What has Laura Farris been up to today?
Laura Farris is MP for Newbury and a member of the Conservative party.
Laura Farris has 7739 followers on Twitter.
The International Criminal Court was established #OnThisDay in 2002 to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity & war crimes. The first hearing was in 2006 when Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, a Congolese warlord, was accused of recruiting child soldiers. ⚖️
It’s now for certain - in July we’ll legislate to increase most criminal legal aid fees by 15%.
New rates apply from 30 Sept 2022 to schemes inc: police station; magistrates; AGFS & parts of LGFS. Good news for criminal barristers & solicitors. My stmt👇
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2022-06-30/hcws168
Enjoyed speaking at the @NewStatesman justice roundtable this morning on tackling fraud and online crime and giving ex-prisoners the best chance of success. #NSPoliticsLive
Even though it’s just outside my constituency, I’ve known Theale Green all my life and it’s amazing to see how far it’s changed and progressed as a school. 👏 👏
All children should have the opportunity to enjoy music and sports at school ⚽🏸🎻🎤
We're helping more schools like @ThealeGreen to provide an enriching curriculum that inspires young people to be active and love music 👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽
Such a brilliant day celebrating a special place, and everything they do for children & families in Hungerford.
With @Laura__Farris MP, Peter Joseph and Dennis Benneyworth at the 80th anniversary of the outstanding Hungerford Nursery School. Our thanks go to legendary Head Suzanne Taylor and her team for making this a magical place!
Today, the Supreme Court not only reversed nearly 50 years of precedent, it relegated the most intensely personal decision someone can make to the whims of politicians and ideologues—attacking the essential freedoms of millions of Americans.
So support this bill by MP @Laura__Farris
Perpetrators of sexually motivated manslaughter face long prison sentences if she succeeds in changing sentencing law. Too many 'rough sex' killers got less than 6 years.
We say Govt must take this bill forward
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/conservative-richard-wheeler-government-ministry-of-justice-newbury-b1007898.html
Ministers are being pressed to guarantee longer prison sentences for those responsible for sexually-motivated manslaughter.
I spoke with Conservative MP @Laura__Farris about her private member’s bill…
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/conservative-richard-wheeler-government-ministry-of-justice-newbury-b1007898.html?amp
1,400 girls were abused, trafficked and groomed in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.
Not a single police officer has lost their job, despite serious failings identified by an IOPC investigation into the grooming scandal.
@clarefallon reports.
https://www.channel4.com/news/rotherham-abuse-scandal-calls-for-more-accountability-after-iopc-report
If the new Bill of Rights will not apply to overseas military operations, then we need to make very sure that torture and human rights abuses can still be identified & prosecuted.
My question to the Secretary of State earlier:
Yesterday I presented my Sexually-Motivated Manslaughter (Sentencing) Bill to Parliament.
It sets a minimum sentence of 12 years & ends the current anomaly where the max. sentence for non-fatal strangulation (5yrs) exceeds the sentence in recent cases of *fatal* strangulation
Trade union membership has halved over the last 40 years and reading tweets like this - pitting one category of worker against another - it’s not hard to see why.
On the picket line at Bromley.
I'm a trade unionist, I will always stand on the side of the workers.
Solidarity @rmtunion
#TubeStrike
#railstrike
@seanelliott007 @JimfromOldham It’s a dreadful statement, with no acknowledgement of the scale of the horror of what happened to teenage girls in the town - the tone is Oldham’s only like everywhere else. There’s no sense of shame, no apology. And two of the signatories are leading members of Starmer’s team.
The people really hit with this Labour supported rail strike are those who cannot work from home.
They tend to be lower paid workers. The kind of people Labour used to care about.
William Rufus’s spectacular Westminster Hall, blt 1097, and still awe-inspiring in 2022. This was John Bradshaw’s view as he and his fellow commissioners tried Charles I for high treason. How small the king must have looked. What a spot! #restlessrepublic #stuarts #charlesi
Last week, local MP @Laura__Farris joined our CEO Diana Arbuthnot to learn about the Charity’s roles & responsibilities & how RoR creates opportunities for former racehorses to participate in a range of equine disciplines when they retire from racing. #VersatileRacehorses
This is so important in areas like West Berkshire where there is limited available land & residents have legitimate concerns about the effect of development on the countryside and their communities. I’m grateful to @michaelgove & his team for listening to us & this new direction
Changes to planning are designed to restrain new building in the South-East, Michael Gove tells Commons Levelling Up committee
Important move - and follows a lot of concern up and down the country, including constituents via MPs, such as @Laura__Farris and @RicHolden https://twitter.com/KwasiKwarteng/status/1535917232013856768
Fuel prices⛽️
I’ve asked the @CMAgovUK to conduct an urgent review of the retail fuel market, as well as a longer-term investigation under the Enterprise Act.
Fuel prices are always quick to go up but slow to come down - let’s see why.
Labour are wrong. More disruption on rail services will mean less people use the trains = less train revenues = less pay and eventually job losses for rail workers.
Labour and militant union action are going to leave workers worse off.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jun/09/labour-frontbencher-lisa-nandy-comes-out-in-support-of-rmt-strike?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=twt_b-gdnnews&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1654759153
.@DXWQC was always going to be a tough act to follow but my warmest congratulations to Sir Christopher, who will be a huge asset to team @MoJGovUK following his excellent Review of Criminal Legal Aid.
Great to welcome Sir Christopher Bellamy QC to the Department as our new Lords Minister.
Looking forward to working together to deliver our vital justice agenda, focusing on the constitution, human rights, and civil and family justice.
End of an epic weekend!
Sincere thanks to everyone in West Berkshire who organised an event & paid tribute to the Queen in the most brilliant and creative ways.
You did her proud 🇬🇧#PlatinumJubilee
“I have been humbled and deeply touched that so many people have taken to the streets to celebrate my Platinum Jubilee.”
As the #PlatinumJubilee weekend draws to a close, Her Majesty has sent a thank you message to all those who have marked her 70 years as Queen.
I am so proud of my friend and brilliant campaigner @Louise_m_perry - fast becoming one of the most interesting & important feminist voices out there.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/743de472-e34d-11ec-8bdd-c253e043f5f0?shareToken=0b1717136cb8bfbc96d7699ab4098191
Tonight, the Palace of Westminster is joining in the Jubilee festivities. The building is illuminated purple as Her Majesty The Queen celebrates her 70th year on the throne.
If you're nearby, why not snap your own photo of this beautiful scene too? 💜
#PlatinumJubilee #HM70
Can’t pretend I managed it with quite the elan of Her Majesty but it was an honour to light the beacon in East Ilsley tonight - a place close to the Queens heart 🏇💙
She ascended the throne in the era of rationing & her reign is integral to our nation’s story through the post-war period & into the new millennium. Few of us have any recollection of life without her.
Thank you for your extraordinary service Your Majesty 🇬🇧#PlatinumJubilee
I am delighted that West Berkshire Council has secured this Government investment.
The route from Stockcross into Newbury is perfectly suited for walking/cycling & gives people a viable way of getting into town without their cars. Congratulations @LynneDoherty_ and @Somnerr
We are receiving a £280,000 Active Travel Funding Grant for walking and cycling improvements along the B4000 between Stockcross and the A4/A34 junction!
A great morning with a fantastic team of @WBerksCons Councillors
Thank you @Laura__Farris and @WBerksCons for support getting my latest newsletter out to residents of #Newbury #Speen. Great to spend 🌞 morning talking to residents about the work we are doing for them @WestBerkshire
Confirmation in the @UKHouseofLords of the #DownSyndromeBill receiving Royal Assent last week to become the #DownSyndromeAct. This legislation makes England the first country in the world to recognise those with #DownSyndrome under law. @NDSPolicyGroup
I’m proud to have secured the investment for Crossrail over a decade ago, and thrilled the Elizabeth line will soon spring into action & transform journeys for millions of people.
Long-term investment pays off, and we’re continuing to invest in big projects right across the UK. https://twitter.com/Crossrail/status/1521772870942138368
OPENING SOON: Some exciting news about the opening of the #Elizabethline. London’s newest railway will open on Tuesday 24 May 2022.
At long last 🙌! Great news for anyone in W Berks who commutes to London & needs to get across town.
Direct services from Reading and will slash journey times through the city:
Paddington ➡️ Liverpool St - 10 mins
Paddington ➡️ Canary Wharf - 17 mins
OPENING SOON: Some exciting news about the opening of the #Elizabethline. London’s newest railway will open on Tuesday 24 May 2022.
The Murad Code is a vital step to ensure justice for survivors of sexual violence - setting global standards for safe and effective evidence gathering.
Rape and sexual violence continue to be used in conflict, including in Ukraine. Perpetrators will be held to account. https://twitter.com/FCDOGovUK/status/1514191565274628099
Today we jointly launched the Murad Code at the @UN Security Council alongside Nobel Peace Prize winner @nadiainitiative & @InstituteIntl
Spearheaded by Nadia, this will enable survivors of sexual assault to record their experiences safely and improve their chances of justice.
We are delighted to see that £8m was spent in West Berkshire as part of the £2.6bn spent on the flooding and coastal erosion programme – providing vital protections, delivering more than 850 defences, protecting over 314,000 homes, and saved the economy £28bn in avoided damages.
My message to XR activists gluing themselves (?!) to my Department:
You cannot - and we won’t - switch off domestic oil and gas production.
Doing so would put energy security, jobs and industries at risk - and would simply increase foreign imports, not reduce demand.
“Banning” fire & rehire is fraught with difficulty: employers in dire straits may have no choice but to renegotiate terms to avoid redundancies.
But the Government has committed to a new regime to crack down on bad bosses & protect jobs. I explain how:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/b7c5678a-b8df-11ec-94e5-2197dead5942?shareToken=d818d3c2cf289b1523dcb575c50f5fd2
The Ukrainians have the courage of a lion.
President @ZelenskyyUa has given the roar of that lion.
The UK stands unwaveringly with the people of Ukraine.
Slava Ukraini 🇬🇧 🇺🇦
because they bloody can
NEW: Additional UK lethal aid to support Ukraine against Russia’s continued illegal assault:
➡️ 120 more armoured vehicles
➡️ New anti-ship missile systems
➡️ All in addition to the £100m of high-grade military equipment announced yesterday
BREAKING: Ukrainian intelligence has published a full list of Russian soldiers stationed in Bucha to help identify them for committing war crimes.
Given strong evidence of war crimes, including reports of mass graves and heinous butchery in Bucha, Russia cannot remain a member of the UN Human Rights Council.
Russia must be suspended.
Russia’s despicable attacks against innocent civilians in Irpin and Bucha are yet more evidence that Putin and his army are committing war crimes in Ukraine. 1/4
Following my letter to the Insolvency Service last week, formal criminal and civil investigations into P&O Ferries have now commenced.
Transport Secretary @GrantShapps and I will continue to follow this matter closely as the investigations progress.
We’re making work pay with a £1,000 salary boost for full time workers on the National Living Wage – the largest ever cash increase.
From today around 2.5 million people across the UK will benefit from the increases to the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage. https://twitter.com/beisgovuk/status/1509772549424443401
2.5 million UK workers will receive a pay rise as National Living and Minimum Wages go up today.
Those 23+ and working full-time will get an extra £1,000 a year - the largest ever cash increase.
Want to know the new hourly rates? Check here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pay-boost-for-millions-as-national-minimum-and-living-wage-rates-go-up-from-today
Powerful package of measures announced today to give seafarers robust rights and remedies in law.
Vitally, closes the National Minimum Wage loophole that allowed operators to pay as little as £2ph outside British waters.
Making the whole P&O debacle a colossal waste of money.
Sec State agrees with @Laura__Farris proposal for injunctions compelling a defaulting employer to consult. Interesting...
Last time I came up here it was horizontal rain & howling wind.
Not today. A glorious morning with Sports Minister @HuddlestonNigel & trainer to the champs Nicky Henderson @sevenbarrows talking about the Lambourn racing industry and its recovery from the pandemic.
Requiring local police forces to publish the number of reported rapes that make it to court & giving victims the chance to give evidence privately & at an early stage have been proven to work. They are significant tools in improving rape prosecution rates
We are determined to secure justice for more victims of crime.
Today we are publishing local criminal justice scorecards to increase transparency across the system. (1/3)
Excellent work by @CommonsTrans & @CommonsBEIS today - Select Committee work at its best. The absolute disregard for fundamental employment laws or even the basic dignity of P&O staff was hard to watch.
P&O Ferries CEO Peter Hebblethwaite tells MPs there is "absolutely no doubt" the company was required to consult with trade unions before sacking 800 of its staff but "we chose not to do that".
Latest: https://trib.al/MIcU8HP
📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube
However you try spin it, P&O Ferries has ripped up 800 workers’ rights and hung them out to dry.
I've instructed a FULL review of our maritime employment laws and will be strengthening protections for seafarers’ minimum wages – I will share an update in the coming days.
So sorry to hear of the death of Madeleine Albright.
She was the first female US Secretary of State and a huge champion of freedom and democracy.
We need to stand by these values now more than ever.