Alison Bennett's Monday Mail: A Momentous Week
Assisted Dying
Last week was a momentous week for Parliament and the country, and I expect that Friday’s vote on the Assisted Dying (End of Life) Bill will be one of the most important decisions I will take whilst I am your Member of Parliament.
After much deliberation, I voted in support of the Bill. You can read my statement on this here. Further to that statement, I would like add a couple of points:
Firstly, that this was a vote of conscience. I came to my own personal decision having listened to voices on both sides of the debate. Indeed, with the exception of the Green Party, all the parties with MPs in England had MPs vote both for and against the Bill.
On Friday, it was a very different atmosphere in the Commons to normal. Whilst emotions were running high, with tears shed by MPs on both sides of the Chamber, it was notable that the tone was - almost without exception - free from the usual political point scoring that the Commons too often descends into. It was respectful, attentive and rightly sombre. It felt like Parliament at its very best. I wish it could be like this more of the time.
This draft legislation still has a long way to go and may yet fail to be passed into law. A number of colleagues have explicitly stated that they voted for the Bill on Friday so that they could ‘continue the conversation’ and the Bill will now be scrutinised line by line and may change when amendments are tabled. I will continue to closely follow its passage through Parliament. I will keep my mind open as to how I will vote when it comes back to the House of Commons for its third reading given that there is the potential for changes to be made.
Finally, I am so grateful to the hundreds of Mid Sussex people who wrote to me about this issue. I know that my decision will have been welcomed by some and will have deeply troubled others. That knowledge sits heavily upon me. Please know that I have the utmost respect for those that take a different view to me. I made my decision based upon what my heart told me was the right thing to do.
16 days of activism against gender-based violence
You will see in the photo at the top of this email that I am wearing an orange flower brooch. This brooch was made by the Hassocks WI and it is part of the UN Women’s 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence. Last Tuesday the WI held a candle-lit vigil in Hassocks to remember the 28 women killed through domestic violence in Sussex since 2018.
The new government has pledged to halve domestic violence within the next ten years and treat these crimes with the seriousness they deserve. The minister responsible is Jess Philips. She is someone who I have the utmost respect for. Her work on this issue both in Parliament and before she became an MP is extraordinary. In the Liberal Democrats I am lucky to have brilliant colleagues like Alex Brewer who is now a member of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, and is already speaking up in Parliament on this issue (she is also a thoroughly lovely person). However the scale of the change needed is huge and as well as requiring change within government departments, we must have cultural change throughout society. This is always hard won, but I do feel that the tide is turning, and I am hopeful that a better future is possible.
FareShare and Tesco
On Thursday I had a great time (donning antlers) with the team from FareShare Sussex and Surrey at Tesco’s in Burgess Hill. They were asking customers to make a donation to their winter food collection. The food collected will go to local food banks and the Burgess Hill Pantry. It was heartening to learn that Burgess Hill customers are amongst the most generous across Tescos stores and last year had donated four tonnes of food. I really hope that this year’s collection has been just as successful.
Getting in touch
My parliamentary email address is: alison.bennett.mp@parliament.uk. If you need my help, please get in touch and I will do my best to help.
I am pleased that the backlog of letters and emails that built up immediately after the general election is getting smaller thanks to my lovely and dedicated staff. Response times are still not as quick as I want them to be, but we are making progress.
Best wishes,
Alison
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