TAN DHESI MP

NEWS FROM YOUR MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT

SLOUGH JUNE 2019
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Brexit
We are currently due to leave the
European Union on or before 31
October 2019, faced with the threat
of No Deal and a Prime Minister with
no mandate. I do not believe MPs
can be bystanders if the next Prime
Minister forces through ‘No Deal’
without the consent of the British
people.
I supported a cross-party effort led
by the Opposition to ensure Parliament is not locked out of the Brexit
process. It would have given MPs the opportunity to introduce legislation on
25 June to prevent a new Prime Minister pursuing ‘No Deal’ without the
consent of Parliament.
Disappointingly, this effort was narrowly blocked in the House of Commons.
However, I will not give up on the fight against ‘No Deal’ and for any deal to
go back to the people for a final say to break the current deadlock.

Over-75s’ TV
Licences
This month it was announced that
TV licences would no longer be free
for all over 75s.
By scrapping their manifesto pledge
on this issue, the Tories leave mil-
lions of pensioners at risk of in-
creased social isolation.
With 4 out of 10 older people citing TV as their main source of company, we
cannot exacerbate our loneliness crisis, and allow continued outsourcing of
this issue by the Government to impact the most vulnerable.
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Understanding
Autism
With around 700,000 autistic adults
and children living in the UK, it is
essential that we all gain an under-
standing of their experiences.
I was delighted to attend the Na-
tional Autistic Society's training and
receive a certificate in “under-
standing autism”.
We can all educate ourselves and
do more to help to create a society
that works better for autistic peo-
ple.
As a member of the All Party Parlia-
mentary Group (APPG) on British
Muslims, I recently joined col-
leagues to speak in Parliament
about the APPG’s definition of
Islamophobia.
Islamophobic abuse is abhorrent
and should not be tolerated. Re-
gardless of background we should
all stand together against hatred
and discrimination.
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HCLG Committee
As part of my role on the Housing,
Communities and Local Govern-
ment Committee, I spoke to Shelter
and Crisis about the major short-
falls in Local Housing Allowance,
and lack of available housing. If the
Government wants to reduce
homelessness, they need to change
their welfare policies urgently.
I asked Heather Wheeler MP
(Minister for Housing and Home-
lessness) and Jeremy Swain (Deputy
Director of MHCLG’s Homelessness
and Rough Sleeping Division) about
the Government’s funding for
homelessness reduction, and how
we can use this to help homeless
people, particularly in Slough. Alt-
hough I welcome such funding,
more needs to be done by this Gov-
ernment on dealing with our home-
lessness crisis.
D-Day Memorial
I recently joined the Mayor and
Council Leader at Cippenham Cen-
otaph to mark the 75th Anniversary
of D-Day. Thank you to the Royal
British Legion’s local branch for or-
ganising and well done to all who
attended to pay respect. We must
never forget those who fought fas-
cism for our freedom.
NATO Delegation
I was honoured to be elected as
one of the House of Commons’ del-
egates to the NATO Parliamentary
Assembly, being the UK’s first eth-
nic minority MP to hold this role.
It was great to attend my first ses-
sion in Bratislava, in which I attend-
ed meetings on defence, the recent
EU elections, and security and sta-
bility in Africa, in which I remarked
that Africa’s peace, stability and development are crucial for our own progress
and to deal with the refugee crisis, human trafficking and migration into Eu-
rope. However, we need to treat Africa with respect, as an equal partner and
increase co-operation on defence, development and intelligence sharing.

Local Elections
It was a very successful night for
Labour in Slough, as we held all our
seats and gained two more seats
from the Tories.
Well done to all the candidates and
the amazing volunteers who cam-
paigned so hard. Thanks a lot to the
good people of Slough for continu-
ing to put their faith in us.

European Elections
Glad that the good people of
Slough, thanks to our activists’ solid
campaigning, have put the Labour
Party top in the European Elections,
with John Howarth being re-elected
as our MEP. Slough was the only
place in the whole South East re-
gion in which Labour came first.
However, the significantly reduced
margin and surge for the other par-
ties means that we need to listen,
change course and try to unite our
divided country.
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Heathrow Safety
I spoke at a meeting organised by
Unite the Union and Thompsons
Solicitors, to help launch a cam-
paign for an independent inquiry
into airside safety at Heathrow.
There was a brave, detailed and
moving presentation by the brother
of the late John Coles, Heathrow
engineer who tragically died in an
accident at work.
Safety should be paramount and
we need to get justice for John,
while changing laws/practices to
improve working conditions for all.
The disparity between directors’
and workers’ pay in many large cor-
porations is shocking. During the
detail of making laws on directors’
remuneration policy, I asked the
Government how they are going to
address this problem, and the un-
acceptable issue of the gender pay
gap.
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Meet and Mingle
Such a pleasure to join local Slough
group Meet and Mingle for their
6th anniversary.
The work that founder Aksa Mar-
shal has done has been inspiration-
al in bringing so many across the
community together.
Commonwealth
War Graves
A pleasure to visit Upton-cum-
Chalvey (St. Mary’s) cemetery with
Fiona Smith of the Commonwealth
War Graves Commission.
There are thousands of sites across
the UK with scattered war graves,
some with Commission head-
stones, others with private memori-
als.
Vaisakhi
Thousands attended to celebrate
Vaisakhi in Slough with a Nagar Kir-
tan (procession), singing hymns,
Gatka (Sikh martial art) displays and
much more besides.
I greatly enjoyed the community
spirit, lots of interesting conversa-
tions, selfies, local charities’ stalls
and langar (free community kitchen
food).

National Sikh History & Awareness

Month
It was brilliant to get together once
again for the annual Vaisakhi cele-
brations in Parliament, organised
by Pat McFadden MP (a steadfast
supporter of the Sikh community)
and the British Sikh Consultative
Forum.
This special year (when we’ll be
marking the 550th birth anniver-
sary of Guru Nanak), the occasion was given added significance, as we
launched the National Sikh History and Awareness Month.
Well done to my good friend Seema Malhotra MP for her leadership on this,
along with so many other colleagues, as we’ve all worked hard together in the
background for the last few months to make it a reality.

LGBT+ Rights
17th May was International Day
Against Homophobia, Biphobia and
Transphobia. It's imperative that we
always stand together against ha-
tred and discrimination, especially
in the face of rising hate crimes
against LGBT+ people in the UK. We
must do more to ensure the safety
of this community and continue to
fight to protect their rights.
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Sikh Politician
of the Year
Thank you so much Akaal channel
for bestowing me with the ‘Sikh Pol-
itician of the Year’ award.
An incredible honour and I will
strive to live up to your/others’ high
expectations.
Climate
Emergency
The evidence is clear and urgent
action needs to be taken. We need
to declare an environment and Cli-
mate Emergency.
I will work with like minded MPs
and activists to make this a priori-
ty.
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Housebuilding
Visit
The great thing about House of
Commons Select Committees is
that, along with scrutinising and
holding the Government to ac-
count, there’s lots to learn.
Really informative trip to Swan
Housing Association modular hous-
ing factory & NU Living Homes in
Basildon with Housing, Communi-
ties & Local Government Commit-
tee members and the National
Housing Federation.
Gurdwara Visit
It was an honour to join Jeremy
Corbyn, John McDonnell, Sikhs for
Labour and others at Sri Guru
Singh Sabha, Southall.
Within my speech, I spoke of
shared Sikh and Labour values, and
the importance of countering the
rise of the far-right by voting in the
European elections.
Talking
Newspaper
I met with the team at Slough Talk-
ing Newspaper recently to receive
their 2,000th edition!
They have been producing an audio
version of Slough's local newspa-
pers for the past 40 years, helping
many with visual impairments keep
up to date. Huge congratulations
on this milestone, and your brilliant
work for the community. Here's to
another 2,000.

Turban
Awareness Day
Great efforts by Chardi Kala Turban
Academy at the Curve, to raise
awareness, with an exhibition and
actually tying turbans.
Note that thanks to the efforts of
trade unions and others, Sikhs
were able to overturn discriminato-
ry laws in the 1960s, so that they
could work on public transport etc,
and wear their turbans.
Thanks also to Seema Malhotra MP
and the Sikh Channel for helping to
organise a similar event in Parlia-
ment, and to all the MPs who very
kindly tried on a turban.
After the horrific racist attack on
one of my turbaned guests outside
Parliament last year, we knew we
had to turn such a negative experi-
ence into a positive one.
We must rise above hatred and ed-
ucate one another about our herit-
age, religion and culture.

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Slough Charity
Mela
Superb effort by the Slough Sports
and Culture Society, whose volun-
teers organised (for the 2nd year in
a row) the Slough Charity Mela, at-
tended by thousands. Within my
speech, I highlighted their immense
contribution towards the Punjabi
language, music and culture, along
with efforts to promote fitness and
community cohesion.
I've been contacted and met nu-
merous constituents deeply con-
cerned about the Loan Charge. It is
ridiculous that there hasn't been
the full and proper promised re-
view into this issue as it has had
such a huge impact across the
country. Those affected deserve
adequate support, considering that
the charge has had huge conse-
quences on the mental health of so
many individuals and their families.
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Frimley Health
Trust
It was wonderful to meet the staff
at Frimley Health and learn more
about the good work of the Chest
Clinic in Windsor. Had a roundtable
discussion with the Chief Executive
and senior staff, and even took part
in a singing for lung health session
in the local Scouts Hut! A thorough-
ly enjoyable and informative visit.
Anguilla Fun Day
Anguilla Day fun day gave my wife
and me the chance to join in cele-
brations with the largest population
of Anguillians outside of the Carib-
bean - which happens to be Slough.
Well done Grace and other Anguilla
Community Group volunteers. A vi-
brant community that has enriched
the town.
IPP Sentences
I secured and led a debate on the
issue of Imprisonment for Public
Protection sentences. Despite being
banned in 2012, over 2,000 prison-
ers remain in custody indefinitely
on IPP sentences and over 90%
have served their minimum sen-
tence.
Many of those who were sent to
prison on a short tariff have effec-
tively had their imprisonment
turned into a life sentence. I urged
the Government to take action to
end this uncertainty. Our justice
system needs to rehabilitate prison-
ers and be proportional and fair.

Show Racism the Red Card

Despite the excellent work of Show
Racism the Red Card and many oth-
er brilliant organisations, discrimi-
nation still exists in sport during
games and on social media.
I raised this issue in a debate on
‘Discrimination in Sport’ in Parlia-
ment to ensure discrimination of all
forms is eradicated from sport. We
need much stronger action from
both the Government and social
media companies on this important
issue.

Multilingualism
It was a pleasure to join Afzal Khan
MP to celebrate “Our Citizens’ Many
Languages” event. Languages are
hugely important to our society and
we should encourage more people
to learn an array of languages.
Great to hear of the fantastic work
being done to make this a reality.
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Veterans’
Citizenship Fees
Commonwealth citizens have long
made significant contributions to
the defence of the UK. These brave
soldiers risk their lives, yet are
faced with fees for a family of near-
ly £10,000 to settle here.
It's time the Government reviewed
these exorbitant fees, which have
risen 127% in five years, and do
more to show how valued our dedi-
cated service personnel are.
Mayor’s Awards
Wonderful to join the outgoing
Mayor of Slough Paul Sohal in the
Mayor’s Parlour for his continuing
initiative to present Community
Awards to those individuals who
have made a significant positive
contribution to the local communi-
ty and our society.
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Amritsar Flights
This month I met with Baroness
Vere (Transport Minister for Avia-
tion) to discuss the huge demand
for direct flights between London
and Amritsar. This route is vital in
connecting the world to this cultur-
al, tourist and spiritual destination.
I will continue to raise this (on be-
half of interested constituents who
have contacted me) to ensure this
much-needed route opens.
Peterborough
By-Election
I joined MPs and activists in the re-
cent by-election, and was delighted
to help contribute to Labour’s victo-
ry. Thanks to Labour’s strong cam-
paign against public spending cuts,
Lisa Forbes was elected as Peter-
borough’s new MP, seeing off a
strong challenge from the Brexit
Party and the Tories.
Western Rail Link
As Co-Chair of the Western Rail Link
to Heathrow APPG, I met with rep-
resentatives from Network Rail,
Great Western Rail, the Department
for Transport, Slough Borough
Council and others in Parliament to
discuss ways to move forward with
this vital project, while fully taking
into account local residents’ con-
cerns.

Drowning
Prevention Week
I am proud to support the Royal
Life Saving Society's Drowning Pre-
vention Week to promote water
safety and help prevent drowning
accidents.
This is part of my long-running
campaign to stop water-related
deaths, following a number of trag-
ic incidents in Slough’s Jubilee Riv-
er.

Jallianwala Bagh
Massacre
I recently joined Anita Anand to talk
about her book, the Patient Assas-
in, all about Shaheed Udham
Singh’s life and his experiences dur-
ing and after the 1919 Jallianwala
Bagh massacre.
I have co-signed a letter asking for
an apology on behalf of the nation
for the horrific events in Amritsar in
1919, in the centenary year of the massacre. It has caused lasting pain in the
subcontinent and for UK citizens with family ties there. Hundreds of inno-
cent people were mercilessly killed and it is deeply saddening that no British
Prime Minister has formally apologised.
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Mayoralty
Huge congratulations to new Slough
Mayor Cllr Avtar Kaur Cheema and
Deputy Mayor Cllr Preston Brooker,
with whom I was pleased to attend
the Council’s recent Mayor-Making
Ceremony, along with the Mayor’s
Consort Cllr Harpreet Kaur Cheema
and Deputy Mayoress Shirley Brooker. They will serve and represent the
good people of Slough with distinction.

Ways to get in touch

Phone 01753 518 161 (Slough)
020 7219 1946 (Parliament)
Email tan.dhesi.mp@parliament.uk
Web www.tsdhesi.com
Post Tan Dhesi MP, 52 Chalvey High Street, Slough, SL1 2SQ
Visit Office: Mon-Fri 10am-4pm
Tan Dhesi @TanDhesi tan_dhesi_mp
TanDhesi Tan Dhesi MP

Advice sessions
I held five advice sessions this
month across Slough, and my team
and I met dozens of constituents
seeking help on a wide range of
matters. If anyone you know needs
help with their issues, please ask
them to get in touch:
1st Friday of each month (2.30pm - 3.30pm) at the Britwell Centre, Wentworth
Avenue Parade, Britwell, SL2 2DP
1st Friday of each month (4.30pm - 6.30pm) at 52 Chalvey High Street, SL1 2SQ
1st Sunday of each month (11.15am - 12.15pm) at Manor Park Community
Centre, Villiers Road, Manor Park, SL2 1NP
3rd Friday of each month (2.30pm - 3.30pm) at Langley Library, Trelawney
Avenue, Langley, SL3 7UF
3rd Friday of each month (4.30pm - 6.30pm) at Slough Advice Centre, 27
Church Street, SL1 1PL
There are no advice sessions in August or on Bank Holiday weekends.
Promoted and printed by Christine Hulme of Slough Labour Party, on behalf of Tan Dhesi MP, both at 52 Chalvey High Street, Slough, SL1 2SQ.
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