policy - Emily Thornberry

Letter to constituents on a new Cambo oil field

Thank you for contacting me about your opposition to the new Cambo oil field in the North Sea. I have been contacted by a large number of my constituents about this proposal and I wanted to set out to you my own views on this matter below. As you know,…

Letter to constituents on cutting beer duty

Thank you for contacting me regarding the proposal for a cut in beer duty. There is no denying that pubs and breweries have been hit particularly hard by the impact of the pandemic. We are very lucky to have a number of great community pubs in Islington, but we have…

Letter to constituents on the £20 uplift to Universal Credit

Thank you for your email about the £20 uplift to Universal Credit. I understand that you oppose the removal of the £20 uplift at the end of September. I do too. The impact of the Coronavirus pandemic has led to a steep rise in the number of Universal Credit claimants…

Letter to constituents on mandatory vaccinations and ‘vaccine passports’

Thank you for contacting me about the Coronavirus vaccine. I understand that you are concerned about the vaccine becoming mandatory, and that the introduction of so-called ‘vaccine passports’ would essentially have the same effect. It should go without saying that we all have bodily autonomy. I want to make it…

Letter to constituents on an NHS pay rise

Thank you for contacting me about the healthcare staff who have kept our healthcare system functioning throughout the Coronavirus pandemic. I understand that you are concerned about their pay and believe that NHS staff deserve a pay rise – I do too. My Labour colleague, Jonathan Ashworth, put it so…

Letter to constituents on fur imports

Thank you for your email regarding your opposition to the cruel and unnecessary fur trade, and your support for a ban on the sale of animal fur in the UK. I fully agree with everything you say, and I was pleased to note that in a recent YouGov survey, it…

Letter to constituents on social care reform

Thank you for contacting me about the urgent need for social care reform. I apologise for the delay in responding to you. We have been inundated with correspondence as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. As a woman who has previously worked in a care home, looked after both of…

Letter to constituents on the Elections Bill

Thank you for your email about the Elections Bill. The most important principle in a democracy is that every citizen has the right to vote and that the state ensures that everyone has the right to a say. The Elections Bill is the opposite of that. It is deeply undemocratic.…

Letter to constituents on ‘Freedom Day’

Thank you for contacting me about ‘Freedom Day’ (19th July) which is the day on which all legal requirements to social distance and wear a face covering lifted in England. I appreciate how worried people are that the government have made mask-wearing optional. 19th July was not ‘Freedom Day’ for…

Letter to constituents on the Health and Care Bill

Thank you for contacting me about the Health and Care Bill, which seeks to embark on a major reorganisation of our NHS at the same time as its overworked and underfunded staff are dealing with the continued fallout of the Coronavirus pandemic. The Second Reading of this Bill took place…

Letter to constituents on UK international aid

Thank you for contacting me about the government’s decision to break its public commitment, enshrined in law since 2015, to spend 0.7% of UK GNI on international aid. I sincerely apologise for the delay in responding to your email. UK aid has made a difference to the lives of millions…

Letter to constituents on ‘Test and Trace’

Thank you for contacting me about the need for our ‘Test and Trace’ system to be run by local and regional public health teams. I sincerely apologise for the delay in responding to your email, but you can be assured that I wholeheartedly agree with your position. As my Labour…

Letter to constituents on the global plastics crisis

Thank you for contacting me about the global plastics crisis. I recognise that our recycling system is overwhelmed by plastic waste and that waste from the UK is now overwhelming recycling systems in other countries, which is not acceptable. In the Labour Party, we recognise the scale of this problem.…

Letter to constituents on Colombia

Thank you for contacting me about Early Day Motion 4 regarding Colombia’s peace process, and the recent protests and strikes that have taken place in the country against the inequitable tax proposals and brutal police tactics of the Duque government. As a member of the Shadow Cabinet, I do not…

Letter to constituents on the rent, evictions and homelessness crisis

Thank you for contacting me about the UK’s rent, evictions and homelessness crisis. I apologise for the delay in responding to your email. As you can imagine, I have received a huge increase in casework as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. First of all, I am sure we can…

Letter to constituents on the acquisition of London GP practices by Operose and Centene

Many thanks for your email on the acquisition of GP practices in London by Operose and their parent company, Centene. Firstly, I must be clear that frontbench politicians are unable to sign Early Day Motions. This means that in my role as Shadow International Trade Secretary, I am unable to put my…

Letter to constituents on the Pig Husbandry (Farrowing) Bill

Thank you for your email about the Pig Husbandry (Farrowing) Bill and your support for ending the so-called ‘cage age’. In our 2019 Animal Welfare manifesto, the Labour Party committed to introducing a phased ban on sow farrowing crates and pledged to end the use of cages on British farms…

Letter to constituents on conversion therapy

Thank you for contacting me about your support for the campaign to ban conversion therapy. As you know, a Westminster Hall debate was held on LGBT Conversion Therapy on 8 March, to respond to an e-petition which attracted over 250,000 signatures. The petition called on the government to make conversion…

Letter to constituents on the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill

Thank you for writing to me regarding the right to protest. I have received a large number of emails in light of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. I would like to take this opportunity to set out my thoughts on this Bill and the points that constituents have…

Letter to constituents on violence against women and girls

[Content Note: This letter contains references to sexual violence against women and girls.] Thank you for writing to me regarding violence against women and girls. I have received a large number of emails in the past week in light of the murder of Sarah Everard, the wider issue of violence…

Letter to constituents on neonicotinoids

Thank you for contacting me about the government’s decision to allow English sugar beet farmers to use the neonicotinoid, thiamethoxam, which is harmful to bees and other wild pollinators. In the UK, 35 species of bee are under threat of extinction. The population of pollinating insects in our country has…