Sian Berry MP
It is one year since I was elected by you as Brighton Pavilion’ s MP, and I cannot thank you enough for putting me into this job, and what a packed year of work it has been. For this summer edition of The Whistler, I wanted to write about two of the biggest issues that Brighton residents have contacted me about in this first year.
The Government has kept me and my four Green MP colleagues extremely busy in Parliament challenging them on some truly shocking attacks on marginalised groups that were not part of the Labour election manifesto and which have affected directly the lives to far too many of my constituents.
The first political bombshell this year was the Government’ s attempt to rip vital benefits away from disabled, sick and young people, which started with announcements in January.
As soon as the cruel‘ reforms’ were officially confirmed by Liz Kendall, I challenged her directly in the House of Commons to choose a wealth tax instead. A two percent tax on assets over £ 10 million could raise £ 24 billion a year, well over the £ 5 billion the Government were trying to take away from those in need. I did not get an answer to this challenge.
Well before the debates and any votes were cast, I wrote to every single Labour MP asking them to vote against the proposals when the time came. Greens kept that pressure up and a significant Labour rebellion grew.
To gather evidence of the harm these cuts would do, I met with some of the excellent organisations in Brighton and Hove who support Disabled people and their families. Throughout all our detailed discussions, everyone said the same thing: cuts will only put more financial strain on our already exhausted public services, including local councils, social care and the NHS.
I used the first ever slot I won to ask a Prime Minister’ s Question, which came just before VE Day, to raise the post-war Labour Government’ s strong principles and asked Keir Starmer to find those principles again by restoring Disabled people’ s support, and not making his MPs vote to restrict it.
I am also co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Poverty and Inequality. In June we published a report that called for the cuts to be abandoned, We heard evidence from people with lived experience of being disabled and dealing with the welfare system, and we looked at the additional barriers and costs Disabled households already face, which now total over £ 1,000 a month.
The debates on the Bill in Parliament were some of the most impassioned I have witnessed. I tabled several amendments to the Bill to minimise the damage it would cause, one of which was selected for the final debate, where I was first to speak, introducing the wide range of amendments tabled by MPs in opposition and from the Labour back benches. Faced with rebellion, the Government’ s plans were watered down and all four Green MPs voted firmly against what remained.
The second issue is trans rights, following the bombshell judgement handed down by the UK’ s Supreme Court that the terms‘ man’ and‘ woman’ in the Equality Act refer to biological sex, not gender identity, which has caused serious anguish for trans people and those who love them.
Along with rushed and nonsensical guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission that all manner of activities need to be segregated according to biology, this has serious implications for how trans, non-binary and intersex people can live their lives in practical terms with dignity and use services.
So many trans people and allies choose to make Brighton their home, and on every e-petition I can find on the Parliament website, Brighton Pavilion tops the league table for responses. One such petition on being able to self-identify your gender reached the 100,000 signatory threshold for a debate in Parliament this year and I was proud to speak in it.
The broken political consensus on trans rights in recent years has been frustrating and disheartening. In the wake of the Supreme Court ruling, I tabled an‘ Early Day Motion,’ co-written with a Trans woman in Brighton, that calls for solidarity and respect, recognising that:“ transgender transition liberates trans people to be their true selves.” I am comforted that a wide range of MPs from different parties have already signed their names in support.
In early summer I was also extremely moved when I met with trans constituents at a mass lobby for trans rights in Parliament. It was officially the biggest LGBTQ + lobby in UK history and cannot have failed to affect any MP who attended.
The Supreme Court decision has offered no clarity but together we can stand up against this division and in eternal solidarity with our trans community.
As we head into the next parliamentary year, I will continue to meet with and listen to people facing cuts and hardship and threats to their rights, and I will stand up for the least advantaged and use my voice to advocate for an alternative that puts power and money back into the hands of our communities.
Speak soon, Sian.