I was pleased to lead a debate in Westminster Hall this week on cervical screening. Like all women, I know all too well the sort of dread getting the call-up for our smear test. For most women, it is not painful, but it is uncomfortable and awkward. What can someone even chat about when the nurse is having her little look? But why should it be like that? We have all been there; the nurse has seen it all before. It is just not spoken about, so we feel a sense of shame about it. It is time we stopped being so coy about it, because that may well persuade more women to go for screening and ultimately it may save lives.

Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers in women under 35, and 99.7% of cervical cancers are caused by human papillomavirus, or HPV. In recent years, testing for HPV has meant that it is easier to identify who is at greater risk from cervical cancer at the earliest stage. Covid is the immediate concern for most people, but cancer has not hit the pause button during the pandemic. We need to do all we can to ensure that women are going to appointments and that the UK Government’s recovery plan looks to build up our cancer workforce because the earlier cancer is spotted, the better the prognosis is.

On the Welsh Affairs Committee this week, we heard from Greg Hands MP, the Minister for Trade Policy at the Department for International Trade on the impact of the Australia deal on Wales. We had the usual boasts about how incredible this opportunity will be for us in the UK, but it appears that the UK Government intends to have few people on the ground in countries abroad to ensure that trade is as extensive and beneficial as it can be. The intention appears to be to have just two Agriculture Commissioners to promote British agricultural produce and exports around the world: it is hard to imagine how they will be able to fulfil the UK Government’s promises to develop trade with countries across the globe.

Last month the Committee opened an inquiry into the benefits system in Wales, examining the challenges it faces, the extent to which it is effective in tackling poverty, and possible reforms. This week we launched a survey to hear from claimants their experiences. We want to hear directly from claimants, to understand the issues they face and what questions the Committee should ask the UK Government. The survey is open to all claimants in Wales as well as those who have considered claiming. It covers UK benefits as well as Welsh Government and local authority support, such as Council Tax Reduction and the Emergency Assistance Fund. It is available in both English and Welsh and is open until 17:00 on Wednesday 22 September. It should take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete. You can access the survey here.

As summer holidays approach and we reach the end of the academic term, I want to say a huge thank you and well done to all the wonderful teachers and teaching assistants for all their hard work this year. As a former teacher, I cannot imagine the pressure they faced to completely change their lesson plans and teaching styles to manage the switch from face-to-face teaching to online. Despite concerns for their own health and for the challenges ahead, teachers then welcomed back students with enthusiasm and supported them through the difficulties of school life during the pandemic. Thank you to all of you and I hope you take the opportunity to relax and recharge this summer!

As the kids leave schools they can look forward to a more usual summer, especially given the reduction in restrictions in comparison to last year. I know how fed up we all are of restrictions and not being able to spend time with friends and family, but Covid has not gone away. In Wales, it remains mandatory to wear face masks in indoor settings such as shops and public transport. Please continue to social distance where you can, be considerate of others who may be more anxious about the impact of the loosening of restrictions, and continue to wash your hands regularly.

I am proud to be support the TUC Union campaign #SickPayForAll. Cases of Covid are set to rise this summer, especially given the UK Government’s irresponsible ditching of measures to ensure compliance with wearing face masks, but they have barely considered those who will likely be ‘pinged’ to self-isolate but do not have adequate levels of sick pay to allow them to afford that. I am supporting TUC’s calls for the Government to increase the weekly level of sick pay from £94.25 to the equivalent of a week’s wage at the Real Living Wage. Self-isolating and not risking spreading the virus is a service to the community and to the country. No one should have to suffer the indignity of struggling to afford the necessities in order to do that.

I am also launching my Summer Survey to hear from constituents about the issues that are important to you here in Gower. From litter issues to housing issues, your concerns will help inform my Parliamentary work and ensure that I am representing Gower residents and putting their concerns to the UK Government. Take the survey here.
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You can keep up to date with Welsh Government announcements and information on their dedicated coronavirus page. If you have any issues or concerns to raise with me as your local MP, please get in touch by emailing tonia.antoniazzi.mp@parliament.uk or calling 01792 899025. My office is not open, my staff and I are working from home, but my email and phone are still being monitored and responded to. You may experience a slight delay in receiving a response from us as the demand has increase, but we will get back to you as soon as we can.
This is my last weekly round-up before the summer, but you can keep up to date on my summer survey and other news on my Twitter feed and Facebook page.
 
Keep well and remember – and remember - observe social distancing, wash your hands regularly and keep Wales safe!

My congratulations to the England football team for their incredible achievement last weekend. Playing for your country is an incredibly moving experience and I hope that, despite much of the later events, that playing in their white shirts in a Euros final is something that they will always treasure. Although they didn’t quite make it in the end, they have shown throughout this tournament that they are excellent role models for our young people – taking a stand against racism despite intense criticism and attacks on their personal and political views.  I am appalled that some Tory MPs, instead of applauding these brave young men, chose to criticise and attack them for ‘gesture politics’ – the same Tory MPs who clapped for our NHS workers and then refused to give them an adequate pay rise. I am also appalled by the shocking scenes and stories coming from outside Wembley stadium and reports in newspapers that foreign fans, even children, were abused in the streets and made to feel uncomfortable on the streets of London. The scenes showing people forcing their way through the security checks to get into the stadium without tickets are seriously concerning, and I can’t help but think that Wembley were lucky to avoid a tragedy.  This security breach needs to be fully reviewed to ensure that nothing like that can happen again.

I was pleased to lead a debate this week in Westminster Hall on Climate Change in Wales. In Wales, we are extremely fortunate to have access to natural resources that can provide cutting-edge alternatives to curtail our reliance on fossil fuels. How we deal with these issues in the next few years will have a defining impact on future generations and their wellbeing. The changing climate will cause huge problems across the globe and lead to massive population displacement and challenges for food production in many parts of the world. Rising water levels, loss of biodiversity and extreme weather events have already been seen in many places, and we must take urgent action to tackle them. From innovative housing designs to make homes across Wales and the country more energy-efficient (and, incidentally, lower energy bills for householders), to planting hectares of woodland to mitigate flooding and air quality issues, from using timber in building more to capture CO2 emissions to supporting farmers make important changes to make their industry more environmentally friendly, there are already so many things we can and should be doing.  It is therefore disappointing that the UK Government rejected a Swansea Tidal Bay Lagoon and that having promised rail electrification to Swansea, they decided to stop at Cardiff. These half-hearted gestures must end – we need real action to tackle the climate emergency.

Along with the other members of the Welsh Affairs Committee, this week I called on the UK Government to reclassify HS2 as an England-only project so that Wales receives proportional consequential funding. HS2 is costing £106 billion, but the Welsh economy is likely to lose out due to inferior transport infrastructure. The UK Government are classing it as an England and Wales project – perhaps they need to improve their geography skills – but we think this is unfair. Beyond the core valley lines, rail infrastructure is not devolved in Wales; we need proportional investment so that Wales is not left behind by this England-centric government.

During Welsh Affairs Committee this week, we also discussed the implications of the UK-Australia trade deal. It was clear that the UK Government are dragging their heels in setting up a new agricultural commission that is able to properly scrutinise UK Government decisions and that can ensure that UK farmers’ voices are heard. We need the UK Government to listen to concerns raised by the representatives of farming communities and those within the farming industry; signing a deal must not come at the expense of the sustainability and prosperity of our domestic farming industry. Executive Director of the Geneva Trade Forum, Dmitry Grozoubinski told us that there were reasons for Welsh farmers to be concerned that this Australian trade deal could squeeze domestic producers in both the domestic and EU markets as Australian producers are able to produce more cheaply because they have lower standards to meet. This may not be an immediate concern, but Dmitry gave us the example of Australian exports of beef to the US which have risen by a staggering 627% in the last 20 years. It’s clear to me that the UK Tory Government are putting the short-term goal of a signed trade deal with a country external to the EU ahead of the interests of UK producers. That cannot be acceptable to anyone who believes in the UK Government’s levelling up agenda or in the support of local businesses in local economies.

It has never been more important to join a union. This UK Tory Government are not promoting the interests of ordinary workers – they way they’ve treated our key workers, and particularly our wonderful NHS staff has been appalling. More than six million workers are part of a union and joining is affordable, easy and brings with it enormous benefits, such as legal advice if you need it, training and learning opportunities. TUC can help find the right union for you with a few quick questions. Together, we’re stronger.

We heard further information from the Welsh Government this week on the easing of Covid restrictions in Wales.  From tomorrow, up to six people will be able to meet indoors, with limits on outdoor events removed.  Then, if the situation with serious illness and hospitalisations remains under control, most existing restrictions will be lifted on the 7th August.  Our ability to move away from restrictions is down to the amazing success of our vaccination programme, but it's important we all continue to follow common sense guidance and exercise caution to make sure we don’t throw away the progress we have made.  You can keep up to date with Welsh Government announcements and information on their dedicated coronavirus page. 
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You can keep up to date with Welsh Government announcements and information on their dedicated coronavirus page. If you have any issues or concerns to raise with me as your local MP, please get in touch by emailing tonia.antoniazzi.mp@parliament.uk or calling 01792 899025. My office is not open, my staff and I are working from home, but my email and phone are still being monitored and responded to. You may experience a slight delay in receiving a response from us as the demand has increase, but we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Keep well and remember – and remember - observe social distancing, wash your hands regularly and keep Wales safe!

It was fantastic to see new Labour MP Kim Leadbeater introduced to the House of Commons this week to represent the Batley and Spen constituency. I know she will be a great MP and advocate for the people of Batley and Spen and I look forward to working with her over the coming months and years.

There was a very moving question from Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi this week during Prime Minister’s Questions.  Like so many people in this country, Tanmanjeet was denied the opportunity to say goodbye to his grandmother as she lay dying in hospital during the pandemic and then was not permitted the closure of a funeral, instead having to watch proceedings online, alone. His pain was clear for all to see and it is a pain that has been experienced by too many over the past year. We have all followed the Government guidance and sacrificed so much which makes it all the worse when you see UK Government ministers flouting the rules themselves. Hancock has now resigned. He should not have been given the chance to, and should have been fired immediately. But the UK Government waited to see what they could get away with after Cummings was let off the hook for his jaunt to Barnard Castle to ‘test his eyesight’ and they tried to do the same for Matt Hancock.  It has become abundantly clear over the past year that this UK Government is lacking in anything resembling integrity.

The appalling Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill passed its Third Reading in the House of Commons this week – a Bill that would not be out of place in Bolsonaro’s Brazil or Putin’s Russia. Despite a significant number of Tory MPs expressing disquiet about various aspects of the Bill, they chose to set aside those concerns and the concerns of their constituents, and vote along Party lines to secure Boris Johnson his majority for this malicious and threatening Bill. There was nothing in the Bill to address the epidemic of violence against women or girls – no measures to increase minimum sentences for rapists, for those who break the anonymity of rape survivors, to create a new offence of street harassment, or make misogyny a hate crime, or to toughen sentences for domestic abusers or murderers. There was nothing in there to decriminalise abortions so that women who take pills at home, for example during a pandemic when services are closed to many, are not at risk of prosecution, or to prevent the appalling abuse of women outside clinics which provide abortion services.

There were, however, significant measures to curtail our freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. Protest is a fundamental right in our democracy – we’ve been protesting government decisions since the 1300s and the Peasant’s Revolt. Now this Tory Government wants to allow police to be able to shut down protests that “result in serious disruption to the activities of an organisation which are carried out in the vicinity”. I don’t know if any Tory ministers have ever been to a protest, but the point is to make yourselves heard. This involves an element of disruption and noise. Without protest, it’s possible women wouldn’t have the right to vote, it’s likely that gay people wouldn’t be able to get married. Protest may be uncomfortable while it is happening, but it is a vital aspect of having your voice heard and making politicians and decision makers listen. We have to protect this vital freedom.
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I have some serious concerns about this Bill and the UK Government’s priorities. The Bill makes it an offence to damage a statue and increases the penalty to 10 years’ imprisonment. In contrast, Ben Bradshaw’s amendment which would make failing to report a hit-and-run an offence was rejected. A hit-and-run that may result in the death of a person still only carries a 6-month prison sentence. This Tory Government is placing the importance of a statue of a person, who may or may not have been a slave trader, above the importance of a real person today. It would be laughable were it not so tragic and were it not so utterly disgusting that these are the priorities of our UK Government.

You can keep up to date with Welsh Government announcements and information on their dedicated coronavirus page. If you have any issues or concerns to raise with me as your local MP, please get in touch by emailing tonia.antoniazzi.mp@parliament.uk or calling 01792 899025. My office is not open, my staff and I are working from home, but my email and phone are still being monitored and responded to. You may experience a slight delay in receiving a response from us as the demand has increased, but we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Keep well and remember – and remember - observe social distancing, wash your hands regularly and keep Wales safe!

Callous Conservative cut to Universal Credit will hit struggling families in Gower hardest says Tonia Antoniazzi MP.
 
Gower MP Tonia Antoniazzi has slammed the Conservatives proposed cut of £1000 to Universal Credit saying it would hurt struggling families by leaving out-of-work support at its lowest levels for over three decades.
 
The Government announced a 12-month £20 increase in Universal Credit at the onset of the Coronavirus crisis, and then in the Budget in March, the Chancellor announced a 6-month extension to the uplift until the end of September 2021.
 
However, this week the Secretary of State Thérèse Coffey, confirmed to the Work and Pensions Select Committee that the Government were continuing with the planned cut.
 
Member of Parliament for Gower, Tonia Antoniazzi has criticised the government for the cut which will hit struggling families in Swansea hardest.

Tonia Antoniazzi MP said “It is simply shameful that the Government want to take £1000 from 4400 families in Gower in a matter of months.

“The planned cut to Universal Credit would be devastating for these families who have spent the past year worried for their jobs and their financial security.”

“For millions of people on low incomes £20 a week is the difference between food in the fridge and money on the meter. Cutting incomes now shows the Conservatives simply don’t understand the realities of working people’s lives.”

“Boris Johnson shook the magic money tree to reward his cronies and friends at the cost of the taxpayer through dodgy contracts, privileged access and jobs for his mates. Our frontline workers got useless PPE while consultants earned £1000 a day. Now they are taking £1000 a year off struggling families in Swansea to recoup their recklessness.
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“It is time the Government saw sense, backed struggling families and cancelled their cut to Universal Credit.”

It’s been another busy week across the constituency and in Westminster. On Saturday I was delighted to attend the Armed Forces Day service at the Guildhall alongside Swansea Council leader Rob Stewart and Swansea’s Armed Forces Champion Wendy Lewis and Joanna Jenkins MBE, to honour those who have served our country.  It was a wonderful opportunity to thank those in the armed forces who sacrifice so much across a wide range of roles overseas and here in the UK, including offering their assistance to Swansea Bay Health Board which has made a real difference during the current health crisis.
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Wednesday saw a huge victory for steel workers in South Wales and across the UK, after a month of hard campaigning helped force a last-minute UK Government u-turn over the removals of safeguard tariffs on cheap imports of steel.  Following recommendations from the independent Trade Remedies Authority, the UK Government planned to remove nine of the 19 current import safeguards on different steel products at midnight on 30th June.  At a time when other countries were renewing their safeguards, fears have been raised that the UK market would become flooded with cheap imports, and the viability of UK steel would be threatened.  With just five hours to go until the deadline, the UK Government announced that the five most important steel import safeguards under threat would be extended for a further year, and that the decision-making powers of the Trade Remedies Authority would be reviewed.  This is great news for communities in South Wales, but we now need the Government to reform the Trade Remedies Authority to represent the views of workers and the industry as part of their review, and consider how it’s decisions will impact communities like ours in future.
On Wednesday I called on the UK Government to deliver on their promise to electrify the South Wales Main Line.  It is really important that we decarbonise our rail network to help us reach Net Zero by 2050.  Electrifying the South Wales network is one key way to achieve this, as well as investing in hydrogen technology by increasing orders of battery and hydrogen trains, yet work keeps getting delayed.  The UK Government needs to get on with electrification.

The Welsh Affairs Committee met on Wednesday to hold a one-off evidence session with representatives from Welsh universities to hear how UK Government policies have affected higher education in Wales, and to explore the future of international collaboration and overseas exchange programmes.  A report by Universities Wales raised some key issues science and research communities would need to overcome, such as securing funding from the Horizon 2020 programme, continuing to make the UK attractive for researchers and maintaining collaborative networks. 

The Samaritans annual Talk to Us campaign began this week, which aims to raise awareness that they are available at any time of the day or night for anyone in need of help, advice or just a listening ear.  Local events are being held across the UK in aid of the campaign, so keep an eye on the Swansea Samaritans website for their plans.  Anyone wanting to help raise funds for the campaign can sign up for the Samarathon, and run, jog or walk 26.2 miles across the course of July.

I was absolutely thrilled to see Kim Leadbeater elected as Batley and Spen’s newest MP in the early hours of Friday morning.  When I visited the seat to campaign, Kim’s passion for the constituency and her determination to bring people together really shone through, and she will be a fantastic representative, following in the footsteps of her sister, Jo Cox.  The people of Batley and Spen thoroughly rejected the politics of hate and division, and I can’t wait to welcome Kim to Parliament.  She will do all of us proud. 
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You can keep up to date with Welsh Government announcements and information on their dedicated coronavirus page. If you have any issues or concerns to raise with me as your local MP, please get in touch by emailing tonia.antoniazzi.mp@parliament.uk or calling 01792 899025. My office is not open, my staff and I are working from home, but my email and phone are still being monitored and responded to. You may experience a slight delay in receiving a response from us as the demand has increased, but we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Keep well and remember – and remember - observe social distancing, wash your hands regularly and keep Wales safe!