Reflecting on our election loss, and what the future holds for us now

FIRST of all, thank you to the people of Leicester South who have again put their trust in me to be their representative. It is humbling to be your local MP and I’m so proud to fight for Leicester – the city where I live.

But I can’t deny my deep sadness at the overall General Election result.

Not for my personal interest, but for the people I represent.

Every week we see local people struggle with rising child poverty as more and more local people turn to food banks.

Our NHS is under intense strain after years of Tory underfunding and wider cutbacks. It means everlengthening queues for treatment and cancelled operations.

Too many people are waiting for decent homes and we see more of our fellow citizens abandoned to sleep under threadbare blankets and cardboxes in shop doorways.

And when we should be investing in every child, our schools have seen per pupil funding reduced.

Yet Labour failed in this General Election.

Not only did we go backwards in constituencies we used to hold when in Government, such as

Loughborough, we lost seats that had been Labour seemingly for ever – North West Durham, Bolsover and Ashfield.

The road back for Labour will be arduous, but not impossible, so long as we understand what went wrong and present a vision for the future that chimes with the priorities of people.

Boris Johnson offered a clear three-word message - “Get Brexit

Done” - and made big, big promises to build 40 new hospitals and recruit 50,000 nurses.

He tells us he is going to drive waiting lists down and abolish three week waits to see a GP.

We have now left the European Union, but we are yet to see progress on the promises they have made on the NHS.

There is certainly no sign of the £350 million a week extra for the

NHS that Boris Johnson slapped on the side of his red bus.

In fact, this week in the Commons the Tories enshrined in law continued underfunding of the NHS at levels that will mean patients continue to wait unacceptable times for treatments or languish on trolleys in A&E.

Holding the Government to account on the promises they have made and their failure to deliver for people in Leicester South will be a priority of mine over these coming years.

I will have been Leicester South’s MP for nine years in May and, in that time, I have seen poverty increase and more local services cut back.

We have more cuts to come and Tory MPs cheering Brexit won’t magic away the real-life problems people are grappling with every day here in Leicester.

But I can assure readers that although we may have lost the election, Labour hasn’t lost its determination to speak up on behalf of the people we represent.

A strong voice is needed more than ever and I will continue to provide it.

We have more cuts and Tory MPs cheering Brexit won’t magic away the real-life problems people are facing