MP Calvin Bailey balances Defence role and local work

I worked at the Ministry of Defence before joining Parliament and I’m honoured to return.

Much of my work in Parliament has focused on supporting the armed forces community locally.

For example, last  year I persuaded Redbridge Council to stop counting military compensation as income for council means-tested benefits.

It is a privilege to continue and expand this work at a national level.

This is a great opportunity to help shape Government policy at a critical time in our national story but it does come with some restrictions on the types of interventions I can make.

MP Calvin Bailey welcomed the Renters' Rights Act (Image: Calvin Bailey)

However, I remain committed to representing Leyton and Wanstead residents, the issues that matter most locally, and my team will continue to be available to offer help and support.

In other news, it was a privilege to open the upgraded Emergency Department at Whipps Cross Hospital, where improved ambulance handover and a redesigned layout to better manage patient flow are already making a difference.

I was also pleased to welcome Skills Minister Jacqui Smith to Whipps, who met staff and students involved in Project SEARCH, a Department for Education-supported internship programme for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

I also intervened on the unveiling of the Chancellor’s recent support package to help young families this summer.

I highlighted businesses such as City Place and Bare Brew in Wanstead, and Fresh as a Daisy in South Woodford, whose customers can now benefit from a reduced VAT rate of 5% on children’s meals.

I was particularly pleased to visit Bare Brew recently and see their children’s menu in action.

I was also glad to intervene during the recent Pride Month debate to highlight the distress expressed by LGBT+ constituents following the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s guidance published at the start of June.

We must recognise that transphobia and prejudice against those who do not conform to gender norms is on the rise, and policy must respond to the world as it is.

I want to reiterate that our trans and non-binary neighbours are valued and respected members of our community.

I will continue to advocate for them, including in my new role supporting the LGBT+ veterans’ community, and to ensure that those affected by the ban on LGBT+ personnel serving in the military between 1967 and 2000 receive the restorative measures they deserve.

Finally, I was proud to write to Thames Water about pollution in the River Roding, alongside neighbouring MPs.

The River Roding Trust continues to do excellent work to improve the river, but ultimately, Thames Water must be held to account and bring an end to this pollution.

• Calvin Bailey is Labour MP for Leyton and Wanstead.