Labour MP for Thurrock If you're a constituent looking for support, please email jen.craft.mp@parliament.ukhttps://bsky.app/profile/thurrockjen.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/thurrockjen.bsky.social/post/3mhyazkspsk2qIt's good to have the Prime Minister's support on my campaign to improve the safety of women and girls in hotels, after this horrendous incident at Travelodge.26 Mar 2026 18:42 +0000at://did:plc:ulsjemydyhjuu6ovq7lsl7vh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhyazkspsk2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/thurrockjen.bsky.social/post/3mhsyu7qqb22zGreat to chair a joint meeting of the APPGs on Learning Disability, Autism, and ADHD. Thanks so much to @mencap.org.uk for setting it up, and @georgiagould.bsky.social for joining us.24 Mar 2026 16:32 +0000at://did:plc:ulsjemydyhjuu6ovq7lsl7vh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhsyu7qqb22zhttps://bsky.app/profile/thurrockjen.bsky.social/post/3mgnis3sppc2qFollowing an appalling sexual assault at a Travelodge, I’ve brought together a group of MPs to demand a meeting with the company's CEO. We need to see an urgent review of their security policies, so horrific incidents like this can never happen again.09 Mar 2026 18:36 +0000at://did:plc:ulsjemydyhjuu6ovq7lsl7vh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgnis3sppc2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/thurrockjen.bsky.social/post/3mgkgkjyckk2yI’ve written to Travelodge demanding an urgent meeting about this disturbing case. This horrific incident was an appalling failure in the hotel’s duty of care. It raises deeply concerning questions about security procedures and guest safety - which Travelodge must now meet with MPs to answer. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/mar/07/mps-demand-to-meet-travelodge-ceo-over-maidenhead-sexual-assault-case-kyran-smith08 Mar 2026 13:18 +0000at://did:plc:ulsjemydyhjuu6ovq7lsl7vh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgkgkjyckk2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/thurrockjen.bsky.social/post/3mgez7g3xec25Absolutely horrified to read this in the news today. It's appalling and should never have been allowed to take place. Travelodge need to review their security policies urgently. Women deserve to feel safe in hotels. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3v77w5d437o06 Mar 2026 09:36 +0000at://did:plc:ulsjemydyhjuu6ovq7lsl7vh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgez7g3xec25https://bsky.app/profile/thurrockjen.bsky.social/post/3mfjbyhjq4k2uIt was good to speak to the Mirror about my priorities for reforming the SEND system, ahead of the publication of the Schools White Paper today. As a SEND parent myself, I came to Parliament determined to secure real change for families like mine 👇 https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/im-mp-send-parent-im-3676346023 Feb 2026 08:59 +0000at://did:plc:ulsjemydyhjuu6ovq7lsl7vh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfjbyhjq4k2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/thurrockjen.bsky.social/post/3lwgun45nl22dParents voices must be at the heart of upcoming reforms to the SEND system. Thank you to everyone who’s completed my survey – I’ve had over 100 responses! www.surveymonkey.com/r/JenCraftMPSendSurvey If you need an easy read version, email jen.craft.mp@parliament.uk (Thurrock residents only)15 Aug 2025 12:37 +0000at://did:plc:ulsjemydyhjuu6ovq7lsl7vh/app.bsky.feed.post/3lwgun45nl22dhttps://bsky.app/profile/thurrockjen.bsky.social/post/3lvszgvqvnk2rI want to hear from you about fixing our broken SEND system. If you're the parent or carer of a child in Thurrock with special educational needs or a disability, please fill in my survey: www.surveymonkey.com/r/MG8ST6Q I'm determined that parents' voices are at the heart of the upcoming changes.07 Aug 2025 15:09 +0000at://did:plc:ulsjemydyhjuu6ovq7lsl7vh/app.bsky.feed.post/3lvszgvqvnk2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/thurrockjen.bsky.social/post/3lukcsntcvc2sLatest report on govt use of BSL is testament to the progress made since 2022, with new departmental plans to continue growing awareness. Clearly much more to do to embed needs of deaf signers at the heart of govt, which I will keep pushing for as chair of the BSL APPG. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/british-sign-language-bsl-third-report-may-2024-to-april-202522 Jul 2025 10:38 +0000at://did:plc:ulsjemydyhjuu6ovq7lsl7vh/app.bsky.feed.post/3lukcsntcvc2shttps://bsky.app/profile/thurrockjen.bsky.social/post/3ltp3smv3sk2dGreat to speak at the East of England APPG meeting on Health Innovation yesterday. A big thank you to @healthinnoveast.bsky.social for the work you're doing to improve prevention efforts across the East.11 Jul 2025 14:51 +0000at://did:plc:ulsjemydyhjuu6ovq7lsl7vh/app.bsky.feed.post/3ltp3smv3sk2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/thurrockjen.bsky.social/post/3lth52wzwyc2ySEND parents are furious that we have to spend time and energy we do not have, fighting against a system designed by successive Conservative governments to deny our children the support they need. Change is coming under Labour, but after a decade of failure, parents are understandably anxious. /108 Jul 2025 10:52 +0000at://did:plc:ulsjemydyhjuu6ovq7lsl7vh/app.bsky.feed.post/3lth52wzwyc2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/thurrockjen.bsky.social/post/3lt4yadgnx22f97 years ago this week, women finally won the right to vote on equal terms with men. Now, we have a record 264 female MPs in parliament. We owe this success to the women who came before us. I think our grandmothers would be proud to see how far we’ve come since they first went to the ballot box.04 Jul 2025 09:59 +0000at://did:plc:ulsjemydyhjuu6ovq7lsl7vh/app.bsky.feed.post/3lt4yadgnx22fhttps://bsky.app/profile/thurrockjen.bsky.social/post/3lsephx4fjs2tI have chosen to sign a reasoned amendment which aims to halt the progress of the government’s welfare bill. While I recognise the need for reform, I have serious concerns around the impacts of the proposed legislation - particularly for disabled people.24 Jun 2025 18:18 +0000at://did:plc:ulsjemydyhjuu6ovq7lsl7vh/app.bsky.feed.post/3lsephx4fjs2thttps://bsky.app/profile/thurrockjen.bsky.social/post/3lsc6ejmyv22pIf an unmarried women looses her partner during pregnancy, she must undergo a traumatic legal process to register their name on the child's birth certificate. I've proposed a bill that seeks to provide a simple process for bereaved mothers, dragging outdated legislation into the 21st century.23 Jun 2025 18:07 +0000at://did:plc:ulsjemydyhjuu6ovq7lsl7vh/app.bsky.feed.post/3lsc6ejmyv22phttps://bsky.app/profile/thurrockjen.bsky.social/post/3lrscqm23422aThis week, I asked Education Minister @cmckinnellmp.bsky.social about the progress in delivering the British Sign Language GCSE. As Chair of the BSL APPG, I've been working hard with fellow MPs and @bda.org.uk to get this lifechanging qualification introduced at the earliest opportunity.17 Jun 2025 10:43 +0000at://did:plc:ulsjemydyhjuu6ovq7lsl7vh/app.bsky.feed.post/3lrscqm23422ahttps://bsky.app/profile/thurrockjen.bsky.social/post/3lqpnic3kyc2jBrilliant to see the government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee taking effect in Thurrock, with eight new neighbourhood officers now on the beat thanks to this funding. Constituents want visible, local policing. This is an excellent first step, and an important investment in our police force.03 Jun 2025 15:52 +0000at://did:plc:ulsjemydyhjuu6ovq7lsl7vh/app.bsky.feed.post/3lqpnic3kyc2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/thurrockjen.bsky.social/post/3lprc4bee4225The aims of the government’s Mental Health Bill can only be achieved when learning disabled and autistic people have access to proper community support. We need a system of integrated care that encompasses health, housing and occupational needs👇 [contains quote post or other embedded content]22 May 2025 14:08 +0000at://did:plc:ulsjemydyhjuu6ovq7lsl7vh/app.bsky.feed.post/3lprc4bee4225https://bsky.app/profile/thurrockjen.bsky.social/post/3lprbooviis2tFor people with learning disabilities or autism, a locked mental health ward can be a living hell. Under the 1983 Mental Health Act, these conditions alone can be used to justify detention. I strongly welcome the government’s new Mental Health Bill, which will help end this shameful practise.22 May 2025 14:00 +0000at://did:plc:ulsjemydyhjuu6ovq7lsl7vh/app.bsky.feed.post/3lprbooviis2thttps://bsky.app/profile/thurrockjen.bsky.social/post/3lpmbpep4ks23In a debate on the Mental Health Bill, I spoke about my personal experience of serious mental illness. While I have received good care, this is sadly the exception, and not the rule. Too often, treatment is patronising, reductive, and inconsistent. /120 May 2025 14:18 +0000at://did:plc:ulsjemydyhjuu6ovq7lsl7vh/app.bsky.feed.post/3lpmbpep4ks23https://bsky.app/profile/thurrockjen.bsky.social/post/3loqddpt2zs2yA real honour to attend so many community events in Thurrock marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day. An opportunity to celebrate that famous victory, while reflecting on those who sacrificed so much to defend our country and our freedoms.09 May 2025 11:32 +0000at://did:plc:ulsjemydyhjuu6ovq7lsl7vh/app.bsky.feed.post/3loqddpt2zs2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/thurrockjen.bsky.social/post/3lonz73572k2wAhead of #VEDay80, I reflected in Parliament on the remarkable social change brought about by the end of the war. As 300,000 disabled servicemen and women returned home, attitudes toward disability changed – leading to groundbreaking legislation considering the needs of disabled people.08 May 2025 13:25 +0000at://did:plc:ulsjemydyhjuu6ovq7lsl7vh/app.bsky.feed.post/3lonz73572k2whttps://bsky.app/profile/thurrockjen.bsky.social/post/3lonmqkej622nOn the 80th anniversary of VE Day, we pay tribute to those who defended our nation and our freedom. It's an opportunity for us to reflect on the extraordinary bravery of the wartime generation, in Thurrock and across the country, and celebrate the British values they fought to defend.08 May 2025 09:43 +0000at://did:plc:ulsjemydyhjuu6ovq7lsl7vh/app.bsky.feed.post/3lonmqkej622nhttps://bsky.app/profile/thurrockjen.bsky.social/post/3lom2szoysk2sIn recent years there’s been a systematic failure to identify and address child sexual abuse in the family – with victims' voices ignored. I asked @jessphillipsmp.bsky.social how Labour’s strategy on violence against women and girls will tackle this complex form of abuse.07 May 2025 18:49 +0000at://did:plc:ulsjemydyhjuu6ovq7lsl7vh/app.bsky.feed.post/3lom2szoysk2shttps://bsky.app/profile/thurrockjen.bsky.social/post/3lnzz4ajyyk2sEarlier this month, as Chair of the BSL APPG, I wrote to ministers asking for the next consultation on the new BSL GCSE to be brought forward📝 Pleased to see this launched today - bringing us one step closer to making this life-changing qualification a reality for young people. @bda.org.uk https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ofqual-launches-next-phase-in-british-sign-language-gcse-development#:~:text=The%20Department%20for%20Education%20sets,qualification%20rules%20in%20autumn%20202530 Apr 2025 14:31 +0000at://did:plc:ulsjemydyhjuu6ovq7lsl7vh/app.bsky.feed.post/3lnzz4ajyyk2shttps://bsky.app/profile/thurrockjen.bsky.social/post/3lnxqtmbvjk2qSchool support staff, teaching assistants, and learning support assistants play a key role in enabling the inclusion of children with SEND in our schools. I asked @cmckinnellmp.bsky.social what steps the department is taking to upskill the school support workforce to meet the needs of every child.29 Apr 2025 16:57 +0000at://did:plc:ulsjemydyhjuu6ovq7lsl7vh/app.bsky.feed.post/3lnxqtmbvjk2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/thurrockjen.bsky.social/post/3lnv7sw5ajc2jI recently spoke to @sophiealichurch.bsky.social from @thehousemag.bsky.social about my journey into politics. We discussed my experiences as a SEND parent and how these shape my priorities in Parliament - including raising the profile of sign language 👇 https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/its-language-culture-labour-mp-jen-craft-using-sign-language-parliament28 Apr 2025 16:47 +0000at://did:plc:ulsjemydyhjuu6ovq7lsl7vh/app.bsky.feed.post/3lnv7sw5ajc2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/thurrockjen.bsky.social/post/3lnnsmywjt22zPrivilege to lay a brick in @msenhshospitals.bsky.social’s new community diagnostic centre in Thurrock. Great example of shifting NHS care into the community, cutting waiting lists with better access to vital tests and scans - closer to home for patients.25 Apr 2025 18:03 +0000at://did:plc:ulsjemydyhjuu6ovq7lsl7vh/app.bsky.feed.post/3lnnsmywjt22z