During Prime Minister's Questions, Sharon today called on Boris Johnson to urge Centrica British Gas to halt their fire and re-hire plans for skilled workers and return to the negotiation table with workers and their Union, the GMB. Sharon also called on the Government to introduce legislation to outlaw fire and re-hire once and for all. 

You can watch Sharon's Question and the Prime Minister's response on the below links:

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You can also visit the GMB Union website here >

New analysis by Labour reveals that Chancellor Rishi Sunak will hit every key worker earning over £18,000 in England with a real-terms pay cut next year.

This includes 52,267 key workers in the North East region – the teachers, police officers and Armed Forces personnel on the front line of the battle against Covid-19.

At the Spending Review on 25 November, the Chancellor announced a ‘pay freeze’ for all public sector workers earning above £24,000 in 2021-22.
NHS workers weren’t included, while those earning less than £24,000 were promised “a fixed increase of £250”.
Taking into account inflation over the next fiscal year, that means every non-NHS public sector worker earning over £18,000 will actually get a real-terms pay cut.

In the North East this includes:
• 5,691 police officers
• 23,471 teachers
• 22,035 civil servants, including tax inspectors, prison officers and probation officers
• 1,070 members of the Armed Forces

That’s a pay cut for every police officer in England, all 501,000 teachers in English state-funded schools and over 90% of the Armed Forces personnel based in England.

On top of the pay freeze, the Spending Review also contained a one-billion-pound council tax bombshell hidden in the small print and a cut to Universal Credit that will hit those who can least afford it.

Labour has condemned this triple hammer blow to people’s pockets as totally irresponsible when the economy is so fragile.

Making people worried about making ends meet will pull spending out of local high streets and small businesses, damaging consumer confidence at the very moment the Government should be building it up.

Sharon Hodgson MP said:
“The Chancellor was happy to clap for our key workers on his front step on Downing Street, but now that push has come to shove he has failed to show them the respect they deserve. Clapping doesn’t pay the bills.

“I believe those who serve our country deserve fair reward; by cutting their real-terms pay, the Government are punishing those who serve our country every day.

“The country needs a plan to recover jobs and rebuild businesses to fight the wave of unemployment. The Chancellor must think again.”

Shadow Chancellor Anneliese Dodds said:
“Key workers kept our country going this year, but the Chancellor has rewarded over a million of them with a real-terms pay cut.

“It’s totally irresponsible to hit workers in their pockets when the economy is so weak, but the least the Chancellor can do is be upfront about it.

“Instead, he’s trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the police officers, teachers and Armed Forces personnel who’ve kept the country going during this pandemic.

“They shouldn’t have to carry the can for this Government’s mistakes.”
ENDS

You can read Sharon's latest Sunderland Echo column below or on the Sunderland Echo website

When Penshaw monument comes into view on the A1 or A19, you know you’re almost home.

The announcement of a coronavirus vaccine feels like that too.

Sharon Hodgson MP's report - Nov-Dec 2020 number 134

Click on the picture above to read Sharon Hodgson MP's report - Nov-Dec 2020 number 134

Sharon challenges Government to include conditions on securing UK jobs as part of financial support for Aerospace Industry

Sharon Hodgson, the Member of Parliament for Washington and Sunderland West, and Shadow Minister for Veterans, has challenged the Government to include conditions on securing UK jobs as part of any financial support for Aerospace Industry.

During Transport Questions on Thursday 3^rd December 2020, Sharon urged the Government to ensure that financial support for aerospace businesses includes conditions to retain high-skilled jobs in the UK.

This comes as Rolls-Royce were accused by Unite the Union of 'choking' the company’s future and 'selling family silver’ in a sell-off and plant rundown announcement.

Sharon said:

‘’Today’s announcement from Rolls-Royce will add further worry to hundreds of workers ahead of what is already going to be a difficult Winter.

‘’It highlights the need for further Government support for the aerospace sector, and that such support should be conditional on retaining and increasing highly-skilled jobs here in the UK.

‘’Manufacturing will be key to our recovery from the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic, the Government and businesses should be investing in our future, rather than letting more jobs fall by the wayside.’’

Ends  

• Sharon’s question can be viewed in full here: https://twitter.com/SharonHodgsonMP/status/1334475347082010626?s=20
• The announcement from Rolls-Royce can be found here: https://www.rolls-royce.com/media/press-releases/2020/03-12-2020-rr-to-create-global-aerospace-leader-as-part-of-review-of-civil-aerospace-footprint.aspx
• Reaction to that announcement from Unite the Union can be found here: https://unitetheunion.org/news-events/news/2020/december/rolls-royce-accused-of-choking-company-s-future-and-selling-family-silver-in-sell-off-and-plant-rundown-announcement/

A small group of cross-party MPs have met recently to discuss the reinstatement of former Kenyan Civil Servant pensions, after their constituents stopped receiving their pension payments in March 2019.

The pensions are paid by Crown Agents Bank on behalf of the Kenyan Government. However, Crown Agents Bank say that they have not received pension payments from the Kenyan Government and therefore cannot pay it out.

Six cross party MPs have therefore written to the Minister of State for Africa, James Duddridge MP; written to His Excellency Mr Manoah Esipisu MBS, High Commissioner to the Republic of Kenya to the United Kingdom; tabled Parliamentary Questions and Debates, with the aim to resolve this issue for their constituents and other former Kenyan civil servants who have not received their pension since March 2019.

In a joint statement, the group said:
“It has been over 18 months since our constituent’s stopped receiving the pensions they are entitled to. We believe that the Government should treat this matter with some urgency, which is why we are now doing all that we can to bring this issue to the Government’s attention.”

The group is convened by Sharon Hodgson MP, Member of Parliament for Washington and Sunderland West and includes Ruth Cadbury, MP for Brentford and Isleworth; Stephen Timms, MP for East Ham; Gareth Thomas, MP for Harrow West; Tan Dhesi, MP for Slough; Seema Malhotra, MP for Feltham and Heston and Paul Bristow, MP for Peterborough.

Sharon Hodgson MP's report - Oct-Nov 2020 number 133

Click on the picture above to read Sharon Hodgson MP's report - Oct-Nov 2020 number 133

Sharon pictured with local Poppy Appeal organiser and volunteer, Malcolm Pickering

Sharon Hodgson, Member of Parliament for Washington and Sunderland West and Shadow Minister for Veterans today (26th October 2020) supported the Washington Branch of the Royal British Legion (RBL) on their Poppy Appeal stall in ASDA at the Galleries in Washington.

Sharon, who is also Honorary President of the Washington Branch of the RBL, supports the local Poppy Appeal each year however due to Coronavirus restrictions the Appeal is very different this year with some people unable to volunteer or fundraise as they usually would.

Sharon said:

“I’m proud to support this year’s Poppy Appeal at the Galleries in Washington.

“Whilst the Appeal is slightly different this year, I’m encouraged to see the way local volunteers and the RBL have adapted to the challenges Coronavirus have posed us all.

“Constituents can still support the Poppy Appeal by donating a poppy through the post to neighbours, displaying a poppy in your window, donating online or undertaking a virtual Poppy run.

“I hope that my constituents will continue to show their support for the Royal British Legion and our service personnel, past and present.”

Malcolm Pickering, Local Poppy Appeal organiser and volunteer, said:

“I am delighted that Sharon was able to join and support us at this year’s local Poppy Appeal stall.

“Like most things this year, the Appeal and Remembrance Day events are very different to how we would normally commemorate those who have served, but it is no less important, so I urge everyone to commemorate in a way that is safe for everyone.”

You can find out more about this year’s Poppy Appeal on the Royal British Legion website here >

ENDS

You can read Sharon's latest Sunderland Echo column below or on the Sunderland Echo website.

As the Government places Northern regions under experimental lockdown measures, without the financial backing to help them through, the North-South divide has never been so apparent.

But as people in our region know all too well, Tory neglect of the North predates Covid-19.

Local Authority budgets in our region have been savaged since 2010, exacerbating long-term regional inequalities between the North and South.

Shocking statistics from the End Child Poverty Coalition show that some of the largest increases in child poverty have come from Northern towns and cities, with the North East seeing the largest jump of any region in England.

In my constituency, 35% of children are growing up in poverty, an almost 9% increase since 2014/15.

This is before we even take into consideration the consequences of Covid-19, which has left the North East facing economic turmoil not seen since the days of Thatcher.

Families face significant economic uncertainty, and need reassurance that support will be there to help them care for their children and stop them from slipping into poverty.

However, the Government is threatening to slash the safety net even further, by scrapping the £20 uplift to Universal Credit in April, which will only make it harder to make ends meet and plunge our children into further hardship.

Tackling poverty and addressing its root causes needs to be at the heart of any Covid recovery plan, to ensure this pandemic does not commit a future generation to a life of deprivation.

The Government must urgently reform the social security net, and retain the £20 uplift in Universal Credit (UC) and apply this to other legacy benefits.

In the face of already unacceptable levels of child poverty, our country’s children are now at severe risk of being swept even deeper into deprivation.  Reforming UC and maintaining the £20 uplift would put much-needed cash into the pockets of Britain’s poorest families, helping them through this crisis, and would put us back on path to a fairer, more just society in the aftermath of this pandemic.

Sunderland Echo website >

Last week was Dyslexia Awareness Week.

During that week, the Data and Marketing Association published an online Dyslexia Employer Guide which can help employers understand dyslexia, and make their workplaces more inclusive.

You can access the guide by clicking on the above image.