Dear John,

This week I visited Woodgate Valley Health Centre in Bartley Green to show my support to the staff and volunteers who are working tirelessly to keep us safe.
 
The vaccination centre is working towards a target of 65,000 vaccines and so far, it has delivered around 5,500 in its first five weeks.

Having now visited, it’s absolutely no surprise to me that Woodgate Valley Health Centre is so far ahead in their programme. I was really struck by how well organised the centre was, so that going to get a Covid vaccination really couldn’t be simpler.
 
The positivity and sense of community spirit was also a shining light. I met with several of the volunteers who were providing such a friendly, safe and welcoming environment and they told me how great an experience volunteering at the vaccine centre has been so far. It was fantastic to see how the community in Bartley Green is really pulling together.
 
If you would like to hear more about my visit to the centre, you can read about it on my blog by clicking below.

In the meantime, I would strongly urge everyone to make their appointment to get vaccinated as soon as they are contacted by the NHS. If you are in a priority group and still haven't been contacted, or are having any other difficulty getting in, please contact me at [email protected].

This week, Keir Starmer gave a speech where he set out the Labour Party's vision of the future and for a new chapter for Britain.
 
The coronavirus crisis has brutally exposed the weakened foundations of our society. After ten years of Conservative Party rule, life expectancy stalled for the first time in a century; child poverty shot up to over four million; and one in four families began this crisis with less than £100 in savings.

We can't go back to business as usual. Instead, we would choose a different path – one that tackles inequality, invests in the future and builds economic resilience.

As Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Sikhs, I wrote to Dominic Raab this week to raise serious concerns about the escalating crackdown on the farmers’ protests in India and the ongoing detention of Jagtar Singh Johal, who now faces a death sentence.

On both of these issues, a high level of interest and concern is shared by MPs across the political spectrum. Following a successful lobby on human rights last week, I have asked to meet with the Foreign Secretary alongside Jagtar's legal team. 

The Government's latest funding announcement on cladding removal raised more questions than it answered and has left many leaseholders still very worried about their futures.
 
On Monday 22nd February at 6.30pm, BrumLAG is hosting an open meeting on Zoom for anyone who has been affected by the cladding scandal in the West Midlands.

In a week when two amendments to the Fire Safety Bill will be debated in Parliament, I’ll be there to speak about the campaign to protect leaseholders and residents.