This week in Parliament there are several themes under discussion and many of us would like to see Sussex MPs making a response. This afternoon there is debate organised by Elliot Colburn, the Conservative MP for Carshalton and Wallington in North Surrey. The items entitled “e-petitions 633591 and 645885 relating to animal testing and non-animal research methods” The first petition was described “End the use of animals for toxicity tests & prioritise non-animal methods (NAMs)” which achieved nearly 110,000 signatures that was established by Maria Iriart. The more recent petition is “Ban the use of dogs for testing and research purposes in the UK” which began in October last year and will close in April this year. It was proposed by William Young and so far it only has about £31,000 signatures. Along with the petition session there are also several Committees that reference the contributions from Sussex MPs.

Today there is an item related to Foreign Affairs Sub-Committee on the Overseas Territories which involves Henry Smith from Crawley and the Public Accounts Committee which includes Jeremy Quin from Horsham. It refers to “NAO (National Audit Office) Main Estimate 2024-2025” Tomorrow there is Education Committee which includes Caroline Ansell from Eastbourne which addresses “Screen Time: Impacts on education and wellbeing” also a Defence Sub-Committee which comprises Jeremy Quin debating “Developing AI capacity and expertise in UK Defence”. On Wednesday the Home Affairs Committee sees Tim Loughton from East Worthing and Shoreham and address “non-contact sexual offences”. The Environmental Audit Committee takes place at 2pm that includes Caroline Lucas. On Wednesday there are two Committees both of which expect participation from Jeremy Quin and they are both at the same time! The Defence Committee which is “Future Aviation Capabilities” has Jeremy as the Chair and the Public Accounts Committee which includes “Government resilience: extreme weather”

Last week Parliament was not open for MPs but the House of Lords was. On Monday two significant events “School capacity to identify and implement a plan of support for special educational needs” and “Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill” that took place. It was not easy to identify who all of the Sussex contributors were. However, I noted two conservatives Viscount Hailsham and Lord Soames of Fletching and Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb who is a Green member of the House of Lords participated. It would be very helpful if more House of Lords could indicate their representations in the future.

So far, this year there have only been five weeks of Parliament. One of the items that takes place when the Parliament is open are the Early Day Motions which enable MPs that are not members of the Government to raise their interests which can then be proposed to the Government. This year there have been a total of 140 EDMs of which five have been submitted by Sussex MPs. The most productive Sussex MP contributor this year was Caroline Lucas who has written four EDMs which are “Right to Buy”, “Jay Abatan”, “Fuel poverty and the private rented sector” and “Achieving clean air”. She has also signed another 26 EDMs which includes an item provided from Lloyd Russell-Moyle which is “Provision of council homes at social and living rents” on 6^th February. So far, he has only obtained five MP signatures including Caroline, a DUP and four Labour MP’s. He has signed eleven other EDMs which including two of the Caroline’s items. Peter Bottomley from Worthing West who signed one of Caroline’s EDM’s.

The largest support for Caroline’s EDM has been signed by a total of twenty-three other MPs including Lloyd and Peter who were members of the first five MPs that “support the motion are the sponsors”. The other signatures are three Liberal Democrats, four SNPs, all of the others are Labour MPs.

Subsequently there have been another 4 MPs which are 3 more Labour and one more SNP signatures signed on 19th February.

Although it is not the largest EDM in the group it is the fourteen largest of the 140 items. It was published on the 1st February, entitled “Jay Abatan” which expresses the following.

“That this House expresses concern that 25 years after Jay Abatan was killed in a racist attack in Brighton his murderers have still not been brought to justice; notes that Sussex police have apologised to Jay Abatan’s family for the multiple failures in the way the investigation was conducted, as revealed by subsequent reports into his murder; further notes that a 2010 inquest into Jay’s death returned a verdict of unlawful killing; considers that not all the overarching issues raised in the Macpherson report appear to have been addressed; recognises that Michael Abatan has been campaigning since 1999 for justice for his brother and that there are countless other families of the victims of racially motivated murders who have been let down by the criminal justice system; calls on the IOPC to conduct an independent investigation into Sussex Police’s handling of Jay’s death and for a different police force to take over the investigation; and further calls on the Secretary of State for the Home Department to establish and chair a Race Equality Steering Group to help ensure oversight of progress in addressing race equality across all police forces in England and Wales, as recommended by the Home Affairs Select Committee’’

These words from Caroline Lucas focus on a very important issue for Sussex and Brighton and Hove in particular. Let us hope that more Sussex MPs will sign it now that the Government is open again.