I hope you have had a lovely Easter, especially with the lovely weather we have had here in Manchester recently. I know that I certainly have enjoyed this weather whilst campaigning here in Manchester during the Easter Recess from Parliament. 

For the first time in a while, brexit has not been dominating the headlines. The Labour Party are now engaged in talks with the Government to try and find a way through the impasse, after the Prime Minister failed to pass her withdrawal sgreement by her own deadline of 29th March. 

During Prime Minister’s Questions on 3rd April, I asked the Prime Minister for the third time about the issue of Islamophobia in her party, as I had not had a satisfactory response from the Chairman of the Tory party despite writing 3 letters to him. I’m disappointed that the Prime Minster wouldn’t follow the lead of the Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, the SNP, Plaid Cymru, the Mayor of London, Mayor of Greater Manchester, Mayor of Liverpool City Region and many councils across the nation, who have adopted the APPG on British Muslim’s definition of Islamophobia.

Here in Manchester I have been busy helping my friends running in the Local Elections which are on May 2nd. We have an excellent slate of Labour Councillors across the constituency this year, and I am looking forward to seeing them all elected and ensuring that Manchester City Council continues to be a Labour Council.

Remember you can stay up to date with everything that I've been up to by following me on Facebook and on Twitter. And as always if I, or my office, can be of any assistance please don’t hesitate to contact me at afzal.khan.mp@parliament.uk or on 0161 226 5546.

I hope to see you soon.

Best wishes,

Afzal

Afzal Khan MP for Manchester Gorton

Young Leadership Programme

I am holding a Young Leadership Programme for the first time, drawing participants from the constituency. This leadership programme will be a great opportunity to get direct experience of politics, law, media and public affairs.

Participants aged between 18 and 24 will develop key skills for future involvement in politics as well as other sectors. There will also be opportunities to meet high profile figures from the Labour Party. For details on the programme and how to apply please check my website. 

If you know any one who you think would be suitable for this programme, I would be grateful if you can pass on these details to them.

Kashmir Conflict  This week I hosted an event in Parliament to raise the importance of human rights violations and media in Kashmir. This event provided a platform for members of the youth, as well as Kashmiri women activists to share their concerns and experiences. Following the dangerous events in February, where two Nuclear Powers attacked each other for the first time, this event provided a much-needed update on the current situation, as well as a call to action.  Guest speakers included journalists, activists and Parliamentarians, who highlighted the key challenges the media faces in Kashmir- namely the lack of independence and freedom of press. It also included touching testimonies, which reinforced the delicate situation in Kashmir. The human rights violations in Kashmir is an extremely serious situation, however as the 2018 Report of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights highlighted, a resolution is desperately needed for the sake of the Kashmiri People. I was delighted to welcome the President of AJK, Sardar Masood Khan, who provided a crucial update on the situation in the occupied Jammu and Kashmir. I was also pleased to see in attendance, leadership and journalists from Indian Occupied Kashmir, who also came forward and shared their experiences and thoughts. As elected Vice-Chair of the APPG on Kashmir, I hope to continue this important work and hope to see peace and prosperity restored in the region.

Islamophobia Once again, I asked the Prime Minister to address Islamophobia in the Conservative Party, as their party chairman has refused to acknowledge the issue, even after weekly incidents of Islamophobia in the party. The Tories then had another scandal, with Government housing advisor and conservative political theorist Roger Scruton being sacked for making anti-Semitic remarks and denying that Islamophobia is an issue. The dangers of Islamophobia have been illustrated by the attacks in Christchurch, as well as the attacks on mosques in the UK. The Tories must adopt this definition without delay. I have written a briefing for the Labour Party, regarding Islamophobia and how we are combatting it, to be used in the upcoming Local Elections, European Elections and for use in any upcoming General Election which may occur. I wrote a piece in The Guardian about Roger Scruton and the Conservative Party's reluctance to address Islamophobia in their party. On the 14th of April I hosted a roadshow event in Manchester to discuss the APPG’s definition with local authorities and members of the public. This event was a great success, with councillors from across the North West, Kate Green MP and Wajid Khan MEP attending to speak and share their experiences and pledge their support for the APPG's definition. 15 councils in the North West have now pledged to adopt the APPG definition and I am continuing to have conversations with councils and other groups to ensure that this definition of Islamophobia is adopted by all.

With the Student Climate Strikes and the Extinction Rebellion being so prominent in the news, I would like to share with you what I have been doing on this subject. I am backing the Greater Manchester Combined Authority's Clean Air plan, as well as Manchester City Council's own Clean Air targets. 126,000 children in Manchester are currently living areas with unsafe levels of air pollution, which is a statistic which is unacceptable. We need to do more to protect children from toxic air pollution, and I asked the Chancellor to provide funding to protect our children from toxic air here in Manchester during Treasury Questions.

I had the privilege to meet with Ms Offord, the headteacher of Birchfields Primary School, to discuss the new Relationship and Sex Education regulations, and how these new regulations will be implemented in the school. 

There is nothing more important than keeping our children healthy and safe, and the new guidance covers many important issues to support this. Parents have the primary responsibility for educating their children, in addition I believe that RE and RSE should be taught in schools, to support our children as they are navigating the challenges of growing up in an increasingly complex and online world.

I hold weekly advice surgeries across the constituency for local residents. My surgery venues are below, but the times can vary from week to week depending on availability. Please book an appointment to ensure that you get to see me by either calling my office on 0161 226 5546 or emailing me on afzal.khan.mp@parliament.uk.

Please include your full name, address, post code, contact phone number and some details about your case. 
 

1st Friday of the month - Gorton Library, Garratt Way, Gorton, M18 8HE

2nd Friday of the month - Tenants Association House, 38 Meldon Road, Rusholme, M13 0TR

3rd Friday of the month - The Place, Platt Lane, Fallowfield, M14 7FZ

4th Friday of the month – The Inspire Centre, 747 Stockport Road, Levenshulme, M19 3AR

In line with new GDPR regulations, I have updated my privacy policy which you can read here: