The Celtic Freeport is backed by members of all major political parties in Wales, as well as local business.

It stands ready to underpin an entire green ecosystem for Wales – from floating offshore wind to Green Steel and well paid, local jobs.

I am grateful to my parliamentary colleagues who came and showed that they support our bid for a freeport. 

I was pleased to speak at an event organised by Universities Wales.

The UK Government has completely botched delivery of the Shared Prosperity Fund, so Welsh universities are facing a funding cliff edge - possibly leading to 1,000 job losses.

The prize-winning, globally renowned Specific project at Swansea University is a truly inspiring example of net zero innovation. It’s still EU-funded, but the money is running out & there’s no guarantee that it’ll get any of the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) money. It is absolutely vital that Specific is sustained.

As Chair of the Shared Prosperity Fund APPG, I will continue to raise this issue with UK Government Ministers.

Pleased to be able to meet with GMB Union paramedics recently who are striking against low pay. How can it be that a newly qualified lone parent is better off on benefits?

They are clear that the Tory UK Government must make an improved offer, and offer Welsh Government the equivalent financial settlement.

I signed the Holocaust Educational Trust (UK)'s Book of Commitment, in doing so, I pledged commitment to Holocaust Memorial Day and honouring those who were murdered during the Holocaust as well as paying tribute to the extraordinary Holocaust survivors who work tirelessly to educate young people today.

Holocaust Memorial Day falls on 27th January every year, the anniversary of the liberation of the infamous former Nazi concentration and death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, in 1945. Across the UK – and world – people will come together to remember the horrors of the past.

In the lead up to and on Holocaust Memorial Day, thousands of commemorative events will be arranged by schools, faith groups and community organisations across the country, remembering all the victims of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides. The theme for this year’s commemorations is ‘Ordinary People’.

On Holocaust Memorial Day we also remember and pay tribute to all of those persecuted by the Nazis, including Roma and Sinti people, disabled people, gay men, political opponents to the Nazis and others. We also remember all of those affected by genocide since, in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

Holocaust Memorial Day is an important opportunity for people from Aberavon to reflect on the darkest times of European history. Today, I pledge to remember the six million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered in the Holocaust.

It is shameful that the forced installation of prepayment meters is cutting off people’s heat and power, including some of the most vulnerable people in our society. I believe it is well past the time for action to halt energy companies cutting people off by the backdoor.

Unfortunately, I believe the UK Government has been far too slow to act on this issue. It has been clear for some time that we need a ban on the forced installation of prepayment meters, at the very least for the duration of this winter. Ofgem reviewed the issue in September and November and highlighted the problem. In early January meanwhile, Citizens Advice reported that three million people on prepayment meters had been disconnected. Yet even after this, the Business Secretary refused to put in place a ban. As a result, in January 33,000 people had warrants issued for forced installation of prepayment meters. Indeed, over 6,000 warrants were issued to energy companies in the week after the Business Secretary had written to them asking them only to use forced installations as a last resort.

Now that a pause on forced installations has been put in place, I believe the UK Government needs to make clear how long it will last. At the very least, it needs to pledge that it will not be lifted until the current broken system is properly reformed. I also believe it needs to look at the case for energy companies to have to supply a minimum amount of power to all customers – as is the case in France, and as we do for water in this country. Furthermore, it should act to end the injustice that people on prepayment meters have to pay more for their energy than those on direct debits.

I recently pressed the UK Government on this issue using formal written questions, which you can see below:

https://www.stephenkinnock.co.uk/written-questions-on-prepayment-energy-meters/

Pleased to welcome Minister Nus Ghani MP to the Steel All Party Parliamentary Group recently. She recognises the critical role steel plays.

We just need the UK Government to recognise the scale of investment our European competitors are ploughing into this vital, strategic industry - & match their ambition.

It was great to recently support Celtic Sea's reception in Parliament.
It drew attention to the huge potential our community has in making Wales and Britain international leaders in floating offshore wind (FLOW).

This is closely linked to our bid for a Celtic Freeport and the drive towards Green Steel.

I led for Labour on the frontbench with my colleague Seema Malhotra MP on scrutinising the Economic Crime Bill (I spent 44 hours going through it line by line in Committee!)

The Bill is a step forward, but 5 years is too late and doesn't go far enough on SLAPPS, Golden Visas information sharing, corporate transparency & liability, or compensating victims.

The UK Government should be legislating against wealthy elites & oligarchs using aggressive lawyers to silence journalists. But instead the Conservative Party Chair has himself been using 'lawfare' to prevent legitimate questions about his shady tax affairs!

I am deeply concerned by recent reports that unaccompanied asylum-seeking children have gone missing from Home Office-procured hotel accommodation. On 24 January, the Immigration Minister admitted that 200 asylum-seeking children remained missing. They include at least 13 children under the age of 16.

According to Sussex Police, one in four unaccompanied children in a single hotel have gone missing and around half of them are still missing. It would therefore appear that this one hotel accounts for 40% of the missing children. I believe the Home Office must immediately end its contract with the hotel in question and move the children to safer accommodation.

I believe the UK Government should also consider the need for a proper inquiry and team to pursue the links between organised crime, trafficking and children in these hotels. We need urgent and serious action to crack down on the criminal gangs, and to keep children and young people safe.

Additionally, decisions on asylum claims desperately need to be sped up. People are being left in limbo for years, with genuine refugees being denied the help they need. However, instead of getting a grip on the growing asylum backlog, the Government is resorting to unworkable and unethical gimmicks such as the Rwanda policy.

The UK Government should instead reform resettlement schemes to better target those most at risk of exploitation by trafficking and smuggler gangs, such as those with family connections in the UK. A replacement for the Dublin agreement, which included safe returns and safe family reunions, should be negotiated. We must also work internationally to address crises leading people to flee their homes.

I recently tabled 11 written questions to UK Government Ministers on this issue which you can see via the link below. You can also see the responses from Ministers to each question.

https://www.stephenkinnock.co.uk/written-questions-on-missing-unaccompanied-child-refugees/