Chuka Umunna MP

Streatham MP Chuka Umunna has submitted a report to the Government, produced by Lambeth Councillors, which examines how to deal with rising numbers of incidents relating to the control of dogs.

Mr Umunna wrote to Jim Paice, the Minister responsible for the control of dogs, and asked him to give the report his full consideration. The Streatham MP wrote to Mr Paice after the Minister responded to parliamentary questions posed by Mr Umunna as to what steps the Government are considering taking relating to the control of dogs.

The report submitted by Mr Umunna was produced by the Lambeth Local Authority’s Dogs Scrutiny Commission, which was set up to examine how to deal with the rising number of incidents involving dogs in a manner that recognized the valuable role dogs play in many people’s lives and that the majority of dog owners are responsible dog owners.

The Commission was formed of an investigative panel made up of four Lambeth Councillors, and was chaired by Councillor Imogen Walker. In preparing the report the panel received contributions from the RSPCA, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, the Metropolitan Police Status Dogs Units, as well as other experts and, importantly, local residents.

The report submitted by Mr Umunna to the Government was produced using this evidence and Mr Umunna has asked the Minister to write to him once he has considered the report, detailing how it has informed the Government’s position on the control of dogs.

Commenting, Streatham MP Chuka Umunna said:

“My constituents deserve the safety and confidence that comes from living in a community that has responsible dog ownership where all dogs are under control. The report I submitted to the Government could and should be used to inform the Government when it brings forward legislation on this issue.”

“I am pleased that, by submitting the report produced by Councillor Walker and the other members of the commission, I can help to ensure that we have national legislation that will improve the quality of life for people living in my constituency.”

“I hope that the Government will develop sensible and effective policy on the control of dogs and I will ensure that at all times they are informed by the needs and local knowledge of our community in Lambeth.”

Commenting, Dogs Scrutiny Committee Chair, Councilor Imogen Walker said:

“I am delighted that Chuka is looking into this issue and I hope the Minister will find the report of Lambeth’s Dogs Commission helpful when considering improvements to the current legislation. The commission’s findings, backed up by experts such as the RSPCA and Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, has already had an impact in Lambeth. Encouraging responsible dog ownership both promotes animal welfare and helps people to feel safe and secure in our public spaces.”

London MP Chuka Umunna, who leads Labour’s Shadow Business team, has called for a statutory code to regulate the relationship between large pub companies and their tenants.

Streatham MP Mr Umunna endorsed the BIS Select Committee’s 2010 report on pub companies and called for the Government to introduce a statutory code to reform the relationship between large pub companies and their tenants. Labour MP’s supported a motion in the House of Commons on the 12th January expressing disappointment with the government’s failure to protect local pubs and implement a statutory code to help them but the Government has so far refused to act.

The cross-party committee of MPs found that tenants of large pub companies are too often getting a poor deal from pub companies as a result of the Beer Tie which stops publicans buying beer other that which their pub company landlord provides. The cross-party report found restrictive practices of this type were unfair to small business owners running pubs and prevented smaller breweries from accessing much of the pub trade.

The Liberal Democratic Cabinet Minister Vince Cable previously promised the BIS Select Committee that he would honour the commitment of the previous government but has now reneged on this promise. The measures recommended by Labour have received strong support including from the Campaign for Real Ale, the Federation of Small Business as well as the All Party Parliamentary Save the Pub Group.

According to the Beer and Pub Association, nearly £21 billion a year is contributed to the UK economy by the production and sale of beer and the licensed trade industry paid £6.1bn in tax. It is estimated that 250 jobs are lost nationally each week as a result of pub closures.

Mr Umunna said the government’s policies on pubs were directly harming the pubs and jobs that form a vital part of community life in the area he represents. The MP said that the Government’s stance was having a direct negative effective on jobs in his constituency and that the government needed to act as Labour has proposed if it is to stop the widespread closure of pubs.

Commenting, Streatham MP Mr Umunna, said:

“Pubs in my constituency and all over London make a vital contribution to community life and our local economy. The action of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in Government is having a direct negative effect on jobs in my constituency.”

“The government are failing to follow through on the action plan set out by the Labour Party which has been welcomed by the industry as a key part of giving pubs the best chance of fighting their way through the current economic situation. We have set out a clear plan of action that the Government must take if is to avoid the widespread closure of pubs”

London MP Chuka Umunna has urged the Government to change course after the Office of National Statistics today revealed that London’s unemployment rate increased by 10.4%, meaning that 9.9% of Londoners are now unemployed.

The January release by the Office of National Statistics showed that there were now 424,000 more people unemployed in the London region, a rise of 10.4% over the year. The Streatham constituency represented by Mr Umunna was revealed to have 500 more people claiming JSA in the last month than were doing so a year earlier.

Chuka Umunna urged the Government to do more to get jobs and growth back in the economy. The MP said that the figures represent the human cost being paid for the economic plans of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Government which is cutting spending and raising taxes too far and too fast, choking off growth and job creation.

Nationally unemployment reached its highest level since 1994, with 118,000 more people unemployment than in the last quarter, meaning that there are now 2.68 million people unemployed in the UK. The figures, released today by the Office for National Statistics, reported that the employment rate had fallen to 70.3%.

The figures demonstrate the impact of high unemployment on Government finances, with 142,500 more people claiming Job Seekers Allowance than this time last year.

Commenting, Streatham MP Mr Umunna, said:

“My heart goes out to the families of all those affected by unemployment. The 9.9% of Londoners who are desperately seeking work need a Government that is on their side, helping business to create the jobs and growth we all so desperately need.”

“It is a disaster that unemployment in London has risen by 10% – a disaster of the Governments own making. This desperate situation represents the human cost of the Government’s failed economic plans.”

“The Government’s plans are now clearly failing – even by their own measure. The extra 142,500 people that are now claiming Job Seekers Allowance, 500 of them in my own constituency, is damaging the Government’s finances at the same time as their economic plans are pushing more people out of work.”

“The Government should immediately implement our plan for jobs and growth which will boost job creation and therefore ensure we reduce the deficit in the long term as the benefit bill reduces.”

Streatham MP Chuka Umunna is backing a community campaign to extend City Hall’s Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme further into South London as Transport for London figures reveal just 15% of the scheme’s coverage is south of the River Thames.

The Campaign, run by a Brixton campaigner and community activist, Tom Pollard, aims to extend the coverage of the cycle hire scheme to Brixton. The Campaign has been building momentum online using social media website twitter using the hashtag #Bikes2Brixton and also the Labour Party’s online community action website the ‘campaign engine room’.

Data from the Transport for London website reveals that just 65 of the 414 docking stations are located south of the river Thames. This means that just 15.7% of docking stations are in South London, many of which are around the London Bridge Railway station. The Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme was a project started by the former Labour Mayor Ken Livingstone but has been implemented by the current Conservative incumbent Boris Johnson.

The campaign to extend the Cycle Hire Scheme has received the backing of Mr Pollards’s MP, Chuka Umunna, who said the Mayor must give more thought to Londoners when making Transport plans and that extending the Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme further into South London would give hard pressed commuters more options in the difficult economic climate.

The wider economic situation has had a deep impact in London and hard pressed commuters are looking to make savings where possible, as well as often having to travel further afield in search of work. South London MP Chuka Umunna said that extending the cycle hire scheme would go some way to mitigate the impact of four years of fare hikes by London’s Conservative Mayor Boris Johnson.

Extending the cycle hire scheme would give residents a further transport option and would enable some to save money. The traditional north/south divide in London transport provision has begun again to grow now South London residents, who often rely more on buses than the tube, have faced particularly high increases as the Mayor has chosen to increase bus fares at a faster rate than he has increased fares on the underground.

Commenting, Mr Umunna, MP for Streatham, said:

“The Bikes2Brixton campaign is a brilliant example of community action. My constituents deserve much better from the Mayor and it is time he started paying attention to the needs of those south of the river. The Mayor must give more thought to Londoners when making his transport plans.”

“Extending the Cycle Hire Scheme further South would give some opportunity for relief from four consecutive years of rising fares under Boris Johnson. The fare rises he imposed this January mean that for every year of his Mayoralty, Boris Johnson’s fare rises have been harming London business, harming London jobs and putting further unnecessary strain on the cost of living for Londoners.”

“It is time the Mayor woke up on transport and it is time the Mayor paid attention to Londoners south of the River. I hope very much the Mayor will listen to the mass of local support to extend the cycle hire scheme further into South London and would like to congratulate the campaign on the excellent work they have done.

Commenting, Tom Pollard, local community activist and leader of the campaign, said:

“Our Bikes2Brixton campaign to extend the cycle hire scheme in South London, including Brixton, has been hugely popular throughout the community.”

Commenting on the CBI’s “Vision for rebalancing” report published today, Labour’s Shadow Business Secretary Chuka Umunna MP said:

“The CBI is correct to say that we must rebalance our economy which has become too concentrated in too few sectors, and in too few regions of the economy over the last 40 years under different governments.

“Government must use all the levers at its disposal to build a new economy and encourage businesses to invest for the long term so we can exploit the new high growth economies the CBI refers. But instead of providing the leadership and certainty needed to give companies the confidence to invest – the Tory led government has deterred investment by, for example, cutting investment allowances on capital expenditure over £25,000 and wrecking future success in our green industries with their disastrous changes to feed in tariffs.

“The CBI higlights the importance of infrastructure investment which is why we had been saying for months that the government should implement Labour’s five point plan for growth and jobs to kick start the recovery which includes bringing forward long-term investment projects.

“A new economy requires an active government working in partnership with British business to meet the aspirations of the British people – actions speak louder than words and by failing to provide leadership and to promote the certainty businesses need to invest, this out of touch government is failing to meet the challenges facing businesses and the UK economy.”

Streatham MP Chuka Umunna paid tribute to the families of three South London boys who died in a bus crash in Thailand in June following their six month campaign to win Government support for efforts to improve road safety in the South Asian country. 

On 27^th June this year, Bruno Melling-Firth, Max Boomgaarden-Cook and Conrad Quashie died in a bus crash while on holiday in Kam Phaeng Phet Province, Thailand. The three young men, who were due to start University this year, had each worked hard to save up for the trip to Thailand. They died within four days of their arrival.

Their families have since endured a six-month campaign to find out the facts of their sons’ deaths, improve awareness of the dangers of Thai bus travel, and to influence reform to improve the safety of Thai buses and road networks. Polly Cook, Max Boomgaardan-Cook’s mother, is a constituent of Mr Umunna’s and the MP has been working with the families since the crash.

After a letter to William Hague received an inadequate response, Mr Umunna organized a meeting between the families and Jeremy Browne, the Foreign Office minister responsible for Consular activities. The meeting, which took place on the 21^st December, was attended by Chuka Umunna and the mothers of the three boys; Amanda Bean, Polly Cook and Gillian Melling.

During the meeting the MP and families finally had a chance to the Minister to promise to make representations to the Thai Government on their behalf and raise their specific fears over the safety of bus companies in Thailand. The Minister also promised that foreign office officials would meet with Proffessor Pichai, a road safety expert who has been helping the campaign.

Mr Umunna said he would be working to ensure the Foreign Office properly examines the case for updateing travel advice for people going to Thailand. The MP wishes the Government to consider changing their advice on Thailand to specifically warn against bus travel. The families today urged any British citizen travelling to Thailand to use rail or air travel, and not to use the dangerous and barely regulated bus companies that operate in the country.

Commenting, Mr Umunna, MP for Streatham, said:

“I’d like to pay tribute to the families involved. I am full of admiration for the way that they have pursued this cause since the boys’ tragic deaths in June.”

“There is nothing that can bring back the gaping loss left by the boys’ deaths but if action can be taken to prevent such tragedy occurring in future it will at least be a lasting legacy to such promising young lives.”

“I will be working over the next few months to ensure the Foreign Office properly examines the case for updating travel advice for people going to Thailand and to see that awareness of the problem is raised in my constituency and elsewhere.”

“I would urge any of my constituents who are considering travelling abroad to take stay as safe as possible and would like to highlight the dangers on behalf of the families because many of my constituents will not know the dangers of bus travel in Thailand and it may be vital they find out.” 

Commenting, Polly Cook, Mother of Max Boomgaardan Cook, said:

“If I could see my boys again I would tell them not to travel on the buses and to fly or take the train even though it’s slower. I want other families to know that.”

“I’m very pleased that the Foreign Office has said they will contact Professor Pichai in order to liaise about the appalling state of Thailand’s roads.”

London MP Chuka Umunna has spoken out as eighteen months into a Conservative-led Government new figures show homelessness has risen by more than 28%. The number of homeless households fell dramatically during the last Labour Government, from 26,310 in 1998 to a low of 2,230 in the first quarter of 2010.

The Statistics, which were released last week by the Department for Communities and Local Government, show the changes to the number of households that Local Authorities accepted were owed a main homeless duty, which means that Local Government considers those people homeless.

The figures showed that homelessness rose more than 28% in the last 18 months under the Tory led Coalition Government. Since the number of people homeless was so high before the last Labour Government came to power, there are inevitable fears that high levels of homelessness could return.

There were strong fears, even before the election, that the pace of deficit reduction would lead to a worsening situation for the most vulnerable. Homelessness charities have reacted with alarm to the latest figures.  Commenting on the figures, Chuka Umunna, Labour MP for Streatham, said: 

“These latest figures are deeply worrying”

 “So much has been done by so many people in my constituency and all over London to help end the scourge of homelessness yet now we appear to be going backwards not forwards.” 

 “As we enter the Christmas period it is important that we remember the people who have nowhere to live and need our help. It is vital that we do all we can to support the most vulnerable.”

“Figures like this show that the Government needs to be doing far more to tackle this problem.”

Commenting on the national situation Shelter’s Chief Executive, Campbell Robb said:

‘With someone facing losing their home every two minutes, the reality is this is a fate that could happen to any one of us. All it takes is one small thing, such as an illness or financial trouble, and things can soon spiral out of control.”

The Rt. Hon. Dr Vince Cable MP
Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills
1 Victoria Street
London SW1H 0ET

11 December 2011

Dear Vince

European Council of 8 & 9 December 2011: adverse impact on British Business

I am writing to you with regard to the European Council that took place on 8 and 9 December 2011 (the “December 2011 European Council”).

In your speech to the European Parliament on 30 September 2011 you said: “the new British coalition Government believes that positive engagement with the European Union is an essential part of our economic and political relations.”

You ended the speech by saying: “we all recognize that our economic fate is inextricably linked with the rest of Europe. We want Europe to work; to put aside all quarrels; and make common cause to deal with the massive economic problems which we now face.”

Clearly the Government failed to make common cause with other EU member states at the December 2011 European Council. Consequently many British businesses are now asking how the government – having entered a negotiation with 27 other countries – finds itself in a minority of just one.

Business leaders I have spoken to question whether the approach adopted in the lead up to and during the December 2011 European Council was in the best interests of British business given that a substantial number of their orders come from EU member states. And even the Deputy Prime Minister himself has stated today that British business may be in a worse position as a result of the outcome of the December 2011 European Council.

On 9 December 2011 the Prime Minister said he would not agree to a revision of the Lisbon Treaty (“Treaty change”) to allow for the measures which were subsequently agreed to by 23 other member states of the EU in an intergovernmental agreement (the “Intergovernmental Agreement”). He said he would not agree to Treaty change because to do so would adversely impact on British business and the City of London in particular. I note that in the July 2010 list of Ministerial Responsibilities it states that you have a “particular focus on business and banking issues”. The Deputy Prime Minister has said that he was not consulted during the December 2011 European Council on this decision the Prime Minister took overnight on 8/9 December ; is it also the case that despite your Ministerial responsibilities, you were also not consulted on this decision?

There are many unanswered questions which British business needs answers to in order to plan for the long term – lack of certainty is a large obstacle for many companies. Full details of the European Council negotiations have not been released, so I would be grateful if you could answer the following questions to increase business certainty:

Continued Eurozone instability and the lack of growth

1. The principal concern of British business is that stability is brought to bear on the Eurozone, which has huge implications for business confidence and the receipt of orders from the continent. Please explain whether you believe:

a. the negotiating stance of the Government furthered this goal at the December 2011 European Council and, if so, how?

b. the December 2011 European Council furthered this goal and, if so, how?

2. The other principal concern of British business is that the EU adopt a credible plan for growth. Please explain whether you believe:

a. the negotiating stance of the Government furthered this goal at the December 2011 European Council and, if so, how?

b. the December 2011 European Council furthered this goal and, if so, how?

Financial Transaction Tax

3. By agreeing to Treaty change, it has been suggested that the UK was being asked to give up its veto in relation to the implementation of a Financial Transaction Tax. To clarify the position, please confirm the following:

a. before the December 2011 European Council, a Financial Transaction Tax could only be entered into by a unanimous vote by all member states of the EU;

b. after the December 2011 European Council, it is still the case that a Financial Transaction Tax can only be entered into by a unanimous vote by all member states of the EU; and,

c. as an EU member state falling outside the Eurozone, in the course of the December 2011 European Council negotiations the British Government was not asked to cede control over its powers of taxation to the European Union.

Financial Services Regulation

4. The Prime Minister reportedly refused to agree to Treaty change after other member states rejected the protocol document he tabled which purported to protect the City (the “Protocol”). To clarify the position, please confirm the following:

a. EU wide financial services regulation is settled by qualified majority voting (“QMV”) – that was the case before and after the December 2011 European Council;

b. the ability of the Government to protect the City from adverse EU wide financial services regulation depends on its ability to marshal a voting majority against proposed measures on the European Council – that was the case before and after the December 2011 European Council;

c. the Government has never lost a QMV vote on financial services regulation since the formation of the Single Market in 1986; and,

d. the now isolated position of the Government on the European Council makes it more not less likely that the Government will lose future votes on EU wide financial services regulation at European Council level.

The Government’s failed draft Protocol

5. The Protocol sought to provide that the following matters currently decided by QMV be subject to unanimity and the possible exercise of a veto by any member state: any transfer of power from a national regulator to an EU regulator on financial services; the ability of national authorities to set higher capital requirements on their banks; that the European Banking Authority remain in London; and that the European Central Bank be prevented from requiring euro-denominated transactions take place within the eurozone. Please confirm the following:

a. before the December 2011 European Council all of these matters were subject to QMV;

b. after the December 2011 European Council all of these matters are still subject to QMV; and,

c. any attempt by the Government to oppose future votes on these matters by marshalling a majority on the European Council is now compromised by its isolated position and lack of allies on the European Council.

Protection of the Common Market and inward investment

6. There are grave concerns amongst British businesses that the UK’s absence from discussions relating to matters the subject of the Intergovernmental Agreement will compromise the UK’s ability to safeguard the Common Market in the interests of our economy and British businesses. What assurances can you give British business that this will not be the case?

7. Many global corporations choose to site their European headquarters and/or operations in the UK, creating thousands of jobs, because of our status as a leading member of the EU. Do you believe the UK’s now isolated stance makes it more or less likely that global corporations will continue to choose to site their European headquarters and/or operations in the UK in the future?

I look forward to receiving your response to each of my questions by return given their urgent and pressing importance to the future of our economy, to increase certainty for British business and enable our firms and companies to plan ahead.

Yours sincerely,

Chuka Umunna MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills

Chuka Umunna today visited Greyhound Lane to talk to local business owners and employees about their needs and concerns.

Visiting Greyhound Lane Mr Umunna talked to local business owners and employees, as well as representatives from the Police about problems with anti-social behaviour and street drinking, as well as about concerns raised that not enough has been done by the Government to ensure confidence in our economy, and that this is having a negative impact on local businesses.

As MP for the Streatham constituency, Mr Umunna regularly visits local High Streets to listen to their concerns and see what help he can give as the local MP. In Mr Umunna’s role as Shadow Business Secretary he is responsible for holding the Government to account for their business policies and ensuring the Government does more to enable businesses to grow. High Street Walkabouts are a good way to quickly transfer local concerns to action in Parliament.

In this week’s Autumn Statement the Chancellor George Osborne announced funding for extra school places after Lambeth MPs Chuka Umunna, Tessa Jowell and Kate Hoey met with Education Secretary Michael Gove to discuss the issue.  

Demand for school places is increasing substantially as the Lambeth population grows. Lambeth Council state that in five years applications have risen by 29 per cent and the birth rate has risen by 14 per cent. In Streatham and Norwood the birth rate has increased by 25 per cent.

As demand for places will soon outstrip supply Streatham MP Chuka Umunna, along with fellow Lambeth MPs Tessa Jowell and Kate Hoey, met Education Secretary Michael Gove to express how vital sufficient school funding for Lambeth is. Mr Umunna met with Michael Gove along with Immanuel and St Andrew’s Primary School Head Teacher James Robinson.

In today’s pre-budget statement the Government indicated that it had listened to the MPs’ concerns. George Osborne stated that the Government will provide funding for an extra 40,000 school places.

Chuka Umunna MP has today said that he will write to Michael Gove, seeking to ensure that this school places funding reaches areas like Lambeth where he has explained to the Minister that it is needed most.

Commenting, Mr Umunna said:

“The Government has this week recognised what is obviously the case – that they need to do more to ensure our children have the education they deserve. We have been pressing Michael Gove to ensure schools in Lambeth are sufficiently funded and will be writing to him again to ensure he follows through on the Chancellor’s statement”

“It is right that the Government has listened to our legitimate concerns that they have not been doing enough to provide for our children’s education. I know a great deal of my constituents have had huge concerns and have been campaigning for the Government to listen on this issue.”