'I was pleased to vote on the Government’s Online Safety Bill'

MP for Wrexham

This week I have been working hard in Westminster, as Wrexham’s voice. Crucially, this week has been largely focused on the second round of the Levelling Up Bid, which I was pleased to be able to raise with the Prime Minister directly at PMQs on Wednesday. It was important to me that I used my question in PMQs, which don’t come around often, to focus on what is important to my constituents in Wrexham.

In addition, I was particularly happy to welcome constituents to Parliament for a tour and host them in the public gallery to watch PMQs. I am always thrilled to welcome constituents to Westminster, showing politics in action, so please get in touch by emailing sarah.atherton.mp@parliament.uk if you would like to visit.

Earlier this year, Secretary of State Michael Gove, unveiled the Government’s Levelling Up White Paper. I was very pleased that a number of Ministry of Justice jobs will be moved from London to Wrexham, in turn boosting Wrexham’s economy, bringing in further investment and levelling up our town. As such, this week I met with Jacob Rees-Mogg as Minister in the Cabinet Office with his new portfolio to discuss Government jobs in Wrexham. His enthusiasm for Levelling Up Wrexham is clear and I am looking forward to having a pint in Wrexham with him soon!

Many parents contact me concerned about protecting their children from social media abuse. I was pleased to vote on the Government’s Online Safety Bill earlier this week, which will make the UK the safest place in the world to be online while defending free expression.

I followed this up by meeting with Vodafone and charities to discuss the impact of online harm and what safety measures are being put in place by social media platforms to protect children. Having quit Twitter last year myself due to unwarranted abuse, the increased toxicity of social media and online content puts users in an alarmingly vulnerable position. I strongly welcome Vodafone’s tool, the Digital Parenting Magazine, which helps parents, carers, and grandparents safely make the most of digital opportunities for themselves and their families.

Lastly, I held a constituent surgery at Mecca Bingo on Friday. After chatting with residents, I kickstarted the weekend with a game of bingo – what could be better! Follow my Facebook account where I advertise the location of future surgeries.

If you are a resident of Wrexham and need my assistance with any local or national issue, please contact me by emailing sarah.atherton.mp@parliament.uk.