Leader of London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham. Labour Councillor for Grove with
@HelenRow
. Constituent needing help? Please email Stephen.Cowan
@lbhf
.gov.uk
A pleasure to be on
@LBC
with
@AlfDubs
who as
@mrjamesob
rightly said, is an inspiration to many of us. Traumatised refugee children must never be a negotiation chip. Please write to your MP and tell them
Yesterday
@Keir_Starmer
asked
@BorisJohnson
not to add new taxes on hard working Britons during the worst cost-of-living crisis since records began. The PM replied with an untruth about
@HFLabour
@LBHF
as
#BBC
reported here: and my letter details.
Dear
@theresa_may
if you're going to cite Nicholas Winton, who rescued thousands of child refugees, please honour his heroic work by reversing your decision to end the
#DubsScheme
- which
@AlfDubs
introduced in Nicholas Winton's memory to save the child refugees of today
Yesterday was Alexander Kareem's (20) funeral. He was a lovely, law-abiding, young man with a bright future. Any information about this murder? Phone 101 quoting reference CAD224/08June. To remain anonymous call Crimestoppers: 0800 555 111
#ThisMustStop
If we close legal routes for lone refugee children, stranded in Europe, to be reunited with their families here, traffickers and people smugglers will be the only winners.
My letter in the
@EveningStandard
@AlfDubs
@safepassageuk
Solidarity with Ukraine. It is always the first step, not the last when an autocracy invades a democracy. Putin must be stopped.
We need; the toughest sanctions, to end Putinโs UK interests, support for Ukrainians, and for Putin to understand NATO stands united and resolute ๐บ๐ฆ
Here's the inspirational legend
@staceyabrams
, asking Londoners to make sure they re-elect
@SadiqKhan
and elect Labour's
@iamritabegum
as West Central London's Assembly Member by registering for an Early Vote by post - which you can do here:
These beautiful testimonies from heros who rescued us from fascism are the essential reason why the fight for Britain to be at the heart of the European Project starts today ๐ช๐บ๐ฌ๐ง๐ช๐บ
Battle for West Kensington & Gibbs Green estates concludes with residents homes saved. Grateful to Delancey's Jamie Ritblat who demonstrated huge integrity. Very grateful to the fantastic residents associations
@HFLabour
@hammersmithandy
Happy to see
@ShaunBaileyUK
thank
@grantshapps
for confirming funding for full restoration of Hammersmith Bridge. Weโve not been informed of that tho. Have written to Mr Bailey seeking exact details.
Boris Johnson and his right-wing cronies want a shock doctrine moment that will help them deliver his sell-out Trump deal. We need a moment of national unity to stand up for Britain and save our NHS
NEW: Boris Johnson's senior aides have ordered Tory MPs to call the EU 'crazy' if it rejects their new Brexit proposals
Internal memo sent tonight reveals how the govt plans to blame Brussels for 'ending negotiations' if talks break down
Read it here:
.
@SadiqKhan
โs call to action for all MPs to end โฆ
@BorisJohnson
โฉโs reckless no-deal cliff-drop nails what needs to happen next ๐ช๐บ๐ฌ๐ง๐ช๐บ
Today, Iโm happy to announce that on May 9,
@HFLabour
โs
@LBHF
will be organising a series of events to celebrate Europe Day ๐ช๐บ๐ฌ๐ง๐ช๐บ
Tonight this child sleeps safely in Hammersmith & Fulham because of the amazing
@safepassageuk
@AlfDubs
and
@LBHF
โs wonderful social workers. Huge respect for the work they do.
I make no apology for offering a warm welcome to all our residents no matter from where they originate. Flying the European Flag is just one of our many ways to show support to our European friends๐ฌ๐ง๐ช๐บ
#ProudlyBritishProudlyEuropean
#StopJohnsonStopTheLies
Delighted Hammersmith will be home to Britainโs first IKEA city store. The new Ingka Centre will help rejuvenate King Street. I look forward to working with Ingka Centres and our residents to deliver something really special here in
@LBHF
When half term begins,
@HFLabour
's
@LBHF
will give every pupil in need free meal vouchers. This will add to other measures we're taking to tackle food poverty. We'll have an even better scheme by Christmas. Thank you
@larryculhane
#ENDCHILDFOODPOVERTY
My dear friend and true Labour hero Councillor Colin Aherne died yesterday. All of us in
@HFLabour
are shocked and devastated. I loved him very much. Hereโs my tribute
Special thanks to
@HarperCollins
for generously donating Paddington bears (Paddington himself a refugee) and other goodies for the Ukrainian children
@LBHF
welcomed today. The Paddington movies were voiced by
@ZelenskyyUa
in
#Ukraine
so these gifts are really special โค๏ธ
Britain has a long, great history of welcoming refugees - until now. Britain is so much better than
@BorisJohnson
@pritipatel
think. Letโs reclaim our heritage and show compassion to some of the most desperate people in the world
This is simply sickening. By closing legal routes for child refugees to seek sanctuary in the UK, the government has expanded the marketplace for organised criminal people smugglers and traffickers to take advantage of these desperate children.
Today's tragic loss of life in the Channel, involving children, is heartbreaking. These deaths are a result of the increasing desperation of refugees as their legal routes to safety close. Without legal routes their journeys are dangerous and traffickers are the only winners.
Interesting to hear
@BorisJohnson
tell Parliament (thanks
@sarahjolney1
) that
@ShaunBaileyUK
is "is going to reopen"
#HammersmithBridge
. That's news to all of us on the government's Taskforce. When will the funds be announced? BTW, Mr Bailey hasn't responded to my letter.
Happy to see
@ShaunBaileyUK
thank
@grantshapps
for confirming funding for full restoration of Hammersmith Bridge. Weโve not been informed of that tho. Have written to Mr Bailey seeking exact details.
The EU flags will still flutter over H&F Town Hall and this one outside my office is going nowhere.
Today the campaign starts for Britain to again be at the heart of the European Project. Itโs where we belong ๐ช๐บ๐ฌ๐ง๐ช๐บ
To French residents of
@LBHF
, I wholeheartedly reaffirm our treasured friendship and warmest of welcomes. Britain and France are important liberal democracies and close allies. Only a fool would seek to disrupt that ๐ซ๐ท๐ฌ๐ง. Salut!
@EmmanuelMacron
It's 7-years-ago today that the breath-taking, London Olympics opening ceremony put a lump in our throats and a proud tear in our eyes. As the saying goes, "The past is a foreign country": boy, I really miss that place... ๐ช๐บ๐ฌ๐ง๐ช๐บ
Not True
@BorisJohnson
. On 13 Dec Londonโs council leaders were advised immediate lockdown needed or Covid uncontrollable in days & unnecessary mass deaths in 2021. All voted for Gov to lockdown. Gov refused. On 20 Dec
@MattHancock
said 2nd wave โout of control'. A crying shame
'We truly did everything that we could, and continue to do everything that we can, to minimise loss of life and to minimise suffering' says
@BorisJohnson
as the UK reaches 100,000 reported Covid deaths
Diesel going, all electric refuse vehicles coming. Another โฆ
@HFLabour
โฉ
@LBHF
first - helping to clean our filthy air and tackle the climate emergency
.
@LBHF
will be the first place in the world to install Arboreaโs ground-breaking bionic leaves to clean our air by producing oxygen and super-absorbing CO2
We're all determined
@LBHF
that, working with our community, we rise to the challenge
#Coronavirus
presents and keep people safe. Here's my statement setting out the changes we've made and how people can work together to help
Today, 5,764 people were given vaccinations at the
@LBHF
#NHS
centres at Stamford Bridge and our King Street. Thank you to all who helped vaccinate and all who turned up and got protected. Check for details of where you can get jabbed tomorrow
Spot on. Addressing this to
@grantshapps
: this is a genuinely serious problem for people on both sides of the river. They need cross-party statesmanship, not crass party politicking. Join with
@SadiqKhan
@Gareth_Roberts_
and me and together, let's fix this bridge and help people
๐ณ๏ธโ๐
@HFLabour
extends a warm welcome to our new residents. No one anywhere should ever face death threats because of their sexuality. Delighted for these young people and that tomorrow they will proudly march with Pride for the first time in their lives ๐ณ๏ธโ๐
Wake up call for
@UKLabour
to get off the fence and speak with conviction about why Brexit is a conservative threat to the long term wellbeing of the British people. We need a
#ConfirmatoryVote
in which Labour must campaign to
#StayInTheEU
So great
@GaryLineker
spared the time to meet these young people at Craven Cottage tonight, declaring โRefugees are a humanitarian issue not a political one. We have to play our part. Every country in the world has to do their bit. And that includes us."
#DubsChildren
@AlfDubs
Hands actually boasted at a public meeting heโd advised the Transport Secretary not to give
@LBHF
any money for the Bridge. He has always been more interested in whipping up anger than fixing the bridge because he thought that would benefit the Conservatives. Heโs a disgrace
If Hands had spent 1% of the effort he puts into party point scoring on persuading his govt to pay their fair share to fix the Bridge maybe we could have made more progress. So far
@LBHF
, despite having half its budget cut by that govt, has paid out ยฃ30m, the govt ยฃ13m.
.
@UKLabour
needs a landslide to win the next general election. Picking the quiet-spoken, consensus-building, Tory-beating David Evans as General Secretary would be a huge step towards doing that. I know, he helped
@HFLabour
win two
Wonderful
@CllrFleur
(Fleur Anderson MP) is such a bright ray of light on such a dark night for the people of Britain. Fleur will be a formidable MP ๐น๐ช๐บ๐ฌ๐ง
Thank you to every single person who voted for me. I am very honoured to have been elected to be your MP and will serve everyone in Putney, Roehampton and Southfields whole heartedly.
In Italy, 793 people sadly died of coronavirus (COVID19) in last 24 hours. The UK death total is 233 which is the same as Italy two weeks ago. What we do NOW is very, very important.
#StayHomeSaveLives
Before
@HFLabour
won the local elections in 2014, I promised we would try and replace the Sands End Community Centre which had been sold by the Conservatives and transformed into luxury flats. Now, the new
@SeaccFulham
is up for a RIBA Stirling Prize โค๏ธ
Excellent decisive win for
@Keir_Starmer
.
@UKLabour
is the most progressive force for change in British history. Under Keirโs leadership it can heal our countryโs wounds and build a progressive, hopeful future for all ๐น๐ฌ๐ง๐น
Brilliant
@BJ_Coleman
improved so much in Fulham: revitalising
#NorthEndRdMarket
, building
@SeaccFulham
, saving Charing Cross Hospital and the West Ken estates & more. Now he can do the same across Chelsea & Fulham. Donโt just hope for better, vote for it
#VoteBenColeman
Huge thanks to all the members who supported me. This is the first step towards saying goodbye to Greg Hands and winning a Labour government. The campaign starts now - join us!
I am very sorry to report that Aldermen Michael Cartwright, former Mayor and Deputy Leader of
@HFLabour
@LBHF
died peacefully at 5am this morning after a long illness. Mike dedicated his life to public service and made a hugely positive contribution
Last night was dreadful for our country. The fight back starts now. It begins by listening and properly understanding what happened.
Boris Johnson shouldnโt get too comfortable. Weโre coming for his atrocious government and next time weโll have the British people with us ๐น๐ฌ๐ง๐น
It was an honour to meet
@Tsihanouskaya
, the heroic elected national leader of Belarus and hear of her brave plight. I pledged
@LBHF
will engage with Belarusโ diaspora and do all we can to support her peopleโs right to democracy & human rights
#StandWithBelarus
#StandWithUkraine
I can confirm Iโm NOT backing Rishi Sunak or indeed Liz Truss. They have both been dreadful for our country and would be awful as our PM
#EnoughIsEnough
#BritainDeservesBetter
Beautiful harmonising made all the more poignant because it was sung by the Ukrainian Chamber Choir this evening at the Hammersmith Christmas Market ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ฆโค๏ธ
As 2021 comes to a close, let's take a moment to remember Alderman Mike Cartwright and Councillor Colin Aherne. Both giants of
@HFLabour
who died this year
I know all of us in
@LBHF
send our love and stand in unity with the victims and with all the good people of New Zealand following this cowardly, murderous attack on innocent people at prayer.
Today, Labour MPs must unite and vote down this dreadful
#Brexit
deal. If they donโt, theyโll have opened the door to ending workersโ rights, a privatised
#NHS
and decades of economic harm in which the poorest will suffer.
My letter thanking
@LBHF
residents for helping Save Charing Cross Hospital and killing off the biggest hospital closure programme in London's history. Please put the poster in your window and show a little love to our NHS. Thank you
@savehfhospitals
@HFLabour
@hammersmithandy
I hope
@David_Cameron
and
@theresa_may
take a moment to listen to this young person and feel shame for failing to put our country first. Thereโs still time for Theresa May to halt this madness by
#RevokeArt50Now
โDavid Cameron made the referendum policy because he didnโt want to risk losing 10 or 15 seats to UKIP and look where it has got usโ
This 16-year-old says the Conservative Party are responsible for Brexit.
#bbcqt
The Conservatives approach to refugees is exactly how they treat the rest of us. Here's
@AlfDubs
and me making the case for a more compassionate, stronger and better country for all (recorded July 2019) on
@progbrit
#ProgressiveBritainPodcast
London has led the UK out of every recession since the end of WW2 but as we confront the latest potentially catastrophic economic downturn our country faces a surprising new enemy: the British government
Grant Shapps has threatened to seize control of Transport for London unless Sadiq Khan accepts package of measures inc higher council tax, pension reforms, larger congestion charge zone and higher fares in return for rescue funding
via
@financialtimes
If we got every adult in Britain to speak up for children struggling with hunger as
@MarcusRashford
has, we'd never loses any votes in Parliament on child food poverty. Glad to be standing alongside so many
@UKLabour
councils + others
#ENDCHILDFOODPOVERTY
Why did
@GregHands
think he could falsely claim he played any role in saving the veterans from homelessness when it simply isn't true? Ask the veterans. Perhaps Greg would like to attend a meeting with the residents of Stoll to explain himself?
Britain has never been so divided in the post war period so this really is the wrong time for the highly divisive
@realDonaldTrump
to enjoy a tax-payer-funded state visit to the UK
On
#WorldRefugeeDay
@alfdubs
says "I am grateful and proud, as a local resident, to know my council hasnโt turned its back on some of the most vulnerable children there are โ those without parents to protect them, stranded in overcrowded and dangerous camps, or sleeping rough"
Itโs very windy, and the rain is torrential so itโs great that we can offer
#roughsleepers
a hot shower, new clothes, meal and support to get off the streets. Please watch this video to see how you can help us.
Delighted Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rt Hon John McDonnell MP found the time to view Capcoโs moribund Earls Court scheme. With such huge market and moral failures government needs to step in. Exactly what
@LBHF
are doing
#CPOEarlsCourt