Guest Column: I will work to get the best Brexit deal for us all

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to get in touch – it’s fantastic that so many people are engaged with this important issue.

Although I campaigned for a vote to remain, I respect the decision that’s been made.

In 2017, I stood on a Labour manifesto which said that ‘Labour accepts the referendum result and will seek a Brexit deal that works for every community in Britain.’

The question is no longer whether we leave the EU, but how we leave, and I will continue to push for the best deal for Ashfield

Currently, there are 850,000 people in the UK living with dementia, and this number is set to rise to more than a million in the next three years.

It’s encouraging for local residents that diagnosis rates in this area are higher than the national average, meaning that people with dementia can receive information, care and support early.

However, more needs to be done to give everyone the same chance.

I have signed a letter, organised by the Alzheimer’s Society, to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

This letter calls for the Government to cover the cost of dementia for individuals, quality of care to be assured, and to make sure that everyone has access to this care.

The typical bill for care for a person suffering from dementia would take 125 years to save for, so these assurances are so important to treating people fairly.

This year is the 100th anniversary of women first getting the vote.

Vote 100 is celebrating this and there is currently an exhibition at Kirkby Library, which has been created by Nottingham Women’s History Group, which showcases the fascinating local history around this topic, including Kirkby’s first female councillor, Ada Jeffries, elected in the 1930s.

Her legacy lived on in Jeffries School, now West Park Academy, which was named after her.

As Ashfield’s first female MP, I’m proud to follow in the footsteps of these pioneering women.