Yesterday I welcomed Sixth Formers from the constituency to my first Summer School, where they learnt about Parliament and the role of MPs and their offices. It was a brilliant day and the students asked really insightful questions.

It was brilliant to help Abbas Hussain launch his campaign for the Leen Valley by-election yesterday. The election will be on 20th August - Abbas has really hit the ground running.

Andy has wasted no time in tackling the cost of living. This week Labour have announced that we'll be cutting VAT from electricity bills, capping bus fares at £2, and cutting rates for pubs and clubs by 20%.

It was a privilege to be asked to speak at the opening of Bulwell Arts Festival’s Global Day recently. The Bulwell Arts Festival events are always a fantastic day out and a highlight of the Bulwell calendar. A huge thank you to everyone who made it possible!

This week's announcement will give us councils that match the shape of how people live. By replacing three tiers of council with one, people in Nottinghamshire will receive better services and will be better able to hold their politicians to account.

It was wonderful to be invited to join Rumbletums for their 15th birthday celebrations. Rumbletums is a real Kimberley institution not just for the training they provide but also for giving the community a place to come together. Here’s to the next 15!

Tomorrow is Global Day from Bulwell Arts Festival. Come down to Bulwell Hall Park, off Squires Avenue, NG6 8LF, from 1 pm tomorrow for crafts, music, free books and urban bushcraft! I’ll see you there!

It was a pleasure to be invited to the 7th Nottingham Barrio Fiesta along with the Sheriff of Nottingham. Nottingham’s Filipino community always throw an amazing event and this year was no different, and it’s wonderful to get an opportunity to celebrate their contributions to our city.

June’s Pride in Place family fun day was a great day out, with food, crafts, bouncy castles and tons of excitement about the £20m funding that we’re getting from the government. There were lots of conversations and great ideas about how this money can be used in our community.

Labour is extending national licensing hours so all pubs can stay open for the England match on Monday morning, without having to go through all the red tape. For a 1am kick-off, pubs can stay open to 5 am without asking permission.

The government have announced that we have closed another 20 asylum hotels – the number of people housed in hotels has now dropped by 71%. Labour will close all asylum hotels by the end of this parliament. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgjm61lkl4o

Home Office plan to use more military bases to house asylum seekers

Three new sites in Oxfordshire, Suffolk, and Yorkshire could house about 3,750 asylum seekers if permission is granted.

bbc.co.uk

Conversion ‘therapy’ is abuse, trying to force LGBT+ people to change who they are. This pride month, Labour is bringing legislation to close loopholes, to ban conversion practices and protect LGBT+ people from abuse.

This Saturday there’s a big community fun day at Woodfield Park on Broxtowe Estate to celebrate the government’s Pride in Place funding, bringing £20m to the area. Come along 12-3pm for music, arts & crafts, pizza and a chance to share your ideas on how the money should be used.

MPs’ Statement on Donna Ockenden’s Independent Maternity Review of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust

It was great to join local Bulwell Forest councillors at the opening of the new play park on Rise Park. Even better was to hear Councillor Sam Gardiner announce £100k in funding that the local councillors have secured for brand new play equipment.

Labour’s plan to cut illegal immigration is working. Arrests linked to immigration crime are up by 55%, and we’ve removed over 70,000 people with no right to be here.

If you live or work around Bulwell, you might have seen this pile of fly-tipping, on the River Leen between Tesco and Montague Street. Bulwell deserves better, so I worked with your local Bulwell councillors to get it cleared up and back to an acceptable standard.

It was great to join The Parents Zone for a visit to Whitemoor Academy to help teach the kids about media literacy and staying safe online. If you’re interested in bringing the Be Internet Legends programme to your schools, click below for free resources: parentzone.org.uk/beinternetlegends

Great to join the Co-op Party Midlands Conference celebrating achievements this year and looking ahead. The Co-op Party works with Labour to champion co-operative values, like giving people more control over services and utilities they rely on. Find out more: coop.party

Nottingham folk love a trip to Skegness. But too often it gets off to an uncomfortable start with rammed trains I spoke to EMR; they’ve agreed to double the cars on the busiest Nottingham-Skegness trains this summer! Click below for info and to book ahead eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/summer-skegness

Train travel to Skegness this Summer | EMR

The seaside resort is as popular as ever with our customers, and we are expecting another busy summer as beachgoers head to Skegness for their holidays.

eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk

The Field in Strelley was an open cast mine, but hard work has turned it into one of our best sites for biodiversity. It was great to be shown the ponds, wildflower meadow and hundreds of trees that have brought nature back. Find out about volunteering at fieldstrelley.org

Lovely to join Walk Notts on a community walk around Mill Lakes recently. Their walks are a great way to make the most of what’s around us and make local connections The Walk Notts Festival continues until the end of May – have a look at what’s coming up walknotts.org.uk/walking-with-others

Labour is investing £20m in Aspley, and how it's spent will be decided by a board of residents. I joined the new chair of the board, Dave Tantum, for a walk through the estates to hear his thoughts. If you want to get involved click below and let them know! tinyurl.com/ykxwxa9v

I’m so excited that the extra money from the Bulwell town centre regeneration I fought for is going to fund local community and business grants. Read below for details of each or click the link to read more about the regeneration and all three grants. tinyurl.com/yc3fn43d

Labour has already passed 50 new laws to tackle the cost of living, empower local communities and get a better deal for working people. In today’s King’s Speech we’re going further, with action on energy bills, national security, and making public services fit for the future.

It was great to get to meet the Integrated Neighbourhood Team that serves Bestwood and hear about their work. The team brings together GPs, community nurses, mental health workers, and many more to help get individuals with complex needs the best care.

It was a real treat to visit the Guide Dog training centre in Phoenix Place and see Marjorie and Reuben show off what they’ve learned Guide Dogs are always looking for volunteers to fundraise or to help look after their dogs in training Visit guidedogs.org.uk/how-you-can-help/volunteering for more

Seven and a half years ago, I first introduced a bill to Parliament to make assault of retail workers a specific crime. It’s been a long road but I’m incredibly proud that today our campaign has been successful, and this has become law.

Rights we take for granted - the weekend, the 8-hour day, minimum wage - were won by the work of trade unions International Worker's Day marks those achievements and the years of campaigning that went into them Enjoy the long weekend, and join a union tuc.org.uk/join-a-union