WORCESTER’S MP Robin Walker writes for the Observer…
It was a pleasure to join the Mayor of Worcester, members of the Royal British Legion and local Councillors for the poppy launch at the Guildhall and I am looking forward to the solemn service of Remembrance at the Cathedral on Sunday. The Royal British Legion has supported veterans in our country for over a century and ensuring they can continue to do so is at the heart of the annual poppy appeal. I was pleased to see a dedicated Veteran’s Minister return to the cabinet and, especially at a time when we see once again the horrors of war in Europe, have been reassured to see the quiet competence of Ben Wallace at Defence Questions in the commons.
I have recently spoken in a number of Commons debates, from urging more help with the cost of living and speaking up for local BBC radio, to raising the concerns of constituents about ambulance waits and the case for a new medical school in Worcester. Following my debate on the future of the Warriors, it has been good to see some progress with their emergence from administration and I had a useful call with the RFU last week in which they confirmed their determination to keep the Academy going in Worcester. It will be great to see the Warriors Women return to playing home games again later this month and I am hopeful that the negotiations between the administrators and the Atlas consortium will mean that the men’s team follow in time for next season.
My time in Westminster has also been taken up with a campaign of a different sort to those I am used to – running for a Select Committee Chair. These elections are decided by your peers and involve asking for the support of people you are used to debating against. I have been honoured to receive a number of nominations from respected colleagues on all sides of the Commons including the Labour chair of the Home Affairs Committee, the Conservative Chairs of the Administration, DCMS (Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport) and Northern Ireland Committees, both unionists and nationalists from Northern Ireland and a number of former Secretaries of State and shadow ministers with whom I have worked.
Having made my maiden speech on school funding and campaigned, often on a cross party basis, throughout my time in Parliament, I want to make the case through the Education Select Committee and have proposed an inquiry on childcare to help with the cost of living. As we look forward to the budget statement on the 17th of November, I am also looking forward to the date for my select committee election on the 16th.
