Like many MP's I enjoy Parliamentary recess. But be assured this is not because we get to put our feet up. No, recess for me is an opportunity to call on local residents and visit local schools, charities, businesses and other organisations here in Swindon. Although I get to do this anyway, not being in parliament means I am able to do this every day of the week. As your MP I believe it's extremely important to make myself available to the local community I represent.
But sometimes during a recess period, Parliament can get recalled. This often means that MP's everywhere have to rearrange long standing meetings and visits that have been scheduled in their constituencies, in order to attend parliament to debate and vote on serious issues. Over the years serious issues which have triggered recall have included the Gulf War, the Economic crisis, 9/11 and the Iraq War. Since I have been an MP parliament has been recalled because of the London Riots in 2011 and because of the conflict in Syria in 2013. In 2011 I even had to cut short my honeymoon in order to return to Parliament to debate the phone hacking scandal.
This Friday, the Prime Minister has recalled Parliament in order to vote on taking part in international air strikes against ISIL in Iraq. Hopefully we will see cross-party support as our country unites against the evil and barbaric Islamic State that is currently murdering and displacing millions of people across Iraq and Syria. Not only is the current conflict being described as the largest humanitarian crisis since the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda, but ISIL also poses a direct threat to our security here in the UK. It's vital that we have a coordinated international response to this dangerous threat. They must be stopped and I am glad that we are taking action to put an end to their butchery.
Despite this recall, I am still hoping to spend the morning in Swindon visiting a number of the Macmillan Coffee Mornings which are taking place across our town. Macmillan's is once again holding its biggest fundraising event across the UK as thousands of coffee mornings are expected to be held. Last year this was as an incredible success as they raised a record £20 million from a staggering 154,000 coffee mornings. This is a tremendous effort as the funds go directly to Macmillan's who help people and their families living with Cancer. I want to pay tribute to all of the people right across Swindon who are taking the time to organise these events. I just wish I could visit them all, especially as you can't beat tea and cake!
