Barry Sheerman

I’m sure you, like me, have been watching the news reports unfold of the impact of HGV driver shortages across the country with real concern. The HGV driver shortage has had a profound impact on so many elements of our national life; from supermarket stocks to petrol supplies and indeed, the Government have had ample warning from the haulage sector and businesses who operate across the country and still the Prime Minister has done nothing.  The Government needs to take emergency action to get a grip on the HGV driver shortage that is causing chaos for families across the UK as we head into winter. 

Whilst it is right to say that HGV driver shortages are an issue across Europe, the effects of this have been felt most acutely in the UK and this is no coincidence. Brexit and the deal negotiated by the Government have accentuated the issue with many drivers, having left the UK in the pandemic, finding themselves unable to return under the new immigration regime. The HGV driver shortage is a problem that has the potential to endure for months. Labour will hold the Government to account all the way.

It took the Government till the crisis was at its worst to finally set up an HGV driver training scheme and relax its immigration rules to let drivers return. Whilst we need more haulage drivers on our roads, we must continue to make sure that there are no careless changes to the training and testing of drivers that will put lives at risk. As Chair of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, I am aware of the risks that reducing training and testing criteria can have on road safety. It is shameful that the Government waited so long to act, and in acting, is increasing risks to road users. 

The Government must look more broadly at the systemic causes of HGV driver shortages. Last month, I called on the Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, to act on the filthy pollution that envelops our roads. This polluted air seeps into HGV drivers’ cabins, reducing life expectancy and causing serious health problems. Can we really be surprised that no one is signing up for the profession? We must pursue green policies that revitalise the HGV industry and attract new drivers. The Government must invest in electric, clean diesel, hybrid electric and hydrogen fuel cell HGVs to tackle the crisis. As part of current Government plans, there will be no new diesel or petrol HGVs sold after 2040. This target is not ambitious enough. To attract new HGV drivers, clean up the harmful levels of pollution on our roads and tackle the climate crisis, there must be a renewed commitment by Government help the HGV sector transition into the green economy and put the health and welfare of its drivers at the forefront.

If you would like to watch my question to the Transport Secretary last month, please click this link. 

Two weeks ago, at Prime Ministers Questions, I asked the Deputy Prime Minister, Dominic Raab, if he was really committed to levelling up the North of England and our regions. In recent months we have heard a lot from the Government about so-called ‘levelling up’ but so far it seems nothing more than empty words, like the previous half-hearted commitment to a Northern Powerhouse. On both counts, nothing seems to have come to fruition. The people of Huddersfield deserve better than slogans and soundbites. Even the announcement of a Towns Fund and the High Streets Fund became just pork-barrel attempts to sure up Tory support across the country. Our regions and nation, which have endured decades of neglect and a stark lack of investment deserve better. I want to see high quality, well paid jobs and green investment directed into our part of West Yorkshire. Levelling up won’t be achieved by changing the name of a Government department, or by repeating it again and again in every press release. It can only be achieved with substantial, bold action and a long-term commitment to provide the necessary funding. 

Just before Conference Recess, I called on the Government to make a real commitment to levelling up by guaranteeing that Channel 4 would stay in the public sector and its headquarters remain in Leeds. Channel 4’s base in Yorkshire is crucial to our tech economy and our regional culture. Yet the Government is intent on selling off this brilliant public owned asset into the hands of the highest bidder, risking both its future as a social-enterprise and its base in Leeds.  

Its not just in tech and culture that the Government is falling short of its promises. The Institute for Fiscal Studies found that between 2010-2020 there had been 9% real terms cut in school spending per-pupil; the largest cut in over 40 years. This week Keir Starmer said:  

“If you can’t level up our children. You’re not serious about levelling up at all.” 

Statistics like this demonstrate the reality of this Conservative Government. Instead of real, meaningful action to level up our country and children, we are left with the result of a decade of austerity that has decimated our public services and consistently undermined the plight of working families – especially in the North. When I was Chair of the Education Select Committee, I worked with colleagues across the House to improve the quality of our children’s education. I understand what the Government must do to truly level-up our children and they are currently failing at every level. 

At Labour’s annual conference, Keir Starmer announced that we would launch the most ambitious school improvement plan in a generation. Labour would reinstate two weeks of compulsory work experience and guarantee that every young person would get to see a careers advisor – alongside an ambitious and tangible guarantee to support the mental wellbeing of our young people. We would guarantee that every child emerges from school ready for work and ready for life.  

The Government has shown that it cannot be trusted to level up our country. From failing to guarantee the future of Channel 4 in Leeds to one of the worst education settlements in living memory, it’s clear the Government are more interested in slogans than action. Now, a hike in National Insurance which will impact working people disproportionately is being implemented to ‘clear’ backlogs in our NHS which have been brought about by a decade of Tory mismanagement and to ‘fix’ a social care system on the brink of collapse. Rather than making the wealthy pay their way, this Government wants to paper over its own failings by increasing the burden on working people. This is not how you go about levelling up. I believe that we must truly commit to transforming communities across our country for the better. I will continue to work in Parliament to hold the Government to account and work for a Labour Government that will bring the effective change our communities need. 

If you would like to watch my question to the Deputy PM last week, please click this link. 

As Parliament has returned from Summer recess this month, I thought it would be a good time to provide an update to my constituents on my work over this past month in the House of Commons Chamber. 

Levelling Up 

At Prime Minister’s Questions, with Dominic Raab deputising for the Prime Minister, I raised the fact that Levelling Up needs to be more than just a slogan or a rebadged Government department. The Government must demonstrate how it will resolve regional inequalities rather just roll out soundbites.  

The Government needs to fight to keep Channel 4 in the public sector and keep the headquarters in Leeds; this is essential in the growth of the technology economy in our region. For too long, levelling up has just been a slogan for the Government to throw out, they must back up their warm words with firm action that truly solves the regional inequalities across Britain. 

HGV Driver Shortage 

In an Urgent Question relating to the HGV driver shortage, I urged the Secretary of State for Transport to make the health and welfare of the drivers a priority in any solutions that the Government undertakes to tackle the driver shortage. Recent research conducted by Loughborough University, commissioned by the NHS, found that the average life expectancy of a driver is 14 years shorter than the general population. 

This is because the drivers drive on the heavily polluted roads across our country, and recent research has shown that this pollution gets into the cabs, causing a major health problem. Even at £50,000-£60,000 per year, people are reluctant to enter the profession. We need to keep these people who drive for us safe and do something about pollution on the roads in our country. 

NHS 

This month, the Prime Minister made a statement on the Government’s future plans for health and social care. The NHS is held dear by most across Huddersfield and Britain and the Government’s record on health is appalling. Waiting lists had spiralled up to two million people before the pandemic. Targets on cancer, on accident & emergency and on mental health were all missed. In the last ten years, £8 billion has been cut from social care. As Keir Starmer said, the blunt and uncomfortable truth is that under the Prime Minister’s plans the quality of care will not improve.  

I directly challenged the Prime Minister that alongside reform of our NHS, his Government needed to commit new money to the health service and I reminded him that it cannot be right that many people, in the most deprived communities in our country, cannot get access to the GP or a dentist.  

Green Training and Skills 

Throughout the pandemic, I have been consistent in my view that the Chancellor Rishi Sunak should urgently introduce a Windfall Profit Tax on those who have down very well out of the pandemic and use that money to fund green apprenticeships, green training and green skills. Young people care passionately about the environment. We have had climate strikes in Huddersfield, led by young people. The climate crisis requires industries to mobilise and modernise and the Government should provide funding to support the growth of green jobs and skills that will be vital for the next generation.  

Young Women and Girls Education 

I have also challenged the Government on their record on getting young women and girls more interested in maths and science. When I was Chair of the Education Select Committee until 2010, one of the things that became abundantly clear was the need to place more emphasis on stimulating young people at the earliest age, pre-school and infant school. That is the time to have imagination and to gets interested in maths and science. I asked the Government to commit to making special efforts to get children interested at that early age. 

Westminster Hall Debate 

I also participated in a Westminster Hall Debate on the state of school buildings across the country, led by my colleague, Andrew Gwynne. Indeed, where schools’ campuses are not fit for purpose, it is the education and wellbeing of children and young people which suffer the most. In the debate, I urged the minister to consider which developers the Government awards contracts to in the construction of our schools and learning campuses nationwide. Schools and the education of our young people should feel the effects of poor management and decision-making at national level. 

I’m sure you, like me, watched events unfolding in Afghanistan with both horror and sadness. After 20 years, the immense sacrifices made by our armed forces personnel and decades of hardship faced by the people of Afghanistan, the scenes from Kabul and other Afghan cities over the last week were profoundly difficult to watch. When Kabul was besieged by the Taliban, our own Prime Minister, his Foreign Secretary and the cabinet were silent. At a time of turmoil and chaos across Afghanistan, our own Government has demonstrated a complete failure of leadership, here at home and abroad.

The Taliban’s advance across the country, at such speed, was not inevitable and is the consequence of long-term strategic failures to forge a lasting political settlement, to engage with regional partners and to ensure that the previous Afghan Government could stand on its own two feet with conviction and legitimacy. These failures now put at risk British soldiers and diplomatic personnel, coalition forces and of course, Afghan civilians – particularly women and girls. This miscalculation regarding the resilience of the Afghan forces to the threat of the Taliban has contributed to this disaster.

The fact that people would rather cling to the landing gears of fleeing aircraft, rather than live under the Taliban’s regime, illustrates the desperation of the Afghan people and the extent of the humanitarian crisis which is unfolding across the country. Indeed, of our armed forces, who have served with bravery, distinction and discipline throughout our time in Afghanistan, many will be appalled at the way which we have withdrawn and with the vacuum of leadership within our Government and our cabinet at this crisis unfolds. This is one of the most dire and critical moments for British and NATO foreign policy in decades and it cannot be overstated just how lacking the Boris Johnson, Dominic Raab and the Government have been found.

This situation demands an immediate and coordinated international response which includes a robust refugee programme and guarantees the safety of humanitarian workers and diplomatic missions to Afghanistan. Monday’s United Nations Security Council meeting was long overdue; the current US policy, an implementation of then-President Trump’s negotiations with the Taliban in Doha, has led to an abandonment of the people of Afghanistan and the UK Government should have courage and conviction to say so. There must be a collective call to end conflict and work towards political dialogue. This includes a commitment to the human rights of people across Afghanistan – especially the hard-fought and hard-won advances in women’s rights and those for young girls too.

Over 18 million people in Afghanistan are already in need of humanitarian support. The Government must ensure that the UK plays it parts and makes good on the promise to welcome 20,000 refugees. However, it was with great dismay that I learned that this will amount to only 5,000 this year; what do we expect the remaining 15,000 to do in the meantime? The danger to their lives is urgent and present; our response must reflect this and given all the mistakes made by this Government so far and now is not the time to drag their feet.

The Labour Party and I will continue to work to keep Afghanistan, the plight of its people and the needs of those now under the Taliban, at the top of the agenda and will hold the Government to account every step of the way. Where the Government fails entirely to show leadership, the Opposition must speak out – and that is what I and others across my Party will continue to do.

I have a long standing interest and engagement with Carbon Monoxide poisoning awareness. In 2004, a resident of Huddersfield, Stacy Rodgers, tragically lost her son Dominic to Carbon Monoxide and as a result she set up the Dominic Rodgers Trust which I have worked closely with to help raise awareness of Carbon Monoxide poisoning, as well as pushing for greater parliamentary action to tackle this important issue. 

Today, I joined Jason McCartney MP, Liz Twist MP, Stephanie Peacock MP and Baroness Finlay to promote the important message of staying carbon monoxide safe in the summer months. #CarbonMonoxideSafe4Summer is supported by a wide range of organisations; including United Against CO, Steve Vick International, Cadent, Northern Gas Networks, SGN, Wales & West Utilities, Domestic and General, IGEM, CoGDEM (The Council of Gas Detection and Environmental Monitoring), Liquid Gas UK, Safer Tourism Foundation, CO Research Trust, Katie Haines Memorial Trust, HETAS; and the All Party Parliamentary Carbon Monoxide Group (APPCOG).

The key message from the campaign is that it is vital to use BBQs and outdoor heaters safely by ventilating properly. BBQs are the true unknown danger as Carbon Monoxide pour out of these and if kept inside, they be deadly. 

Where ever you are going for your summer holidays – take a carbon monoxide alarm with you! More information about the campaign, including the Assets Library where you can download lots of free graphics and resources, can be found here – Take Part in CO Safe4Summer — United Against CO

The campaign will run from 24 June – 30 August 2021, so please get involved. Check your CO alarms, take precautions when using BBQs and raise awareness about Carbon Monoxide in your community.

As I am sure many of my constituents will have seen, the Government has issued guidance to people living in Kirklees (and certain other towns and cities across England) to avoid travelling outside your local area unless essential, to meet outside where possible and to keep two metres apart from people who are not in your household or support bubble.

The Government issued this guidance by merely changing their website – with no official announcement being made, even to the borough’s public health bodies. This shows contempt for the people of Huddersfield and Kirklees. It is laughable that the Government believes that merely changing a website is a sufficient way to notify residents that their guidance has changed. 

When it was decided that the guidance would change, there should have been a public briefing giving Kirklees residents advance notice of the new regulations. Throughout the pandemic, we have seen that people need to be given clear information about the rules in order to be able to follow them and understand their rationale.

Sadly, it seems we are back to the wishy-washy and secretive changes of the kind that we saw back in the autumn.

As soon as I found out about the change in the guidance, I contacted the Chief Executive of Kirklees Council, Jacqui Gedman, who said that the council has also been kept in the dark. It is so important for the proper functioning of local authorities that they are contacted and advised about these matters in advance. 

It is a crucial time for the University of Huddersfield with lots of parents and prospective students visiting campus for open days and visits. There are also implications for local businesses. Our businesses have been struggling for well over a year now and have just been given permission to reopen open. It could be devastating for these businesses to lose out on much needed footfall due to the Government’s unclear communication with the people of Kirklees

We have worked tirelessly, on a cross-party basis, in our regular Kirklees Outbreak Control Board meetings to ensure that the focus remains on tackling Covid-19 rates and continuing with vaccinations. Yesterday, the Control Board issued the following statement.

“Kirklees continues to follow the roadmap out of restrictions alongside the rest of England. Given our high infection rates, we are urging residents and visitors to be cautious but there are no restrictions to travel into and out of Kirklees. Pubs and restaurants remain open for business.

“Deaths and hospitalisations relating to COVID-19 remain low in Kirklees but with rising infection rates, everyone in Kirklees has a part to play in keeping themselves and their community safe. That’s why we’re urging people to get tested, stick to the guidance and – above all – to get vaccinated when you are eligible. Maintaining social distancing and meeting outdoors are sensible ways of reducing infections but residents can still travel in and out of the borough in line with national restrictions.”

I have been impressed by the determination of the Kirklees Public Health team in dealing with this challenge and I fully support the recommendations that we have arrived at as a local authority. I implore everyone to be safe and cautious and to follow the recommendations set by Kirklees Council.

The horrific violence experienced by worshippers over Ramadan in Sheikh Jarrah, Gaza and Israel has caused distress to many of my constituents and many of them have contacted me about this matter in recent days. I am deeply concerned at Israel’s actions and by the conflict which rapidly escalated and left millions of Palestinians and Israelis living in constant fear.

Now that a ceasefire has been agreed, it is vital that there is a coordinated international effort to bringing a return to negotiations towards securing a two-state solution. This process should involve an early end to the Israeli government’s blockade, so that vital humanitarian aid can reach those in Gaza whose suffering will have been made worse by the recent outbreak of violence.

Activities such as violations of international law, along with forced evictions of Palestinians and the expansion of illegal settlements must stop. Rocket attacks against Israel must also stop. These things make a lasting peace harder to achieve.

Palestinians and Israelis have the right to live their lives without fear, and in safety and security. The unacceptable outbreak of violence over the last couple of weeks has done nothing to move towards the realisation of that right.

This week, the media has been dominated by one story: who paid for the refurbishment of the Prime Minister’s flat. What has received less attention is the tragic news that Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been sentenced again, meaning she will be sent back to prison.

Nazanin is an Iranian-British journalist, who was arrested in 2016 by Iranian authorities on spying charges which she has always denied. She was sentenced to 5 years in prison for‘plotting to topple the Iranian regime’ and, since then, human rights organisations and politicians alike have campaigned for her freedom and criticised the unjust conviction.

This week, Nazanin has been sentenced to another year on charges of ‘propaganda activities against the regime’ in Iran. Nazanin’s sentence includes a year’s travel ban, effectively making it a two-year sentence.

During the pandemic, Nazanin was kept under house arrest. This March, when her sentence expired, she was released and had her ankle tag removed.

Yet Nazanin is not free. The Iranian regime has sought to punish Nazanin with more trumped-up charges, adding a year to her sentence and issuing a travel ban. This means she will be forced to stay in Iran for another two years, separated from her husband and daughter.

The Prime Minister has talked about redoubling his efforts to get Nazanin home. I think we all would like to see the Prime Minister be successful in these efforts, but I will not hold my breath. We have no evidence of his current work to secure Nazanin’s release and it was, in fact, Boris Johnson’s failures as Foreign Secretary in 2017 that has caused Nazanin and her family so much pain. At the time, he exposed his complete ignorance of the case and did more harm than good.

Nazanin’s sentences have become politicised, used as leverage for negotiations over British-Iran debt repayments and Iran’s enrichment of nuclear material. We cannot control the Iranian regime’s actions, but the UK Government can control its own. Our Government must make the most of the diplomatic protection given to Nazanin back in 2019 and they should provide Nazanin with consular assistance, as it their right under international law.

Additionally, the British Government should work more closely with the international community to secure the release of Nazanin and the dozen individuals who have faced similar charges recently. In my parliamentary work, I have also raised the possibility of the Government sponsoring an all-faith delegation, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, to Tehran so that they can plead for the release of Nazanin.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is being held hostage by Iran and is a victim of torture. Boris Johnson and his government must match their rhetoric with action, and work tirelessly and creatively to secure her release. She deserves to be home with her husband and their children.

In 1992, I was Shadow Home Secretary Roy Hattersley’s deputy. This was at the time of the Guildford Four and the Maguire Seven, and I became intimately involved in those controversial cases. Since then, justice has been a key focus of mine and three years ago I helped set up an All-Party Parliamentary Group on Miscarriages of Justice to coordinate the campaign in Westminster.

With help from my colleague Sir Bob Neil MP, we have built up a group with very good membership in the House of Commons and the House of Lords. To begin, we had very engaging seminar discussions and some lively campaigns. Over time, we narrowed down our focus and put together a commission to look at the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

The CCRC was setup in 1997 after several high-profile miscarriage of justice cases. It investigates criminal cases to see whether the convictions are ‘safe’ and passes certain cases on to be reviewed by the Court of Appeal. It is an important avenue of redress for those who have been wrongfully convicted and, over twenty years on from its inception, we thought it was a good time to take stock of the CCRC’s work.

After a year of speaking to experts and taking evidence, our commission has published a high-quality report, with constructive suggestions for improvement and reform of the CCRC.  Last week, I secured a Westminster Hall Debate in Parliament to discuss the report with the minister and highlight its conclusions.

The main recommendation is that the CCRC is too deferential to the Court of Appeal, with the current criteria for passing a case onto them acting as a brake on the CCRC’s freedom of decision. There is a need for new criteria – a new test – to encourage more courageous decision making.

 The second recommendation concerns resources. The Ministry of Justice has experienced the biggest cuts of any Department in the past decade. There is no doubt that this had had an impact on the amount of miscarriages of justice. At a time when the CCRC has been more needed than ever to address these miscarriages, its budget has also been slashed; the report found that the CCRC urgently needs more resources to fulfil its role. The Government cannot do justice on the cheap.

The third recommendation was about investigative powers. The inquiry revealed one instance where the CCRC had waited over 1000 days for a public body to comply with a disclosure request. The principle of open justice is founded on accountability and transparency. These qualities need to be at the heart of the justice system to maintain public confidence – and the CCRC needs the investigatory powers to reflect that.

In the Westminster Hall debate, I raised the shocking fact that people who are wrongfully convicted can spend decades in prison before finally having their conviction overturned. Then, when they leave prison, some receive not one penny of compensation. I believe that victims of miscarriages of justice deserve far better support, both financial and practical, as they reintegrate into a society that has failed to provide them with justice the first time round.

If you would like to read my speech in the Westminster Hall debate on strengthening the CCRC, as well as the response of the Minister, you can do so here.