My Maiden Speech

thank you Madame Deputy speaker um can I start by commending my honorable friends for their impassion Maiden speeches I am so proud to be sitting on these benches with you I'm incredibly honored to be speaking for the first time in this house as a member of parliament for pekam a new constituency that spans from the oak trees of nunhead cmary to the spies of St J's Church the African food shops of pekam the bustle of RI Lane the market stores of Faraday's East Street the vibrant MOS of Old Kent Road and the Latin quarter of North Walworth ours is a community of community that represents the very best of Multicultural Britain people of different colors cultures faiths backgrounds United in our openness and acceptance of each other pride in our diversity and the magic it brings to pekam and our warmth and generosity of spirit whoever you are wherever you've come from you'll find your place in pekam and for me this is what makes representing this constituency so special because there was amongst friends and the seran community in pekam that my family found Refuge when we fled from West Africa when I was a child it was in this community that I learned the values of compassion and solidarity that have shaped my politics and in this community that I first understood just how much the economy is failing people that you can work hard hard every day and still live in poverty that our kids can be talented and still deprive the shot that you can have billionaires living in the same burrow as families that cannot feed their kids and in Sim that I found my resolve that this must change that's why I became an economist that's why I've spent the last 15 years developing and campaigning for ideas to bring this change about that's why I am standing here today and as I begin my journey in this house I take inspiration from my formidable PR predecessor Harriet Haron our inaugural mother of the house Harriet set the highest possible bar for what it means to be a great MP 42 incredible years of service working for the people of camwell and pekam and on knocking doors across pekam I heard story after story about how Harriet help her constituents and touch countless lives and at a time when Trust our politicians is so afraid the warmth the love the trust that she commands in our community speaks volumes but more than that she combined tireless work in her constituency with huge impact on our politics nationally whether through enduring policies like the minimum wage the winter fuel payment the equality act that went to the heart of the inequality she saw in our community or the trail she blazed for women in politics breaking ceilings and carving a path for others to follow so that today there are 190 labor women MPS in this house standing on her shoulders and on a personal note I will always be grateful for her kindness wisdom and Grace and for showing me what it means to be Fearless in defense of your constituents loyal but independent of mine and tenacious about the change that is needed and the need for change has never been so great as we debate the economy today and all the uncertainties it brings there was one thing I know for certain people in pekam are struggling their pay packets have flatlined for too long their safety net cut to threads over a third can't afford day-to-day Essentials and too many of our children now live in poverty but it's not just about the money in your pocket it's the fact that something as basic as a decent roof over your head that you can afford is now Out Of Reach for so many that our schools our youth services our hospitals our care system are at breaking point and that children in my school tell me that they only feel safe at home or at school nowhere in between people in pekam need change not words or the promise of change that never comes but real tangible change that they can feel in their communities and see in their lives change that will end that sense of being ground down and the the constant survival mode that so many people find themselves in and rekindle that hope that has been beaten out and the weight the weight of responsibility to deliver this now sits with me and all my honorable friends on this side of the house and whilst the task feels insurmountable what gives me hope is that our side have always grasped for Big Ideas to change the country when we have needed to the NHS social housing from the rubble of War the minimum wage we have always been the party of Big Ideas we have done it before at moments of Crisis now we must do it again and as we find solutions to the challenges in front of us as a proud labor and Cooperative MP I hope we will draw inspiration from the deep traditions of our movement the enduring force of cooperation put putting power back in local hands creating businesses by local people local people trusting communities like peckam to decide their own future and giving them ownership and a stake in their economy so that we can deliver the change that my constituents and constituents across the country have given us a mandate to and so my final words Madame Deputy speaker if you will allow me are to my constituents to the people laying awake at night worried about bills the Traders fighting for survival of the businesses they have built the families that can't afford a home to lay down their Roots the people that can't get the care that they need the kids that don't feel safe in our community I want you to know this I have listened to every conversation we have had I've heard your worries your anger your frustration your hopes and I make one promise to you in everything I do in this house I will keep you in my mind's eye I will be your loudest voice your fiercest Defender and your proudest Champion I will fight every day to deliver the change that you deserve I will serve you thank you