Budget Resolutions
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to make my maiden speech during a Budget debate—a Labour Budget that speaks directly to some of the challenges that first brought me into politics and public service. It is a profound honour to rise for the first time in this House as the Member of Parliament for Holborn and St Pancras, the place that has been home for most of my life. I came to Camden with my family as a child refugee. It is where I grew up and where I went to school, made friends and discovered the opportunities that would shape my life. This Budget speaks to the issues that matter deeply to the people I represent, from the security of a home to the opportunities available to the next generation. Like so many young people growing up in Camden, I spent my time making friends through the universal language of football. On the football pitch, you quickly learn that it does not matter where someone comes from, what language they speak or what their family does for a living. What matters is whether they turn up for their team mates. Those friendships taught me something important about community, long before I entered politics: that we are stronger when we look beyond our differences and recognise what we have in common. As I came of age, Camden continued to give me opportunities and a sense of belonging, and it gave me the responsibility to give something back. For more than 20 years, I have tried to honour that responsibility through community work and public service, campaigning for change and serving in local government, ultimately as leader of Camden council. That experience has taught me that beyond every policy, every budget line and every statistic is a person whose life can be changed by the decisions made in this House. Holborn and St Pancras is a place of extraordinary character. What makes our constituency so special is not just the landmarks, but the extraordinary variety of places and people. From the leafy streets and village feel of Primrose Hill, the independent spirit and community life of Kentish Town and the neighbourhoods and estates of Haverstock to the historic streets, theatres and cultural institutions of Covent Garden, every part has its own story to tell. We are home to thriving local businesses, historic markets, places of faith and community centres. We have students and academics, artists and entrepreneurs, families who have lived here for generations, and people who have made this place their home from every corner of the world. That diversity is our strength. It is one of our greatest strengths. It is reflected in our languages, our food, our festivals and our music, and in the everyday way that we all come together to look out for one another. It is what makes Holborn and St Pancras not simply a collection of neighbourhoods but a community.<span id="635" class="column-number" data-column-number="635"></span> The Roundhouse in Chalk Farm began life as a railway engine shed before becoming one of the country’s most well-known cultural venues that also provides creative access to young people. Legends from Led Zeppelin to David Bowie have played there. It is a reminder that places, just like people, can be given new opportunities and go on to achieve remarkable things. In King’s Cross stands the historic German gymnasium, where sporting events were held at the national Olympian games in 1866, long before the modern Olympic games came into being. My constituency has a sporting legacy stretching back over a century, and I am pleased to make a little history of my own, as Holborn and St Pancras’s first Tottenham Hotspur supporter MP, bringing an end to a rather lengthy period of Arsenal and West Ham dominance in our representation in this House. If supporting Spurs had a dictionary definition, it would read something like this: “To remain eternally hopeful despite overwhelming evidence, and to return, every season, convinced that this will finally be your year.” I hope that combination of optimism and sheer refusal to give up will serve me well in this House. Of course, the West Ham and Arsenal dominance that I mentioned came from the distinguished Labour MPs who represented the constituency before me. I am immensely proud to follow in the footsteps of two men who have given so much to Holborn and St Pancras, and whose contributions to our community and my party deserve to be celebrated. The late, great Frank Dobson represented Holborn and St Pancras for more than 33 years. He was a tireless champion for local people, a proud defender of our NHS and public services, and a politician who never lost sight of the people who were behind the policies. I have a childhood memory of meeting Frank at a community event. I had no idea at the time how much of an important political figure he was; to me, he was simply a nice bearded man who took the time to speak to a child. Looking back, that small encounter captured something important about his connection with the community. He was a familiar face to generations of residents—someone who understood the challenges facing working people and was never afraid to stand up for them. Sir Keir Starmer continued that tradition, representing our constituency for more than a decade, leading the Labour party from opposition back into government, introducing generational reforms to renters’ and workers’ rights, and lifting half a million children out of poverty. I have had the privilege of working alongside Keir through our local Labour movement, and have seen another side of his public service: watching him quietly console bereaved families who have lost young loved ones, and hearing his determination to end youth violence. I pay tribute to both men, with enormous gratitude and respect. I will do my utmost to honour the trust that generations have placed in them, and that the residents have now placed in me. It is also an extraordinary honour to become the first woman, black person and Muslim to represent Holborn and St Pancras in Parliament, and the first British Somali woman to sit in this House. I take great pride in those milestones, and in being elected during Black History Month in a constituency whose town hall proudly commemorates Claudia Jones, the pioneering black woman who founded and hosted Britain’s first Caribbean carnival there. I take pride in those milestones because <span id="636" class="column-number" data-column-number="636"></span>of what they might mean to a young woman or a young girl growing up in our constituency today. I want her to see that her background does not define the limits of her ambition, that there is no ceiling to what she can achieve, and that public life belongs to her, too. One of the issues that first drove me into politics 10 years ago was the rise in homelessness. Alongside people sleeping rough on our streets, families and young people are facing a housing crisis that leaves too many struggling to find a secure, affordable place to call home. That is why I strongly welcome my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s determination to end rough sleeping. This Budget turns that determination into action, with nearly £900 million to tackle rough sleeping and an additional £1.5 billion to support the delivery of social and affordable homes. For constituencies such as mine, this investment is essential. There is another issue that matters deeply to me: the strength of our communities and the bonds that hold us together. Growing up in Camden, I saw different people from different backgrounds, cultures and faiths build support networks and look out for one another. I saw how diversity enriches our lives and how cohesion is built through everyday acts of kindness, friendship and solidarity. But that cohesion is hard won, and we cannot take it for granted. During the election campaign, I experienced attempts to question people’s belonging, sow division, and turn differences into reasons for suspicion and hostility. We must stand firmly against the hateful and divisive forces that seek to pull our communities apart. Hope is not naive; it is what gives us the courage to change lives for the better. My parents taught me to work hard and always give something back to the community that has given me so much. I want every young person in our constituency to have the opportunities that I had. I want families to have secure homes, young people to have access to good jobs and apprenticeships, and our public services to always be there for people when they need them most. To represent this community in Parliament is an extraordinary privilege. Camden gave me hope and opportunity. Now, as the MP for Holborn and St Pancras, I will pass that hope and opportunity to others, and give them the same chance.