Abba Voyage And Grime Music Hailed By New London Mp In Her Maiden Speech

Evening Standard

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00:00I'm grateful for the opportunity to make my maiden speech with my parents and

00:03husband in the gallery today. I congratulate the Honourable Member for

00:07Eastleigh who gave an impassioned speech showing how deeply they care for their

00:11community, its heritage and in particular the history of caring for refugees and

00:16spoke so lovingly of her late parents. Madam Deputy Speaker, it's the honour of

00:21my life to be elected as the first ever MP for Stratford and Bow. I was born in

00:26East London. I've lived in Stratford and in Bow. I studied at one of our brilliant

00:30local universities, Queen Mary, and to go from local student to local MP in 20

00:35years has been quite the homecoming. And not getting our declaration result

00:40until nearly 6 a.m. really did bring back memories of stumbling home from uni.

00:45I pay tribute to the force of nature, Lynne Brown, who served her home, West Ham,

00:52as the Member of Parliament for 19 years, with 36 years in total of

00:58selfless service to communities in Newham. A true East London girl, her guidance and

01:03support have been invaluable. I have no doubt her contribution to the East End

01:07and public life will continue. I also inherit Bow from my Honourable friend

01:12for Bethnal Green and Stepney, another trailblazer, the first Bangladeshi

01:16origin women elected to Parliament. She's inspired a generation with the

01:20promise of what's possible. Madam Deputy Speaker, while Stratford and Bow is a new

01:25parliamentary constituency, its history is old and rich. The Women's Hall at Old

01:31Ford Road in Bow was home to Sylvia Pankhurst and Nora Smith, the

01:36headquarters of the East London Federation of Suffragettes from 1914 to

01:411924, the beating heart of the East End suffrage movement, the home of the

01:46Match Girl Strike and once to the largest union of women and girls in the

01:51country. Every corner is filled with a history of the struggle for women's

01:55rights and for our voices to be heard, a history that I work every day to honour.

02:00And as a proud granddaughter of a trade unionist and a member of the GMB Union, I

02:05go forward in their memory and continue to fight for working people. Parts of my

02:12constituency have been represented by illustrious political figures,

02:15Charles Key, Keir Hardie, Lansbury and Clement Attlee, who led the Labour

02:21government that created our beloved NHS. So no pressure on this new member. Our

02:27stunning Victoria Park with its breathtaking canals opened to the public

02:31in 1845 and became the People's Park, a centre for political meetings and rallies

02:35with speakers such as William Morris and Annie Besant. And it's not just

02:39political history we're blessed with in Stratford and Bow. I'm sure many

02:43of the honourable members here love nothing more than going home after a

02:46long day sitting in the chamber and putting on their favourite grime

02:50playlist. Well they can thank Bow for playing an integral part in the origins

02:54of grime music, with Roman Road and its beloved, once beloved record shop

02:59producing artists and crews such as Roll Deep and Skepta to name just two. And

03:04over in Newham we have our top boy Kano. I can see I've completely baffled some

03:09members here. So for their taste, which are a little bit more retro, we're also

03:14home to Abba Voyage. And in my constituency is a place where you can

03:20come and spend your money, money, money in some of our brilliant local and

03:23international businesses. And of course you cannot miss it, sitting at the heart

03:28of my constituency, the London Stadium, a place of joy and wonder of the 2012

03:33Olympics and some of our most wonderful sporting achievements. And as this

03:38generation of Team GB Paralympians compete in Paris, I send my wishes to

03:42them. The ability to bring people together that sports possesses is like

03:47nothing else. So it's a privilege and honour to be the Member of Parliament

03:51for the greatest club in world football, sorry Keir, West Ham, and as a hammer

03:56since the 5th of July, I'm proud to forever be blowing bubbles. And I know there's several

04:09Hammers fans on these benches and throughout the Parliamentary Estate,

04:13probably more of us than there are Members in the opposite benches.

04:17Stratford-on-Boat is a wonderful and vibrant and diverse constituency and our

04:22current heritage lives up to its history. Forest Gate, the home of independent

04:26cafes and shops, Forest Gate Pride, the nature and beauty overlooking Wanstead

04:31Flats, the bustling shops of Green Street serving communities throughout East

04:35London alongside mosques, temples, synagogues, gurdwaras and churches. It's a

04:40place that's truly representative of the rich tapestry of cultures and people

04:43that make up our great capital city London. People from all over the world

04:48have come here, come to Stratford-on-Boat to make the UK their homes and my

04:52constituency is a prime example of Britain at its best, with pearly kings

04:56and queens, white European, Indian, Bengali, Pakistani, Chinese, African, Asian,

05:02Middle Eastern, European, Caribbean communities and more living side by side

05:05and working together to make a better society for everyone. Wherever you're

05:10from, you're welcome in Stratford-on-Boat. Mr. Speaker, I'm proud too to have

05:15origins as an East London girl, born in Homerton Hospital, but I was born here

05:19but by fate. I am the daughter of Tamil refugees and the child of a community

05:24that knows what it's like to endure prejudice and persecution. My parents,

05:30proud and patriotic British citizens, came to Britain over 40 years ago but

05:35they didn't simply come here, they fled for their lives, forced to leave behind

05:39everything and everyone they knew and loved, torn from a good and prosperous

05:43life in their prime, starting from scratch in a country unfamiliar, working

05:48multiple jobs day and night to give me the chances that were taken from them.

05:53Britain welcomed my parents with open arms so they could rebuild their lives

05:57and flourish and it was the East End that they first chose to call their home.

06:00This is the London I know and love and it's the story of Britain and British

06:05values at its best. Outward-looking, compassionate, a country where you can

06:10work hard and triumph. Mum and Dad, thank you for everything. Your endurance, your

06:16will to succeed. You are part of the success story of Britain and there's a

06:27story that can be found in every corner of Stratford and Bow and in every part

06:31of Britain. The hope and aspiration for a better tomorrow that all parents have

06:36for their children, the dreams of a safe and secure life and it's this hope and

06:40determination to fight for a better future that this Labour government will

06:43work hard every day to deliver. And whether you were born in Stratford and Bow, came here in

06:48search of a better life or just moved to the best bit of London, whatever your

06:53start in life, I'll make sure your voices are heard and your voices are

06:56valued and I pledge to work day in day out to tackle the root cause of poverty,

07:00to fight for more police on our streets so that women and girls feel safe to

07:04walk home at night, so that parents don't have to worry about knife crime, so that

07:08young men aren't having to look over their shoulder when they walk home after

07:11dark and to fight for an NHS that's here for us in our time of need, where

07:16patients can be seen in wards not corridors. Delivering my

07:21maiden speech during the GB energy debate is apt. Climate change remains one

07:25of the greatest challenges of our time and we must redouble our efforts. Before

07:29I came to this place I worked internationally on climate action with

07:32cities around the world, the United Nations and civil society to help stop

07:36our world going past the point of no return, to ensure that generations who

07:40come after us have a world that's not been destroyed because of our failure to

07:44act or our fear of being bold. Madam Deputy Speaker, finally I feel deeply the

07:50responsibility I have to repay the faith the people of Stratford-in-Bow have

07:54placed in me and the duty I have to be their voice here in Westminster. I'll

07:59work every day for this and for the values and pledges I was elected on.

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