I stood for re-election this year with a clear commitment to prioritise tackling deprivation in our community. In Norwich, more than one third of children are living in poverty (Joseph Rowntree Foundation 2024). Just a few months ago, I raised in Parliament the issue of child hunger and malnutrition, which stuck with me following a visit to West Earlham Infant and Nursery School.

Today in Parliament, I welcomed the that the Labour Government has announced a Child Poverty Task Force. This is a clear response by the Government to those in our party, and in civil society, who have been urging action on issues likes the 2 child limit.

If done properly, this Task Force has the potential to lift thousands of children from Norwich and millions beyond out of hunger and hardship. It has the potential to give ALL our children the start in life they deserve. A start denied to them, by the last Government.

In that context, today in the House of Commons I urged the Government to go further on its Child Poverty Task Force.

We could build new institutions and put power in the hands of those that need it most.

One of the lessons I learnt watching a Conservative govt close down Labour’s much beloved SureStart centres, was this.

If we give communities the ability to wealth-build and thus help themselves, the institutions built couldn’t simply be ‘switched off’ by an incoming govt, hostile to poverty reduction.

The late and great Robin Cook understood this. He lamented Labour Govt’s that “never change the system because they think they don’t need to. Yet, when they lose, they have no power to change it.”

So, we have an opportunity to go beyond simply going back to past measures. The Child Poverty Task Force can make inter-generational and last change; change that is systemic and institutional. This is what I will be advocating for.

The Labour Secretaries of State who jointly wrote to MPs to announce the creation of a ministerial task force, said that they were “keen to hear from parliamentarians directly about their priorities and concerns”.

I will be consulting with community organisations in Norwich who work on the issue of child poverty, so they can share their priorities and suggestions with me. Informed by the community I have been re-elected to serve, I will then advocate to Government for a range of measures that Norwich South needs to see happen, to eradicate child poverty in our community.

Below you can watch part of my speech in Parliament where I spoke about the Child Poverty Task Force.