Matthew Patrick MPI welcome the Prime Minister’s announcement today that defence spending will increase to 2.5% in this Parliament.
Internationally, this solidifies our government’s commitment to defending our values abroad.
At home, we can make this an opportunity for British businesses to be at the very heart of our nation’s security.
Matthew has today (24th February) raised the unacceptable levels of antisocial behaviour.
For too long, people across our area have been facing threats and intimidation in their own homes – this cannot go on.
Wirral Council and Merseyside Police are doing good work to ensure this kind of behaviour is dealt with, but we need a whole system approach to preventing and tackling this vile crime.
We need to put more neighbourhood police and community support officers back into local communities to crack down on those causing havoc.
Speaking in the debate on the New Homes (Solar Panels) Bill, Matthew shared how increasing the use of solar energy will better for the pockets of Wirral West residents, and will be better for the planet.
Patients in Wirral West will be able to access more appointments closer to home and get the treatment they need faster with Labour’s plan to tackle hospital backlogs.
Patients in Wirral West will be able to access more appointments closer to home and get the treatment they need faster under a new plan to tackle hospital backlogs set out by the Prime Minister last week (6 January).
In the North West there are 1,063,560 cases on waiting lists at huge cost to their health.
Tackling the 7.5million strong waiting list inherited from the Tories so that the NHS once again meets the 18-week standard for planned treatment is a key milestone in the Government’s Plan for Change. Restoring this standard will mean patients in Wirral West no longer have to have their lives put on hold.
Currently, too many patients face long waits for appointments or surgeries and may be referred to hospitals they don’t choose at inconvenient times, while appointments and staff time are being lost to inefficiencies or inconsistencies in care. In the Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board area, which covers Wirral West, there are 367,350 cases on waiting lists, with 158,156 waiting more than 18 weeks for treatment.
The Labour Government’s Elective Reform Plan, published by NHS England, sets out a whole system approach to hitting the 18-week referral to treatment target by the end of this Parliament. This includes opening Community Diagnostic Centres on evenings and weekends so that many more people will be able to access tests and checks while going about their daily lives. The NHS will also increase the number of surgical hubs, which help protect planned care from the impact of seasonal and other pressures.
The plan will drive forward progress on the Government’s first steps commitment to deliver 2 million extra appointments in its first year, equivalent to 40,000 every week. The reforms will put patients first, harness technology to support staff and help the NHS to do things more efficiently.
Under the plan, 65% of patients will be treated within 18 weeks by the end of next year. Based on the size of the current waiting list, that would mean a fall of more than 450k people waiting more than 18 weeks for treatment.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:
“This Government promised change and that is what I am fighting every day to deliver.
“NHS backlogs have ballooned in recent years, leaving millions of patients languishing on waiting lists, often in pain or fear. Lives on hold. Potential unfulfilled.
“This elective reform plan will deliver on our promise to end the backlogs. Millions more appointments. Greater choice and convenience for patients. Staff once again able to give the standard of care they desperately want to.
“This is a key plank of our Plan for Change, which will drive growth that puts more money in people’s pockets, secures our borders and makes the NHS fit for the future so what working people live longer, healthier, more prosperous lives.”
Matthew Patrick, MP for Wirral West, said: “Hundreds of residents in Wirral West are stuck on the record long waiting lists inherited by the Labour Government at huge cost to their health.
“Whenever I’m out in our community, people tell me about the need to get the NHS back on track, and of their experience of a system left to decline under the Conservatives.
“We are getting on with the job of delivering. That’s why I welcome the reforms announced by the Prime Minister to cut NHS waiting times from 18 months to 18 weeks. It will make such a huge difference.
“With so many people waiting for treatment, it is more urgent than ever that we reform our NHS so it will always be there for you when you need it.”
Speaking in a debate in the House of Commons (6 January 2025), Matthew outlined the need for economic abuse to be a central part of the Government’s strategy to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade.
He highlighted the work of Citizens Advice Wirral in supporting victim-survivors of domestic abuse on the Wirral, and the charity Surviving Economic Abuse for their pioneering support and research on economic abuse.
The Government has announced new housing targets in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in order to tackle the housing crisis in the UK. The announcement comes following Labour’s pledge to build 1.5 million new homes in the next five years. The Government confirmed that brownfield land must be the “first port of call” for development.
The housing crisis is impacting many people on the Wirral, with the numbers of people in temporary accommodation in the borough doubling since 2021 and homelessness rising. Temporary accommodation now costs Wirral Council a projected £1.6m a year, up from £406,418 in 2019.
Matthew Patrick, MP for Wirral West, said that this is “unsustainable” and that “urgent action” was needed to ensure everyone has a safe and secure place to call home.
In the House of Commons, Matthew highlighted to the Housing Minister the thousands on waiting lists for housing on the Wirral, and welcomed the Government’s brownfield first approach. He also asked the Minister to confirm the support Wirral Council would get from the Government to ensure that housing was built in the right places.
Following the Government’s statement in the Commons, Matthew said:
“The housing crisis is impacting many people on the Wirral, with many forced to move away to get onto the property ladder. Urgent action is needed so children can grow up and stay in our area, and families can find affordable places to live.
“People on the Wirral have been clear that brownfield first is their preference, alongside the desperately-needed regeneration of Wallasey and Birkenhead. I agree and I have taken action on this to deliver the change Wirral voted for at the election. I want to see regeneration and development in areas that need it, and to protect our green spaces.
“I submitted representations to the NPPF consultation which addressed the need to unlock viable building on brownfield sites, so that we can protect the greenbelt which contributes so much to our lives and our environment here in Wirral West.
“I also highlighted the risk of speculative planning applications. Developers should not be allowed to refuse to build on brownfield land and speculate on our beautiful countryside while our community is left with empty industrial buildings, shuttered shops, and poor-quality housing.
“I will continue working with Wirral Council and with other MPs to ensure that affordable, decent homes are built in the right places and that the council has the right support to deliver for local people.”
Matthew Patrick, MP for Wirral West, has welcomed the Labour Government’s Plan for Change, set out in a landmark speech by the Prime Minister yesterday (5 December).
The Plan for Change consists of six clear milestones – covering the economy, the NHS, clean power, education, crime and housing – to deliver measurable change by the end of this parliament. The plan is underpinned by foundations of sound public finances and secure borders.
The plan sets out a blueprint for rebuilding Britain after 14 years of managed decline under the Tories and will focus on issues which impact the everyday lives of people on the Wirral.
For example, the Plan for Change will see NHS waiting lists – which have skyrocketed to 369,065 across Cheshire and Merseyside – tackled through 40,000 additional NHS operations and investment in state-of-the-art hospital equipment. Labour has set the target of 92% of NHS patients to receive treatment within 18 weeks. After 14 years of Tory government, this figure currently stands at just 59%.
Knife crime and robbery are rife across the country, but the neighbourhood police who could prevent crimes like this and support victims disappeared under the Tories, with the number of Police Community Support Officers cut by 276 in Merseyside. Labour’s plans will see 13,000 more officers, PCSOs and special constables in neighbourhood roles and a named officer in every community.
It will also focus on improving life chances for all children by raising the number of children starting school ready to learn. As it stands, the number of children meeting key early years development targets sits at around 64% in the North West, a figure Labour wants to see hit 75% by the end of the parliament.
Work on the Plan for Change is well underway, with this Labour government already delivering a number of landmark changes. These include:
Commenting on the Plan for Change, Matthew Patrick MP said:
“After 14 years of chaos and broken promises under the Tories, Labour was elected to deliver change.
“In the conversations I have with people across Wirral West, time and again people raise the need to fix our NHS, get police back out on the beat, and invest in the futures of our children and young people.”
“The Prime Minister’s announcement of these ambitious but achievable milestones shows this is a government serious about making a difference in people’s lives.”
Thank you to everyone who came to the discussion I hosted about assisted dying in Hoylake yesterday.
It’s an emotive subject, and people shared powerful, personal stories and perspectives. The discussion drew on the deep expertise of people in Wirral West, and, in our best traditions, was reasonable and thoughtful.
If you’re a constituent and would like to share your views with me, please email my office to share your perspective.
Matthew Patrick MP has today (Wednesday 6 November) used a Prime Ministers Question to advocate for survivors of economic abuse.
Matthew asked the Prime Minister and the Government to work with him to get the credit files of victim-survivors of economic abuse restored.
Currently, victim-survivors can suffer lasting consequences of economic abuse perpetrated by a current or former partner long after they’ve fled due to their credit rating being harmed by coerced debts.
Matthew shared the story of Emily*, a survivor of domestic abuse who was left with a ruined credit file when her abusive ex-partner stopped contributing to their joint mortgage after she fled to safe accommodation for her safety.
Despite informing her lender of the economic abuse she was experiencing, Emily* has seen lasting damage from the years spent trying to separate herself financially from her perpetrator, having faced issues trying to rent a property, finance a car and take out a mobile phone contract in her own name.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Matthew said: “Emily left her ex, but the abuse did not stop.
“He stayed in their home, cancelled his mortgage contributions and destroyed her credit score.
“Now, she cannot even take out a mobile phone contract.
“Surviving Economic Abuse and UK Finance have made progress tackling this problem, but there is more to be done.
“Would the Prime Minister and his Government work with me to bring in new provisions to restore the credit files of survivors of economic abuse like Emily?”
Responding, Prime Minister Keir Starmer committed to ending the “national emergency” of economic and domestic abuse. He also assured that Matthew would meet with relevant Ministers to progress his work.
He said: “I thank my Honourable Friend for raising this important issue because economic abuse has a devastating impact on victims leaving them vulnerable and isolated.
“We are committed to ending this national emergency and keeping women safe from domestic abuse, harassment and stalking.
“That includes £200,000 this year to the charity Surviving Economic Abuse and HMRC have launched an online tool to help charities and business identify and respond to economic abuse.”
Notes
I was pleased to be able to champion the incredible work of Claire House in Parliament last week, and the passion and pride every single member of their team displays.
Funding must be there for all seriously ill children and their families to ensure they have the support they need, regardless of where they live.
Matthew Patrick MP