In January, MPs continued to debate the Safety of Rwanda Bill, a key part of the Government’s Rwanda scheme.

It is clear that this is simply a gimmick. It is costing the British taxpayer £400m and there is no evidence that it will work as a deterrent to those making dangerous journeys by small boat. Instead, the asylum backlog must be cleared and money spent on the Rwanda scheme should be redirected towards smashing the criminal gangs which profit from perilous boat crossings which cost lives.

I will continue to oppose the Rwanda Bill at every opportunity in Parliament.

I recently led a debate in Parliament on the availability of books in primary schools.

As a former librarian, I have had the privilege of welcoming countless children through the doors of my local library; watching as they were whisked away to far flung places, captivated by the magic of words. But there is no requirement for schools to have a library, and reading levels among children have fallen to their lowest level for decades. The benefits of reading are innumerable and these worrying trends must be reversed.

Together with other MPs who attended the debate, I urged the Government to do far more to ensure every child has access to a high-quality school library.

I recently joined steelworkers outside Parliament to deliver a simple message to the Government: Support UK Steel.

In Sheffield, we are proud of our steelmaking heritage. We are known globally as the Steel City and, to this day, the industry supports thousands of local jobs. The Conservative Government has pushed a plan that uses millions of taxpayers’ money only to make thousands of people redundant and leave us unable to produce primary steel in the UK. Labour knows that the British steel industry can have a bright future and we have a cast iron commitment to the steel industry.

While the Conservatives scramble around for last minute deals, Labour will make long term investments through our industrial strategy to protect British jobs and safeguard our national capabilities. This plan will safeguard steelmaking in Sheffield and across the UK, so that we will remain the Steel City for many generations to come.

Labour’s five missions for a better Britain

Labour’s five missions for a better Britain will form the backbone of Labour’s election manifesto and the pillars of the next Labour government.

They will allow our country to break out of the cycle of ‘sticking-plaster’ politics and get our confidence and our future back:

Get Britain building again

Following strict rules that strengthen public finances and by reforming planning laws, so we build more houses, giga factories, windfarms, roads, labs and ports, developing the skills needed to do so.

Switch on Great British Energy

Switching on Great British Energy, a new publicly owned, clean energy company, that ensures jobs are created here in Britain and that we aren’t dependent on tyrants like Putin.

Get the NHS back on its feet

Paying doctors and nurses overtime to work evenings and weekends to cut the backlog – paid for by ending the non-dom tax break for the very wealthy.

Take back our streets

Guaranteeing town centre police patrols in every community to tackle gangs, drug dealers and fly tippers – paid for by cutting outside contractors and waste.

Break down barriers to opportunity

Introducing free school breakfast clubs and more high quality teaching with more specialist maths and science teachers – paid for by removing tax breaks for private schools and non-doms.