This week we marked Earth Day – a chance to think about the damage that we are doing to our environment and the ways in which we can change our behaviour to make a difference. This year’s focus was on natural processes, emerging green technologies, and innovative thinking that can restore the world’s ecosystems. We all need a healthy Earth to support our jobs, livelihoods, health & survival, and happiness. A healthy planet is not an option — it is a necessity. There are so many things we can do personally in the UK – from ensuring we leave no rubbish in our environment or joining a clean-up crew; considering how we buy products, whether that’s the food we eat or the clothes we buy; or by thinking about how we get around, using public transport where we can, active travel options or car-pooling. These may only be small steps, but by encouraging this behaviour among the population, we can build the understanding that we need to develop within public life to encourage change on a greater scale. Find out more about how you can take action here.
On Monday I joined three APPG Zoom meetings. The first was the AGM of the APPG for Boxing. Chris Evans was re-elected chair, and I was very pleased to be elected as vice-chair. We spoke about our plan for meetings for 2021, which includes meeting the UK Government Schools Minister Nick Gibb to discuss the future of boxing in schools in May; a panel event in June to celebrate women in boxing; in July we shall be discussing concussion in boxing; and in September we shall discuss GB boxing performance at the Tokyo Olympics.
The second was the AGM and panel event of the APPG on Vegetarianism and Veganism. I was honoured to be re-elected chair of the APPG, very pleased that Vegetarian for Life and The Vegan Society are continuing as co-sponsors, and that The Vegan Society will continue to provide the secretariat. The panel discussion topic was “Out of the EU, can the UK now lead on more inclusive medicine developing and labelling”. Our guest speakers were: Sheetal Ladva a Medicines Information Pharmacist and member of the Plant Based Health Professional Group; Dr Hannah Short a GP and specialist in female hormonal health; and Hira Aslam a pharmacist and founder of Vegan Chemist start up. The guest speakers were addressing our APPG in a personal capacity as healthcare professionals, not representing their employers or organisations. Research published in the British Medical Journal found that 74 of 100 medications prescribed in UK primary care contain animal derived ingredients. Vegans and vegetarians, together with some religious groups whose beliefs involve excluding animal products, are affected by this. But there is no legal requirement for ingredients of animal origin to be specified on medicine labelling. This leaves patients with questions about their prescriptions and therefore lacking information to make an informed decision, and leaves healthcare professionals seeking answers. When information is available the lack of animal free alternatives to many common medicines leaves patients of having to compromise their beliefs to avoid risking their health. Our APPG looked at this in 2017, and contacted Jeremy Hunt MP, the then Secretary of State for Health, and requested that his department look into this matter, but with Brexit negotiations it was uncertain over future responsibility over medicine regulation. Now that Brexit negotiations have concluded, we are revisiting imperfect labelling’s impact on patients, and looking for practical solutions.
Following the very sad passing of Cheryl Gillan MP, a Zoom meeting of the APPG on Autism was convened, for which Cheryl has been the chair for many years. Huw Merriman MP has taken over as the chair, and I have been re-elected vice-chair. The meeting gave us an opportunity to pay tribute to Cheryl and her tireless work on behalf of autism. I paid tribute to her as someone who had become a friend. Cheryl asked me to take over as the chair of the APPG for Sepsis when she stood down as the chair after many years. I was so honoured that Cheryl thought that I could perform this role, and follow in her footsteps. Cheryl believed in working cross-party for causes that rise above politics, and she will be sorely missed.
Tuesday morning, I joined a Unite the Union briefing for MPs about the closure of GKN Automotive, Birmingham, putting 519 jobs at risk. This was announced on 28th January, with winding down taking place over the following 18 months. Corporate owner Melrose plan to offshore production to Poland and France. GKN supplies major UK car builders including Jaguar Land Rover and Toyota with driveline components which account for 15% of a vehicle. Unite shop stewards working with independent experts have tabled a two-stage plan; a productivity plan to improve the plant, followed by a transition to new products for electric vehicles. We are calling on the UK Government to back workers and intervene to stop the closure; support the UK auto industry supply chain; accept that the closure of GKN would jeopardise the UK’s ability to transition to electric vehicles ahead of the 2030 ban; and accept that closure makes a fiction of the UK Government’s levelling up agenda in a constituency facing chronic unemployment.
The APPG for T-Levels was constituted at its inaugural meeting, at which I was elected to serve as an officer. UK Government Secretary of State Gavin Williamson MP and Minister for Apprentices and Skills Gillian Keegan MP were guest speakers. As Chair of the APPG for Hairdressing, Barbering, and Cosmetology, I brought to the attention of the Minister that apprentices in our industry have not been able to fulfil their skills training and qualifications because salons have been closed for a large period of time since the first lockdown began in March 2020. These apprentices are over one year behind in gaining their qualifications and need to be supported by the UK Government to complete their awards. Furthermore, practitioners in our industry have received very little, if any, funding from the UK Government during lockdown and have fallen through the gaps in support. Practitioners have been unable to trade for large periods, therefore, the Minister should consider paying for apprentices’ wages, because salon employers are struggling. Salons depend on apprentices to help with clients in many ways, and trainees are indispensable to the success of a salon. I also asked the Minister to support the Hair Council, which is the statutory body under The Hairdressers (Registration) Act 1964, who has been campaigning for many years to amend the Act to include mandatory registration for all practitioners and amend it to include the beauty industry. Mandatory registration would enable the regulation of an industry that brings in over £6 billion per annum to the UK economy, but has some unscrupulous practitioners that practice without any recognised qualifications.
I joined the APPG End of Life virtual meeting chaired by Karin Smith MP and Andrew Mitchell MP, with guest speaker Matt Hancock MP, Secretary of State Health and Social Care, and members of the public who have personal experience of the current law. The meeting discussed assisted dying and the current political landscape, in the UK and internationally. Since the start of the year there have been huge developments internationally. Tasmania has become the third Australian state to legalise assisted dying, following Victoria and Western Australia, and there has been an overwhelming referendum for support in New Zealand. Spain and Portugal have passed legislation on choice at the end of life and debates are ongoing in Ireland, France and Germany. In the UK individuals have continued to take desperate decisions to end their own lives, particularly given the increased difficulty of overseas travel to countries where choice at the end of life is available. The ONS found that one in seven suicides can be linked to individuals experiencing cancer, neurological, heart or lung disease. There is a need to understand more and gather more evidence about the experiences and choices that dying people experience in the UK who do not have the safeguarded choice at the end of life available to the millions of people in similar jurisdictions around the world.
Liz Twist MP, Chair of the APPG on Rare, Genetic and Undiagnosed Conditions, organised a webinar to discuss access to rare diseases medicines. Guest speakers included Kye Gbangbola, Sickle Cell Society; Kate Learoyd, National Society for Phenylketonuria; Lord Bethell, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Innovation); Emily Crossley, Duchenne UK; Jess Hobart, UK Mastocytosis Support Group; Roanna Maharaj, UK Thalassaemia Society; Meindert Boysen, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of the Centre for Health Technology Evaluation NICE ; and Nina Pinwell, Head of Commercial Operations, Commercial Medicines Directorate, NHS England and NHS Improvement. All speakers made passionate pleas to the Minister and to Mr Boysen and Ms Pinwell to make available and to fund medicines that are available to improve, and in some cases save, lives of people suffering from these rare diseases. As vice-chair of the APPG for PKU, I pointed out to the Minister and to NICE and NHS representatives, that Kuvan, the medicine that has been available since 2008, successfully trialled, but not recommended by NICE, therefore not funded by the NHS, would have allowed all PKU sufferers to eat a normal diet, instead of being restricted to a diet without protein. People with PKU, cannot process and digest PKU, which is toxic to them and results in lifestyle changes that are very difficult or impossible to manage.
After many years of campaigning by Kate Learoyd and her volunteers in NSPKU, last month, Kuvan was recommended in a NICE report for sufferers aged below 18 years of age, for cost effective reasons. The report went to public consultation and the PKU family and the APPG made submissions asking for Kuvan to be available for all ages. Whilst I welcome progress after such a long campaign, imagine what it would be like to be able to take Kuvan through childhood and adolescence, lead a near normal life, and to reach your 18th birthday and have to change diet overnight to not eating any protein. There are so many challenges at this age, without having to cope with such a drastic, cliff edge, lifestyle transformation. Needless to say, the answers were totally unsatisfactory and very demoralising.
This week we marked Earth Day – a chance to think about the damage that we are doing to our environment and the ways in which we can change our behaviour to make a difference. This year’s focus was on natural processes, emerging green technologies, and innovative thinking that can restore the world’s ecosystems. We all need a healthy Earth to support our jobs, livelihoods, health & survival, and happiness. A healthy planet is not an option — it is a necessity. There are so many things we can do personally in the UK – from ensuring we leave no rubbish in our environment or joining a clean-up crew; considering how we buy products, whether that’s the food we eat or the clothes we buy; or by thinking about how we get around, using public transport where we can, active travel options or car-pooling. These may only be small steps, but by encouraging this behaviour among the population, we can build the understanding that we need to develop within public life to encourage change on a greater scale. Find out more about how you can take action here.
On Thursday I attended an EveryDoctor confidential briefing for MPs entitled “Is the NHS being privatised?”. EveryDoctor is a not-for-profit membership organisation representing 1700 UK doctors, receives feedback from NHS frontline staff daily via the 40,000 NHS staff in its network and advocates for the safety and well-being of every doctor, NHS worker and patient. EveryDoctor plans to set up an APPG about privatisation of the NHS which would start forming policy recommendations to ensure that the NHS stays in public hands for future generations.
As always, if you have any questions or issues and want to get in touch about matters that fall under my role as an MP, please do not hesitate to email on christina.rees.mp@parliament.uk or call on 01639 630152. My staff are working from home to comply with the social distancing measures, but as always, we are available should you need to get in contact with us. I hope you stay well, and remember – observe social distancing, wash your hands regularly and keep Wales safe.
