This has been a week of high political drama but perhaps not much substance. The defection of Christian Wakeford (the MP for Bury South) from Conservative to Labour made for a stormy PMQs on Wednesday. It is the first time in 15 years there has been that sort of direct floor crossing from Conservative to Labour, but weirdly it seemed to help the PM navigate the half hour.
Meanwhile there was a good debate on Monday on maternity services, led by my colleague Siobhan Baillie the MP for Stroud, and I did another round of zooms and webinars on the menopause and the work my Committee is doing on it. On Wednesday I managed to cram in three separate speaking engagements on it, including one at the National Liberal Club, albeit to a very small audience. I gather most people were taking part online.
I am looking forward to a visit to Southampton's Job Centre with the Employment Minister soon. I am still asking many probing questions about female employment and the policies being introduced to help businesses build back. I know a number of local employers who have successfully used the Kickstart scheme, and would encourage others to do likewise. That comes just before a visit to a local primary school, which I am very much looking forward to. You always get the best Q&A session from year 6 pupils.
UK Parliament Disclaimer: this e-mail is confidential to the intended recipient. If you have received it in error, please notify the sender and delete it from your system. Any unauthorised use, disclosure, or copying is not permitted. This e-mail has been checked for viruses, but no liability is accepted for any damage caused by any virus transmitted by this e-mail. This e-mail address is not secure, is not encrypted and should not be used for sensitive data.
