NEATH LABOUR CANDIDATE CHRISTINA REES INTERVIEW

With the forthcoming Election almost upon us we asked Christina Rees for her views on a number of subjects – here are her responses.

The coming election is possibly the most important in a generation, what in your opinion are the main issues? 

We must put an end to almost a decade of Tory austerity and under-funding of the Welsh Government and Local Authorities in Wales. Neath, Wales and the U.K. has suffered from over nine years of austerity brought about by successive Tory Governments whose polices were a choice, rather than a necessity. The richest have seen their income grow by nearly 5%, whilst the poorest have suffered from decline. Real wages are lower than they were when the Tories came to power in 2010 and the National Living Wage hasn’t kept up with the cost of living. There are a record number of households in poverty. Labour will, introduce a real living wage of £10 per hour for everyone over 16 and guarantee there will be no increases in VAT, personal NI contributions and income tax rated for 95% of the workforce. We will rebalance power between employers and workers, tackle the gender pay gap and increase employment and promotion opportunities for women. The Tories have cut back on the welfare state, which should be a safety net for those in need. The pernicious Bedroom Tax, resulted in families being forced to move to smaller properties, of which there were too few to furnish to demand, or be plunged into debt because they would not afford the cost of a so called “spare room”. Families were forced to put their children into one bedroom. Seriously ill people and those with disabilities, who needed a room to store their medical equipment, were forced to pay the extra from money they did not have, or be crammed into a smaller property. If we had been elected in 2015, U.K. Labour would have scrapped the Bedroom Tax, as we will do if elected on the 12th December.The roll out of Universal Credit has created misery and hardship, and plunged families and single people into debt. The 5 week wait has forced people to seek help from local food banks or take an advance from the Job Centre to tide them over. But this is simply a loan, which borrowers will have to pay back at some time, putting extra strain on their minimal income, when Universal Credit is eventually granted, or borrow from loan sharks, who are feeding off poor people. We will scrap and replace Universal Credit with a social security system dedicated to dignity, universality and end poverty. We will implement an emergency package of reforms to mitigate some of the worst features whilst conducting a complete review of Universal Credit to prevent people who are on the system suffering further and prevent people being put onto Universal Credit in the future. We will lift up to 300,000 children out of poverty by scrapping the two-child limit and benefit cap. We will introduce fortnightly payments, suspend sanctions and end the digital only approach. We will protect women by making split payments the default and reduce homelessness by paying the housing element direct to landlords.I have been contacted by hundreds of people who have been transferred onto Personal Independence Payments and whose payments were stopped. In many cases, the assessments were flawed, the decisions were incorrect, and my caseworkers were able to overturn these damaging decisions at the first stage, or at tribunal stage. The Labour Party was the first to declare a Climate Emergency – First Minister Mark Drakeford in the Senedd and Leader of the Opposition, Jeremy Corbyn in Westminster. Labour’s Green New Deal will tackle the Climate Emergency. Under the Tories, investment in green energy was cut three years in a row. Fracking has continued, and year after year the Government’s own carbon emission targets have been missed. We are committed to starting a Socialist Green Industrial Revolution which will have the most ambitious climate targets of any country in the world and invest in green infrastructure on a massive scale and work towards net zero emissions by 2030. We will invest in electric cars and low carbon infrastructure to cut pollution.We will restore full trade union rights and workplace rights, roll out collective bargaining to enable workers to get their fair share of what they produce. As a Labour Cooperative Candidate, I believe in mutual shared ownership. All of the Tory policies I have listed have resulted in increases in homelessness. The U.K. Tory Government do not care. 

Brexit has rumbled on and on, how much do you think it’s becoming a distraction from domestic issues?

Brexit has the potential to be biggest peace-time crisis in British history, and we have been clear we must stop a damaging bad deal or, even worse, a catastrophic no-deal Brexit. Brexit is not a distraction, the outcome is very important to the future of Neath, Wales, the U.K. The Tories have had over three years to sort out a deal and all they have created is divisions within their party and across the country. The Labour Party accepted the result of the 2016 Referendum and we would have negotiated a deal that would have protected trade with our closest partners, with tariff-free access to a single market, protected dynamic workers rights, maintained a level playing field for food regulations and protected the devolution settlement. No deal was never mentioned during the referendum and was never an option for the Labour Party. However, Mr Johnson has said time and time again that he will take us out without a deal, which would leave Wales worst off than being in the EU and no one voted to be poorer. Mrs May’s deal was voted down three times in Parliament, because it was a bad deal. May’s deal created a backstop for Northern Ireland, to maintain a customs union and single market until a trade deal with the EU and other countries could be negotiated. But Mr Johnson’s deal is even worst, it creates a border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and a border down the Irish Sea for imports and exports. He did not want Parliament to scrutinise his deal, despite securing its Second Reading, but instead, he called a General Election. Under Mr Johnson’s deal, businesses will have to complete forms, costing between £15-57 every time they trade through our Welsh Ports. Parliament is log-jammed. We have to break the impasse by trusting in the people to have a final say. Only Labour will offer the people a confirmatory referendum on a deal, with the option of remain on the ballot paper. We would negotiate a deal with the EU within 3 months and put this to the people within 6 months of coming to power. Nevertheless, we must remember that this election isn’t only about Brexit, and the party elected to Government will be set to run the country for the next five years. 

There are parallels between Labour’s aims and those of 1945, are we ready for a proper socialist government?

The parallels with 1945 are stark and require the same radical actions by an incoming Labour Government. Labour would bring our railways back into public ownership, invest in frontline public services and communities, work with the Welsh Labour Government to make sure that the NHS continues to be free at the point of contact, maintain free prescriptions, and prevent privatisation, which has occurred in the NHS in England. Labour will reverse the Tory police cuts of 20,000 police officers since 2010. The Welsh Government’s budget is £200m lower in revenue and £100m lower in capital in real terms since 2010-11. If it had grown in line with the economy, it’s budget would be £4bn higher in 2020-21. The U.K. Tory Government as decision maker for public sector pensions only provided £219 of the £255 Bill for Welsh Public Bodies, leaving a shortfall of £36m for the Welsh Government to fill. The incoming U.K. Labour Government would provide a fair funding formula for Wales. The impact of austerity locally has been fairly dramatic, with Foodbanks at bursting point and people living on the streets, how rapidly could a Labour Government turn things around? The massive growth since 2010 in the number of foodbanks operating across the country is shameful, and the numbers speak for themselves – poverty and hardship has come as a direct result of Tory austerity and damaging welfare reform. We would end austerity, invest public services, create hundreds of thousands of skilled, well-paid, green jobs. We would invest £1.7 billion to build 20,000 affordable homes across Wales, create a real Living wage of £10 an hour, end the scandal of school holiday hunger, and fix Universal Credit. A Labour Government will deliver real change and put an end to poverty. 

Locally, there are concerns on existing communities if local schools are closed, what are your views on these possible school closures? 

Local school closures are a matter for Welsh Government because Education is devolved and for Neath Port Talbot Council to implement as the local authority. The Welsh Government has provided millions to fund its 21st Century Schools Programme, which has provided modern schools in Wales. Jeremy Miles AM is responsible for education queries in Neath.

Residents in Pontardawe ‘feel left out and forgotten’ by politicians, what will you do to ensure their voices and concerns are addressed?

Pontardawe is a great town and has a very artisanal, bespoke feel to it. I love the arts centre and various music venues, and it’s bustling with some great independent shops and cafes. The suggestion that residents of Pontardawe feel they are ignored by politicians is disappointing. I understand that members of the local community council are very active in representing residents of Pontardawe and I am sure that Pontardawe County Councillors on Neath Port Talbot Council would be very disappointed that their constituents feel they are ignoring them. I represent all Neath constituents without fear or favour and have taken up representations on behalf of Pontardawe residents with the determination I have shown to residents from other parts of the Neath Constituency. I hold regular surgeries across the constituency and my office is open five days a week. My Assembly colleague Jeremy Miles has an office in Pontardawe on High Street, and his casework team are available throughout the week. 

How many times have you mentioned Pontardawe in the chamber at Westminster?  

I mentioned Pontardawe in my Maiden Speech, painting a picture of a magnificent town and welcoming people. Since becoming Shadow Secretary of State for Wales I have been bound by protocol which prevents me speaking during backbench debates or in Westminster Hall debates, so the opportunities to mention Pontardawe, and Neath generally, are very limited. 

You have been our MP for 4 years now, what do you consider to be your main achievements overall and for Pontardawe specifically?

I am most proud of the support I have been able to provide to many, many constituents since 2015. Being a Member of Parliament is a privilege, and the biggest privilege of all is in being able to help people at a time of greatest need. I undertake casework with many constituents each year, and my casework team have helped me over-turn hundreds of wrongly assessed Personal Independence Payments and Universal Credit cases.As well as supporting many Pontardawe constituents, I have recently been campaigning with Squash Wales’ Mike Workman and the local squash group to lobby Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council to halt Celtic Leisure’s proposals to close the squash courts in Pontardawe Leisure Centre. The decision has been put on hold and as a result of the increased awareness there are plans to open several new, state of the art courts at Court Herbert Sports Centre.