to Ilford.
He joined London Mayor Ken Livingstone and Labour GLA candidate Councillor Balvinder Saund and myself at the Singh Sabha London East Gurdwara in High Road Goodmayes.
We all joined the congregation for the Vaisakhi celebrations and we then spoke at a meeting in the separate hall downstairs following which Gordon and Ken answered questions from local people and media.
This link gives information about the meeting
http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=348684
The Prime Minister then held another meeting on Cranbrook Road with local Labour supporters. He received a fantastic response both from the Sikh community, from crowds of people waiting outside on the street trying to greet him as we left and from the Labour supporters meeting. This was a fantastic day. Clips of the visit and what Gordon Brown said were shown on all the main TV news programmes and also can be found on the BBC and Channel Four websites
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7345928.stm
The national media obsession with trivia and personalities means much of the good work done by Members of Parliament goes largely unreported. This month several new measures come into force which are the result of many hours of hard work in Westminster. From 1 April everyone who is disabled or over the age of 60 is entitled to free off-peak bus travel anywhere in the country. Thanks to the Labour Government people from Ilford, London and Redbridge can use their freedom pass with a new sticker if they are visiting relatives or on holiday in other areas of the country, and your pass holding friends and relatives can travel free on our buses. Patients referred by their GP for routine elective treatment are now able to choose from any NHS or independent hospital that meets the standards set by the NHS. There will be an extension of NHS screening services including vascular check ups in hospitals, GPs’ surgeries and pharmacies. Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) come into effect to give detailed information about the energy efficiency of premises, helping cut fuel bills and carbon emissions. Thanks to London Mayor Ken Livingstone we already have local neighbourhood police teams. The Labour Government has extended this so every part of the country has a dedicated team to deal with local problems and tackle anti-social behaviour like vandalism, littering and graffiti. The new Local Housing Allowance is a simpler and fairer way for people who rent in the private sector to get and use Housing Benefit. The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act came into effect on 6th April to make it easier to prosecute companies and other large organisations when gross failures in the management of health and safety lead to death. I’m pleased that new measures in the Consumer Credit Act crackdown on rogue lenders and debt collectors, improving the protections for consumers against loan sharks.
