Dear friends and neighbours,
The last few weeks for me have been dominated by the events in Ukraine, following a visit there that I undertook around the time of the one-year anniversary of Putin’s invasion. My reflections on my visit to Ukraine can be seen here: My reflections on my recent visit to Ukraine | Jack Lopresti MP
Since my return, I have had meetings with Government Ministers and spoken many times in the House of Commons in support of the Ukrainian people and the military assistance our country is providing. I have also hosted Ukrainian MPs in the House of Commons and had meetings at Defence Equipment & Support, MOD Abbey Wood. I am pleased by the (more than) £3.8 billion which the Government has already committed for military aid and ongoing training of the Ukrainian forces here in the UK.
A summary of my other recent work, visits and support across our area and my work in Parliament can be seen below.
As always, if there is anything I can help you with, or you would like to book a surgery appointment, please contact my office (open Monday to Friday between 9am and 6pm) by calling 01454 617783 or emailing jack.lopresti.mp@parliament.uk
I hope you find this newsletter useful and informative. As ever, you can follow my work via Facebook , Twitter and/or my website.
May I take this opportunity to wish you a happy, peaceful and restful Easter.
Best wishes,
Jack Lopresti MP
My recent trip to Ukraine
My reflections on my recent visit to Ukraine can be read in full here: https://www.jacklopresti.com/news/my-reflections-my-recent-visit-ukraine
In Parliament
It is a great honour to make contributions in the House of Commons. Some of these over the last few weeks can be viewed via the video links below.
Thanking local 'Community Champions' in Parliament
It was great to host and welcome Lucy & Richard Smith from Your Village shop Stoke Gifford to Westminster and to introduce them to the Prime Minister, to thank & acknowledge their fantastic efforts as community champions. Lucy & Rich are an inspiration! .
Welcoming a delegation of Ukrainian Members of Parliament to the House of Commons
Honoured to welcome a delegation of Ukrainian Members of Parliament. Great to see Dmytro Natalukha and Mariia Mezentseva MP again. We discussed the UK’s ongoing military support, humanitarian assistance and provision of medical expertise to assist the wounded Ukrainian military.
All Party Parliamentary Groups
I chaired a meeting of the APPG for Sovereign Defence Manufacturing Capability. Thanks to General Sir Richard Barrons for addressing the APPG, where he emphasised the need to increase our defence manufacturing capability in order to continue supporting Ukraine - and indeed to increase our own sovereign capability.
Delighted also to be elected as a vice chair of the APPG Women in Defence, Chairman of the APPG on the Kurdistan region of Iraq (again) and Vice Chairman of the St Helena APPG.
Other meetings and work in Parliament
Lovely to see the fantastic team from GWAAC again at Parliament. Good to hear the expansion plans are progressing well and that some of their medics have been providing first responder training in Ukraine. I look forward to visiting them again in Almondsbury very soon.
I attended a Conservative Home Defence & Security conference chaired by Editor Paul Goodman. It was good to hear the Secretary of State Ben Wallace speaking about the need to invest more in our Defence. The conflict in Ukraine reminds us that we must always be prepared.
A very productive meeting with Dr Andrew Murrison, Minister for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families where we discussed my visit to Ukraine last week and the application process for veterans’ rail cards.
Great to join Priti Patel MP and the UK Fair Fuel (duty) campaign team in parliament. Delighted that the Chancellor announced in the Budget that fuel duty would be frozen at the same level for the next 12 months.
Meetings and visits in our local area
I met again with Avon & Somerset Police & Crime Commissioner Mark Shelford. We discussed issues around E-scooters and speeding, both of which have been raised with me by local residents. It was great to hear from Mark that we now have 200 more Police Officers in Avon & Somerset than we had in 2010. Good news for our area!
It was great to visit Anna and the team at Great Western Air Ambulance again. We discussed the plans for their new Mission Support Centre and I was very impressed to hear some of their team have provided training to medics in Ukraine. Thank you for your service!
I met with the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) at MOD Abbey Wood to discuss how DE&S are supporting the UK defence industry.
I met with members of the Bristol Rapid Relief Team who provide humanitarian support in the UK and overseas. We discussed how I could help them to identify organisations in our area who may require their assistance.
I also visited the National Composites Centre, a fantastic world-leading facility which provides end-to-end engineering support to SMEs and organisations such as GKN, Airbus and Rolls Royce. I met Sophie who joined the NCC as an apprentice and now has a thriving career.
Recruitment event with First Bus and Horfield Job centre
I took part in a recruitment event which I organised with First Bus and the Job Centre in Horfield. Driving a bus is a public service with great opportunities for career progression!
Careers Expo 2023 at SGS College
Fantastic to be able to help organise and attend the Careers Expo 2023 at SGS College. I met lots of amazing apprentices and graduates. Supported by my good friend and our excellent Police & Crime Commissioner Mark Shelford.
Other visits in our local area
Another fantastic game at Clifton Rugby Club at Cribbs Causeway. Well done Clifton Rugby team!
It was lovely to drop in and see everyone at the Compton Café in Easter Compton. Great coffee and cake. It's on every 2nd Saturday of the month from 10:00am until 12:00pm. Thank you to all the volunteers.
Campaigning and meeting local residents with local Councillors and supporters
I always enjoy meeting and talking with residents across our area to discuss any local issues or concerns.
Over the last few weeks, it has been great to be out with local Councillors, candidates in the forthcoming local elections and local supporters in Stoke Gifford, Bradley Stoke, Filton and Charlton Hayes.
It was nice to see Cllr David Fothergill (from Somerset) helping in our area and there was much support for the Conservative Friends of the Armed Forces.
Resident surgeries across our area
I hold regular resident surgeries in and around our area. In recent weeks venues have included e.g. Coniston Community Centre, Frenchay Village Hall and my local office in Bradley Stoke.
To make an appointment for a future surgery, or if I can help you with an issue, please call my office via 01454 617 783, visit: http://jacklopresti.com/surgeries or email me at: jack.lopresti.mp@parliament.uk
Please find my most recent newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/5ce5d4c958a0/update-from-jack-lopresti-mp-8182713 Thank you.
