News Archive

We are seeing restrictions on Covid loosen as the sun has come out. Although pubs and restaurants have opened and we have a great deal more freedom than last summer, it still is not “business as usual”. We must continue to be careful and to behave responsibly to ensure that Covid does not spread and that we protect ourselves and our loved ones from both Covid and Long Covid. … [Read more...]

This week I attended a number of All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs). I was elected vice chair of the APPG for Flood Prevention at its AGM on Tuesday, with Rachael Maskell MP re-elected as chair. We discussed the work programme for this session, and will prioritise conducting enquiries into: flood consideration in the planning system; and Ofwat 2024 review. Later that … [Read more...]

Christina Rees, MP for Neath, has pressed the COP26 President for information on what proportion of the billions of pounds of private sector investment will go to Wales.  She also asked how many of the proposed 250,000 highly skilled green jobs floated by the Prime Minister’s 10 Point Green Industrial Plan will go to Wales. The COP26 President, Alok Sharma MP, failed to give … [Read more...]

On Monday, as part of my duties as a member of the Panel of Chairs, I chaired the Second Delegated Legislation Committee in respect of the draft Market Surveillance (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2021. The instrument amends the EU Market and Compliance Regulation which, under the … [Read more...]

Christina Rees, MP for Neath, condemns the UK Government for voting against the creation of a law that would offer better protections for retail staff as violence, threats and abuse directed towards workers has skyrocketed since the beginning of the pandemic. The Labour Party tabled amendments to the Police, Crime and Sentencing Bill that would create a specific offence of … [Read more...]

On Tuesday afternoon I welcomed Alun Michael, South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, to Neath as part of his South Wales Community Walkabout tour. We were accompanied by Inspector Matt Otteson, Cllr Leanne Jones, Sergeant Carys Lewis, Cllr Dean Cawsey and Sarah Mahon, Engagement Officer SWP, as we walked around Neath town centre. In the short time available to us, with … [Read more...]

Christina Rees, MP for Neath, pressed the Prime Minister about the ongoing health and safety failures at the DVLA during PMQs on Wednesday. Rees asked the Prime Minister why it was deemed acceptable to return over 450 staff to the Swansea site, contrary to UK Government advice, as cases are significantly rising in South Wales.  The DVLA has been subject to multiple Covid … [Read more...]

Christina Rees has praised steel workers in Neath for helping to force a last-minute UK Government u-turn on Wednesday over the removal of safeguard tariffs on cheap imports of steel. Based on recommendations from the independent Trade Remedies Authority, the UK Government was set to remove nine of the 19 current import safeguards on different steel products at midnight on … [Read more...]

On Monday afternoon, I joined a briefing for Labour MPs hosted by Kevin Brennan MP, Chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party Northern Ireland Backbench Group. We heard from Louise Haigh, Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, on the political situation in Northern Ireland, the stability of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Northern Ireland Protocol, the up and coming … [Read more...]

Christina Rees, MP for Neath, is calling on the UK Government to work with the Labour Party on a cross-party basis to pass emergency legislation giving Ministers the power to reject the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) recommendations; temporarily extend all 19 steel safeguards which would expire on the 30th June; and allow time to find a long term solution to protect the British … [Read more...]