Very much that back to school energy in Westminster this week as MPs from across the political spectrum are coming back from a summer full of constituency business and I and many of my colleagues are raring to go.
Over the last month we have seen the best and the worst of our country. Tragedy in Southport led to horrific scenes of violence across the UK. Whilst it was appalling to see the actions of a few looking to further entrench dividing lines, the togetherness demonstrated in response represents a glimmer of hope that we can build toward a better future, where people can come together and treat each-other with mutual dignity and respect.
As we look ahead to the coming term of Parliament, it is our opportunity as MPs under a Labour Government to continue to build that hope through a legislative program that will set the building blocks in place for our future prosperity.
There has been no time to waste – work started immediately this week with a whole host of bills put forward to get Britain back on track.
We have seen the announcement of Great British Energy, a publicly owned energy company focused on a long-term plan to invest in our green energy infrastructure, creating jobs for the future and looking to tackle our energy security, making all of our bills cheaper.
We have also started work on the Budget Responsibility Bill, bringing in legislation to ensure that no future Government can have the devastating impact that Liz Truss and her disastrous mini budget wreaked on our economy.
Meanwhile, our Rail Infrastructure Bill, back in the Commons this week, will look to nationalise rail services when their contracts are renewed, putting the public back in control of our rail and giving users a much more reliable system.
Looking ahead, the Government will be introducing even more positive legislation over the coming weeks that will make a real impact on people’s lives.
The Renters’ Reform Bill will finally end no fault evictions, something that the Conservatives promised for years and failed to deliver. The bill will clamp down on bad landlords, forcing them to take action on damp and mould in strict time frames, and prevent them from discriminating against families claiming benefits.
Restrictions on what can be done on land owned by the King will be lifted by the Crown Estate Bill. This will open up new offshore wind and technology projects and help shaped Britain as a leader of clean energy on the world stage.
Our New Deal for workers will outlaw exploitative zero-hour contracts and fire and rehire tactics. Parental leave and sick pay will also be available from day one of a new job, and employees will have greater flexible working rights.
Labour will also come down firm on water companies. Water firm bosses will face criminal liability for not dealing with pollution, and regulators will be able to block bonuses. New ‘severe’ fines will be brought in and customers will get new rights to hold chiefs to account.
All of this underpins Labour’s commitment to fixing the issues that have plagued our communities for so long. Tough choices undoubtedly lie ahead. Years of failure by the Tories have left the economy in a very unstable position, something that Rachel Reeves will have to tackle to get our economy growing and to deliver that growth that we all desperately need.
One of those painful decisions was making changes to Winter Fuel Payments for pensioners. I know how difficult this news was for many people, and it was not something that a Labour Government would ever want to do. But the Tories have left the economy in tatters, and the decisions that we are having to make now serve as an reflection of that. My Labour colleagues are working hard every day to deliver real change, but it will take time, effort and dedication to get us back on track.
We might be returning to business in Westminster, but it is not business-as-usual as we have known it for the past fourteen years. Labour’s legislative programme demonstrates that we are committed to fixing the very foundations of our country and building a better Britain.