Today I tabled a cross-party amendment to the Government's Article 50 Bill with the support of Joint Committee on Human Rights members Karen Buck MP and Jeremy Lefroy MP to ensure human rights clauses feature in all of the UK's future trade agreements with the EU Member States.

Full text of the amendment:

New Clause 165

"Trade agreements and human rights

Before issuing any notification under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union the Prime Minister shall give an undertaking that the Government will seek to ensure that the human rights standards included in future trade agreements with the EU and any other States with which the United Kingdom enters into trade negotiations are at least as high as those in current trade agreements".

New funding formula "will take funds from areas like Southwark which have the greatest need".

Schools are rightly one of the most important issues for people living in Southwark.

The teachers and support staff in our primary and secondary schools are working hard but there is still a long way to go.  Parents, pupils, teachers and the local community all want our schools to continue to improve but now the progress that has been made is under threat.  As happened with the Tory governments of the 1980s and early 90s, once again the Tory government is cutting back funding for schools.

They are harming every area of education for our children and young people, from closing 107 childcare centres across London since 2010, to slashing over £800m from university budgets.  And now they are cutting school funding.

The Tories are about to make the first real-terms cut in the schools budget for over two decades, the steepest our schools have faced since the 1970s. The National Audit Office reports that there will be an 8% cut in funding per pupil in mainstream schools.  This is in stark contrast to when Labour was last in government – we increased school funding, especially for students from the poorest backgrounds and in the 10 years from 2000 to 2010 funding went up 5.1% every year.

Over half of schools up and down the country are facing Tory cuts and it is unlikely any area of the country will be spared. But the cuts are particularly bad for schools and families across Southwark.

The National Union of Teachers has calculated that students in my constituency of Camberwell and Peckham will be the second worst hit in the country – schools are going to lose around £1,006 for every pupil, falling from £6,601 to £5,596.  And Camberwell and Peckham is second only to Bermondsey and Old Southwark – who are the worst hit with estimated cuts of £1,051 per pupil.

Cllr Peter John, Leader of Southwark warns “headteachers will be forced to make difficult decisions, including increasing class sizes, reducing curriculum choice and cutting down on extra support for all pupils.” The NUT are anticipating losses to school staff. Southwark schools already have problems recruiting teachers, particularly heads and deputy heads.

The Government say they are addressing unfairness in school funding between different parts of the country. But the result will be to take funds from areas like Southwark which have the greatest need.

The Council and our schools need more support from central government. As a country we should be enabling all children to learn and fulfil their potential. That requires investment.

Cutting funding for Southwark schools will be a huge backwards step, undoing the good progress they have made in recent years. That’s why I along with Southwark Council will be writing to the Secretary of State to urge her to reconsider and to request a meeting to discuss the impact of the cuts. Labour will oppose these cuts all the way.

Today I tabled an amendment to the Government's Article 50 Bill with The Fawcett Society to protect women's rights regarding the workplace, domestic violence, female genital mutilation and trafficking post-Brexit:

Text of the amendment:

Before issuing any notification under Article 50(2) of the Treaty on European Union the Prime Minister shall give an undertaking to have regard to the public interest during negotiations in:

1. Maintaining employment rights and protections derived from EU legislation,
2. Ensuring EU co-operation to end violence against women and girls, tackle female genital mutilation and end human trafficking will continue unaffected,
3. The desirability of continuing to recognise restraining orders placed on abusive partners in EU Member States in the UK and restraining orders placed on abusive partners in the UK across the EU.
4. To assess and make recommendations for developing legislation on equality and access to justice.

We're encouraging all MPs to sign. For more information contact Rachel Smethers - [email protected] 0207 219 2057.

Full list of signatories:

Yvette Cooper MP

Jess Phillips MP

Stella Creasy MP

Caroline Lucas MP

Rushanara Ali MP

Luciana Berger MP

Roberta BLACKMAN-WOODS MP

Tracy Brabin MP

Sarah Champion MP

Vernon Coaker MP

Mary CREAGH MP

Gloria De Piero MP

Stephen Doughty MP

Angela Eagle MP

Julie Elliott MP

Helen Goodman MP

Kate Green MP

Lillian Greenwood MP

Margaret Greenwood MP

Helen Hayes MP

Margaret Hodge MP

Kelvin Hopkins MP

Rupa Huq MP

Diana Johnson MP

Mike Kane MP

Barbara Keeley MP

David Lammy MP

Rt Hon Fiona MACTAGGART MP

Seema Malhotra MP

Gordon Marsden MP

Stephen McCabe MP

Alison McGovern MP

Lisa Nandy MP

Yasmin Qureshi MP

Naz Shah MP

Virendra Sharma MP

Andrew Smith MP

Stephen Twigg MP

Valerie Vaz MP

Dear Member of Camberwell and Peckham Labour Party,

I'm writing to you to set out why I will be voting for the triggering of Article 50 to begin the process of the UK leaving the EU.  As I write these words I can hardly believe that it has come to this and the magnitude of the implications of the UK leaving the EU.

I have always been a strong supporter of our membership of the EU.  We have, for decades, come to take for granted the many benefits of our membership, from the macro-economic to family holiday travel, from protection of the environment to rights at work and so much more.

There are many reasons that we have come to where we are, many having their origins many years ago.  But we would not be in this situation if we had won the general election in 2015.  It's always a disaster to lose an election (look at the NHS whenever there's a Tory Government) but this election saw the Tories elected with a manifesto commitment for an IN/OUT referendum.

I campaigned for Remain not only in our own constituency but also around the country.  As I met people who were Labour supporters but thought we were for OUT I even went on the IN campaign bus with the Tory Prime Minister to show that Labour was for IN.

But, by the narrowest of margins, we lost.  Camberwell and Peckham voted overwhelmingly for IN.  As did the majority of Labour voters across the country.  But two thirds of Labour MPs now represent constituencies that voted for OUT and the message from those Labour colleagues is we must acknowledge the strong feelings of their constituents.

Now the Government is bringing the Article 50 Bill to the House of Commons tomorrow and there is no "right" answer, only a series of bad ones.  When you are in Opposition it is invariably the case that the Government shapes the context, and in this we can only be reactive to an agenda we didn't set.  That's why we need to be in government again.

Though we lost the referendum, how the Government go about the business of leaving still matters hugely.  If we abandon our economic ties with the EU by leaving the single market/customs union at the very time Trump is retreating into protectionism, we will lose our markets for our exports.  The jobs that will be lost and the people who will suffer most will, as always, be the least well off.  As tax revenues fall the Tories will have the excuse they want to cut public services. If we continue a fight which is lost (Article 50) we will not be able to fight on the important issues which are still at stake.

The Labour front bench will table amendments to protect jobs and rights at work.  As chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights I've tabled an amendment to protect the residence rights of EU citizens (of which there are many in our constituency). And with the support of the Women's PLP I'm tabling an amendment The Fawcett society have drafted to protect the rights of women.

I know that my Southwark colleagues, Neil Coyle and Helen Hayes, will be voting against triggering Article 50 and that many of you who have already written to me passionately believe that I should do the same.  I understand your views - our principles are shared.  So I hope that no one will leave our Party as a result of the front bench position to support Article 50 and my decision to support it.

This is not where I would have wanted us to be.  It is the price of losing.  Now we need to fight for the least worst Brexit and then, crucially, let’s make sure we do everything we can to win next time.

Best wishes,

Harriet

Today along with other members of the Joint Committee on Human Rights Chair I tabled an amendment to the Article 50 Bill to protect the residence rights of EU nationals in the UK. 

Today I visited Old Kent Road Fire Station to discuss fire safety, support for victims of domestic violence and fire brigade funding cuts with the Southwark Borough Commander for Fire Richard Welch. Thanks to all at Southwark Fire Brigade for the vital work they do.

Camberwell & Peckham people have had a raw deal on transport services for years. Today I met SE5 Forum & Helen Hayes MP to campaign to re-open Camberwell Station. This is important especially following the disappointment of the decision for the Bakerloo Line extension. I’m writing to the Transport Minister to demand a meeting to call for the re-opening of the station.

 This morning I joined Brunswick Park Ward Councillors Mark Williams and Ian Wingfield, and the local campaign team in Brunswick Park to talk to residents in Benhill and Samson Road.

Lots of issues were raised including the NHS, housing, aircraft noise & Brexit.