Stockport Express column – June 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the Platinum Jubilee celebrations over the past few days in Stockport. It was wonderful to attend the Jubilee Fun Day in Brinnington Community Centre, and to see everyone celebrating street parties and events in the community to mark 70 years since the Queen’s accession to the throne, which was a welcome relief after a challenging couple of years.
The volunteers and organisers worked incredibly hard to stage such successful events, and they demonstrated the very best of Stockport.
While I was pleased to see the Elizabeth line open in time for the Jubilee, as well as to give the economy a much-needed £42bn economic boost, it was another reminder that the North’s own transport infrastructure has been neglected for far too long, leading to our towns suffering from poor, unreliable, and expensive transport infrastructure.
Stockport requires the extension of the Metrolink tram network as well as a major refurbishment of our mainline train station. This Government’s levelling up agenda will be meaningless unless we secure the investment we urgently need for northern towns and cities.
Inflation and rising living costs continue to be at the forefront of everyone’s minds, and many families I speak to across my Stockport constituency are facing a calamitous drop in their standards of living.
A new report by the Food Foundation has revealed that more than two million adults in the UK have skipped meals for a whole day over the past month because they cannot afford to eat, while the number of people struggling has risen by 57 per cent in the last three months alone. That is completely unacceptable in the sixth richest country in the world.
With household energy bills expected to be hiked again in October, the Bank of England has forecast that inflation is likely to rise above 10% this year, the highest level since 1982.
I’ve been very outspoken on this issue in Parliament, and recently challenged the Government about the ongoing crisis, and in a House of Commons debate asked the Minister to explain to my Stockport constituents how they are going to help tackle spiralling costs.
This week’s vote of confidence was a damning indictment of this Government’s recent track record – from the Owen Paterson scandal which saw him breach the parliamentary Code of Conduct before being defended by Boris Johnson, to the Chancellor’s dubious tax affairs, and now Partygate. It’s clear the Prime Minister has to go, and we now need a Labour Government that will navigate our country through uncertain times.
As always, if you live or work in Stockport constituency and require support with any issue, please do not hesitate to email me at navendu.mishra.mp@parliament.uk.
