Nickie Aiken, former Member of Parliament for the Cities of London & Westminster, delivered her final speech in the Commons, highlighting her major campaign success and paying tribute to all who made it possible.
Commenting afterwards, Nickie explained,
"The General Election has been called and as of today, 30 May, Parliament has been dissolved and I am no longer MP for the Cities of London & Westminster.
"It has been the honour of my life to have represented you in Parliament. I have taken every opportunity to be your strong local voice and ensure your views are not just heard by Government, but listened to.
"Upon election to Parliament in 2019, I was humbled to be offered the role of Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Ministerial Team at the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government. However, I was only in the role for a few months as it became clear that it restricted me from speaking out on the issues that matter most to you. So I chose to step back from being a PPS and declined any other roles offered so I could be a campaigning backbench MP.
"As a result, working together and after an immense campaign, we finally got our pedicab licensing scheme. The Pedicabs (London) Act received Royal Assent in April and Transport for London will soon launch its consultation to enact the scheme. I hope the scheme will be up and running by the early Autumn.
"I'm also delighted to have secured a pioneering newborn baby screening programme. The heel prick used to test for only nine diseases in new-born babies, the lowest number in the western world. By working with the Health Secretary we changed that, and babies are now tested for hundreds of rare diseases.
"One of my proudest moments this Parliament is that I secured an amendment to the Domestic Abuse Act so that children are now recognised as victims if they live in a household in which domestic violence or domestic abuse exists. It will make a real difference to survivors of abuse.
"Working together, we also achieved a short-term lets register. A much needed national registration scheme to enable local authorities to tackle the unintended consequences of short-term lets such as anti-social behaviour and rubbish dumping.
"And, I launched the Fertility Workplace Pledge to encourage companies across the UK to put in place policies for those going through fertility treatment.
"I’ve had many walkabouts with local people, residents' associations, amenity groups, and the police. I heard the issues that mattered and raised them directly with the Government, local authorities, and our police leadership.
"That’s not all though. In Parliament I’ve been your strong local voice, championing our priorities. I’ve supported the most vulnerable in our society and led the campaign to repeal the 1824 Vagrancy Act, fought to save our buses, celebrated the importance of sleep, championed a British Jewish History Month, and launched our plan to make our streets safer. I've brought leasehold reform to the front of the Government's agenda, spoken out on women's health issues, and championed our businesses to give them the support they needed. None of this would have been possible in the last five years without your support. Thank you.
"My team and I have responded to more than 32,000 cases and supported thousands of local people. It is the people who make the Two Cities so special and over the last few years I’ve met with thousands of local people, businesses and fantastic organisations. I am so proud to call it my home and long may our neighbourhoods remain vibrant and friendly.
"And finally, to any woman, you have every right to stand for public office. No matter what your background, where you are going or where you have been, you must consider standing for public office. We have got to hear more women’s voices. After all, we are 51% of the population, and we give birth to the other 49%. We need to be heard. If this girl from Cardiff, who had a comprehensive education, can become leader of Westminster City Council and then the first woman MP for the Cities of London and Westminster, you can too."
