Welcome to my February update! It has been a busy month, so keep reading for an overview of how I have been representing you in Parliament and across Luton South and South Bedfordshire.

Take part in my 2025 survey!

I have now launched my 2025 survey, where I want to hear more about what is most important to people in Luton South and South Bedfordshire. You can tell me your local and national priorities, what change you would like to see in our area, and what you would like to see me focus on more in Parliament.

Please fill out the short survey here. 

Closure of Luton’s Vauxhall Plant

I’m devastated by Stellantis’ recent decision to proceed with the closure of our Luton Vauxhall plant, which is a destructive blow to our town, our workforce and our proud 120-year manufacturing heritage.

The company’s ongoing refusal to meaningfully engage with Government, despite offers to support, has also been extremely disappointing.

As we move forward, I will continue to support the workforce and their families, working closely with Unite trade union representatives and Luton Council to secure the best possible support package for all those affected.

Labour East Regional Conference

At the end of January, I headed down to Southend for our Labour Eastern region conference!

The weekend was full of lots of positive discussions on the first six months of our Labour Government, our NHS, education, policing, green energy and more.

Visit to the Kingsway depot for #HeartUnionsWeek

This month marked #HeartUnionsWeek, celebrated annually to recognise how important trade unions are for everyone at work and to encourage people to join a union.

Our trade unions fight for fair pay, job security and better rights at work every single day. Indeed, the Labour Party was formed by our trade union movement and is the party of fairness and workers’ rights at work.

As part of this annual event, I was pleased to visit GMB reps and workers at the Kingsway waste depot before their 6am shift! We had a productive chat around pay and the cost of living.

They also shared with me the abuse they often face from residents as well as the difficulty in separating recycling whilst on shift as people often put waste in the wrong bins.

Our refuse collectors work hard, often in difficult conditions and deserve our respect – so don’t forget to be kind and put your recycling in the correct bin! More information on this here. 

Improved funding for Bedfordshire Police

Our Labour Government has announced that they are doubling our neighbourhood policing funding to £200M.

This is a 6.6% increase for Bedfordshire Police, a total £167.8 million as part of this investment.

Myself and my colleagues across our county have long campaigned for improved funding for Bedfordshire Police and I am very proud that our Labour Government is engaging with local MPs, as well as our Labour Police and Crime Commissioner John Tizard and taking meaningful action to address the complex policing challenges in our area.

In Parliament, I felt it important to emphasise the fundamental importance of special grants allocation for Bedfordshire Police to be able to tackle serious organised crime, and the need for this funding to continue.

You can watch my full speech below.

Chancellor’s speech on delivering growth

This month, the Chancellor announced the next part of Labour’s plans to kick start economic growth and put more money in people’s pockets.

As the Chancellor mentioned the redevelopment of Old Trafford in her speech, I took the opportunity to highlight the positive impact the new Power Court site will have on our town, supporting regeneration and bringing new opportunities to Luton and the wider region. You can watch this here.

There were also a number of announcements that will directly benefit the Eastern region, including:

• An agreement with water companies to unlock £7.9bn of investment to improve water infrastructure. This includes nine new reservoirs, including the new Fens Reservoir serving Cambridge.
• Prioritising and properly funding the new Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital (as part of the New Hospitals Programme) bringing together Cambridge University, Addenbrookes Hospital and CRUK.
• Unblocking 16 gigawatts of offshore wind – as much electricity as was produced by all gas power plants in 2024 – through up to £30 billion of private investment to create thousands of good clean energy jobs in the offshore wind sector in areas like East Anglia.

Labour’s Warm Homes Plan

Households across Luton South and South Bedfordshire have paid the price for the Conservatives failure on energy security, facing high energy bills as a result of the unpredictable fossil fuel market.

This Labour government is taking bold action to protect households and bring energy bills down.

Our clean power mission is committed to ensuring cleaner, affordable, homegrown power here in the UK, protecting family finances.

You can watch my question to the Minister on this here.

Supporting our creative industries in Parliament

Luton has a rich history of creativity, innovation and design and I was very proud to highlight the value of our creative industries in Parliament as well as celebrate our most beloved independent music venues and our homegrown talent!

Our creative industries suffered under the Tories, with over a decade of cuts having a detrimental impact on the sector. I am proud that this Labour government has recognised the value of our creative industries, from arts, music, drama, film to video games and graphics.

Earlier this month, a £60 million funding boost was announced, supporting hundreds of creative businesses and projects across the UK to help them grow. This marks the first step of the Government’s Sector Plan for the creative industries.

Watch my full speech below.

Celebrating St. Brigid’s Day with Luton Irish Forum

It was lovely to join Luton Irish Forum for their annual St Brigid’s Day event this year, celebrating Irish women.

This year’s theme was Irish wedding traditions, including the role of the matchmaker, a Claddagh ring and the bride’s handkerchief being kept for her first child’s christening bonnet.

It was a pleasure to have Irish Embassy London Deputy Ambassador Orla McBreen join us and to hear about her grandmother’s wedding including her hand-embroidered pillow case.

Morton House opening

It was wonderful to be invited to open Morton House, which was the home of this year’s Luton 2040 conference, alongside Luton Mayor Councillor Tahmina Saleem and Councillor Javeria Hussain.

Named after Luton Town Football Club legend Bob Morton, this Luton Rising project will combine an inbuilt learning facility and high-quality office space.

A training and skills hub led by Luton Council is already being set up on the lower ground floor, and it will be the new home of Jet2 as they begin running flights out of London Luton Airport!

Education and employment are at the heart of this project and I am delighted to see this hub of activity within our town!

Visiting Tennyson Road Primary School

I was glad to join the children at Tennyson Road Primary School recently.

I met with the School Council and answered some of their very interesting questions, ranging from air quality and keeping our streets tidy to mental health. I was also interested to hear from them about issues that matter to them.

A huge thank you to the Headteacher Carla, the lovely Head of Pupil Voice, Gale and the whole team at Tennyson Road for all the wonderful work you do every day!