16th January 2023: A Week in Parliament

Back to Parliament

Last week I returned to Westminster after the Christmas and New Year break. As always, it was extremely busy. In the Chamber, I raised the issue of Westminster’s disregard for the Scottish electorate. I also responded to the Ministerial Statement on Industrial action, as well as raising the case of a local business. Struther Farmhouse Tea Room, in the constituency, is facing a 500% increase in their energy bills – with their gas and electric going up by £25,000 in a year! I highlighted the fact that although the bulk of the £56bn energy profits levy is coming from Scotland, so many Scottish businesses are left struggling, in particular those in the hospitality industry. I called for the UK Government to deliver proper support to small businesses or else face the prospect of closures due to these ludicrous running costs. I will continue to raise these issues in Parliament as I know everyone is struggling at the moment with these unaffordable energy prices.

In addition to this, I have been leading on anti-strike legislation currently being pushed through parliament. This is utterly disgraceful and a horrendous attack on millions of public service workers.

Case Success

This week my office got the confirmation of a positive result for a constituent case involving the Home Office. The family of my Syrian constituent, Ahmed, have been stranded in Istanbul for some time and for the past 10 months, he has been waiting on the outcome of their family reunion application – to join him here in Kilmarnock. Whilst in Istanbul, they have been subject to racism and with the recent terrorist attacks in the city, Ahmed was extremely concerned for their welfare. I raised this directly with the Leader of the House last month and I was delighted to hear this week, the Home Office contacted my Office to advise that their application has been approved and Ahmed will be reunited with his wife and three children. Although this is welcome, it still infuriates me that people like Ahmed have to go through this horrible process. I cannot begin to imagine the stress and frustration this causes - let’s hope the backlog clears and others are reunited with their loved ones.

League Cup Semi-Final

Saturday made you proud to be a Kilmarnock fan. Killie Till I Die ringing around the stadium at full-time despite being beaten 2-0 and just moments after a real suckerpunch. It was great to see the fans show their appreciation for the players and management team at the end. We put so much into the game and were robbed of a penalty in the last few minutes – things could have been different. We know these games do not come around often and this was personified in the build-up. The bars and restaurants locally were jumping with friends and families spending time together before heading up to support the team. There are so many positives to take away from the weekend and I am sure we won’t be waiting another 11 years before we can do it all again.