Welcome To My June Newsletter
Welcome to my June newsletter. I aim to keep you up to date with what I have been doing in Parliament and in the constituency. Our lives continue to be very different as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, however, the need for a strong local voice, standing up for Luton South, remains constant.
Free School Meals

This week I joined the campaign to extend the free schools meal vouchers programme over the summer holidays. Premier League footballer Marcus Rashford’s personal and passionate intervention, alongside Labour’s ‘Holidays without Hunger’ campaign, forced the government into a policy U-turn, meaning 1.3 million children will not go hungry this summer.  

In Luton South this means that 3,231 children will now have access to food during the holidays. Although this is a start we must continue campaigning to eradicate child poverty for good.
 
You can see my speech on Free school meals here.
Black Lives Matter

Many of you contacted over the last month outraged at the death of George Floyd in America and at the excessive force used by the police in the protests that followed. I joined my parliamentary colleagues in taking a knee in remembrance in Palace Yard at Westminster.

I share you concerns about the excessive use of force and joined with my colleagues in asking the government to suspend all exports of riot equipment such as, riot shields, tear gas and rubber bullets.

I also recognise that the UK is not immune to racial inequalities. A recent report by Public Health England highlighted that BAME communities in the UK are at far greater risk to COVID-19 than other communities.

I will continue to campaign to end racial inequalities wherever they can be found.
Your voice in Parliament

Last week I asked you what you would ask the Prime Minister if you had the opportunity. Some of the issues you raised included being confused by public health messaging, angry about the Dominic Cummings affair, worried about local jobs and livelihoods, concerned about the lack of crisis funding for the Council and the impact that an illogical quarantine was having on the airport. 
 
I was able to put these to the Prime Minister at PMQs but he didn’t really offer any answers

See my question to the PM here.
Survey Corner

I recently asked you what concerned you most about the Coronavirus Pandemic and what you thought I should focus on after the crisis. You responded as follows.

What concerned you most about the COVID-19 Pandemic:
  1. Ensuring me and my family are kept safe
  2. Ensuring the NHS can cope with the crisis
  3. NHS and social care worker are protected
What should I focus on after the Crisis
  1. Health and the NHS
  2. Tackling Inequalities
  3. Councils and Local Services
In this months survey, tell me what you think about the role of public services in the post-Coronavirus recovery. You can take part here.

Find out more
See my maiden speech in parliament here
See my letter to the Education Secretary regarding the reopening of schools here
See me on BBC Politics England discussing council funding here
See me discussing the impact of COVID-19 on care workers here
Rachel Hopkins MP for Luton South
https://www.rachelhopkins.org/