My July column in the Stockport Express

This is my first article in the Stockport Express since my re-election as the Member of Parliament for Stockport in the General Election on 4th July. I am incredibly grateful and proud to have been re-elected as Stockport’s MP and would like to thank every voter who cast their ballot for me and every local Labour Party activist who supported my campaign.  

With Labour winning the General Election and forming a new government, we are now in a position to deliver real change for Britain and for Stockport. 

The Government set out how this change will be delivered in the coming months in the King’s Speech, which outlines the Government’s priorities for the forthcoming parliamentary session. I spoke in the King’s Speech debate in the House of Commons, using this as an opportunity to raise some of the most crucial issues in Stockport.  

I began my speech with the current housing emergency, which continues to be the single biggest issue that people contact me about. After fourteen years of inaction from the Conservatives, there is a severe lack of social and affordable housing in Stockport and across Britain. Private rents have spiralled out of control and record numbers of households are on waiting lists for council housing. I welcome the Labour Government’s commitment to building 1.5 million homes over the next five years. 

I also raised the crisis in NHS dentistry, highlighting the experiences of constituents who have contacted me because they are unable to register with an NHS dentist and the devastating impact that this has on people’s health and wellbeing. Having spoken about this issue in Parliament on a consistent basis and consulted with both the British Dental Association (BDA) and dentists with NHS patients in Stockport, I was glad that one of the first steps taken by the new Health Secretary was to meet the BDA, which has a long track record of campaigning for proper funding for NHS dentistry. 

I have been vocal about the decline of the Stepping Hill hospital estate, part of which collapsed earlier this year, and have made repeated calls for more funding to carry out urgent repairs. I welcomed the Health Secretary’s announcement that the Government will be allocating more funding to local hospitals, including Stepping Hill, in my King’s Speech debate contribution. 

I also used my speech to express my support for the Government’s pledge to introduce vital new rights for workers, and to bring rail companies back into public ownership, where they have always belonged. The Government is seeking to create a unified rail system focused on delivering reliable, affordable and high-quality services, delivering the value and efficiency that passengers in Stockport have long been denied by failing rail companies such as Avanti. This will involve the creation of Great British Railways, an arms-length body led and run by industry professionals and experts. 

The proposals announced in the King’s Speech will positively impact communities up and down Britain. I am proud to support policies that will deliver better public services for the people of Stockport.  

If you are a Stockport constituent and would like to contact me, please send me an email at navendu.mishra.mp@parliament.uk or phone my office at 0161 480 0833, including your full name and address. Thank you.