I am working with Councillors of all parties and with Lee Scott MP in a joint campaign to save services at King George Hospital.  I am delighted that Redbridge Council  unanimously adopted a motion to reject the misguided proposals of the London region NHS bureaucracy. We are now calling on the Secretary of State for Health Andy Burnham to intervene  to stop these plans and establish an independent review.

I am Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Crossrail Group.

Two weeks ago I was able to inspect progress on the project so far. We started early in the morning at Paddington and then went along the route to see the work being done for new stations at Tottenham Court Road, Bond Street, Whitechapel  and Canary Wharf. The work will take several years until planned completion in 2017.  I was very impressed with what I saw but I am  concerned that despite strong support from the Labour government, the Mayor of London and business so far the Conservative front bench have not made a firm and unequivocal commitment to continue the project. This uncertainty and fear of savage cuts is damaging to London and Ilford.

Our TV screens have shown the horrors of the earthquake in Haiti the worst the world has seen for over two hundred years. Despite the massive efforts by governments, non governmental  organisations and the public, the sheer scale of the disaster and transport difficulties mean all our efforts cannot do more than help a minority of the hundreds of thousands of victims and millions of already poor people who have lost their homes and possessions and  now face hunger and disease.  I spoke on the issue in Parliament.  We need more effective international response organisations and a stronger United Nations. As Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee I have also been discussing the arrangements for the new institutions of the European Union and been involved in meetings in advance of the important Afghanistan conference in London this week.