People in Warwick and Leamington and around the country are suffering while this Government fails to act during a cost-of-living crisis. The CBI and many other organisations are calling for the Government to act as a matter of urgency but nothing is happening.

That's why Labour demanded last week that Parliament be recalled. Sadly, the Government is too busy with its leadership election to care.

The Labour Party's fully funded £29billion plan to stop energy bills rising this winter would save the average household in Warwick and Leamington £1,000, get costs under control for the future and help tackle inflation.

It would prevent the energy price cap rising through the winter, paid for by an extra tax from oil and gas giants who are making eye-watering profits.

It means that households across Warwick and Leamington would receive a substantial £44million in savings.

The emergency package would reduce energy demand and lower bills in the longer term by insulating 19 million homes across the country over the next decade through Labour's Warm Homes Plan. A decisive intervention.

For information, I will be releasing a support booklet next week with help and signposting for everyone on how to cope with rising costs.

Elsewhere, it has emerged that in Warwick and Leamington rivers and waterways there have been 204 sewage dumps in 2021.

Astonishingly, this is a low number compared with hundreds of constituencies across the country.

But discharges are on the rise in our towns.

Dumps have increased by nearly 80 per cent, with 83 more in the last year. The number of hours sewage was spewed into our precious waterways increased by nearly 600 hours to reach 1,350 hours.

A reminder that most Warwickshire Conservative MPs voted in favour of legislation that would allow the continuation of sewage dumps in our rivers, waterways and seas. It could have been outlawed last year if they had supported Labour's amendment.

Meanwhile, it was great to be back at Warwickshire Pride in person after two years apart.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the first Pride protest in the UK. I'm delighted that for the first time since Warwickshire Pride started in 2013 that there has been a march as well as a festival.

I've spent many years advocating for the LGBT+ community. I was the only MP in Warwickshire to unconditionally back a ban on conversion therapy in this county after responding to questions from Warwickshire Pride. 

Shockingly, homophobic hate crime has doubled over the last five years and increased by 32 per cent in the past year. Transphobic hate crimes grew by 240 per cent over the five years. I can't help but feel this is, in part, due to the intolerance of those in Government. 

I'd like to thank Dan Browne for all he does as Warwickshire Pride chair. A dedicated campaigner and brilliant organiser – none of this would be possible without him.

It was a real joy to be there.

(Header image via parliament.uk)