Andy Reed took East Midlands Minister Phil Hope MP to meet Miss Thanki today and to thank her for all the volunteering she does.

Andy met her during an MP walkabout and heard of the Diana award she had received for her volunteering - signed by the Prime Minister.

"I was so impressed by her story that I wanted Phil to meet her. Until the reshuffle last weekend Phil had been Minister for volunteering. We were both impressed by the amount of time she finds for other people and the breadth of her experience. I know from my experience there are lots of young people who volunteer but we need to recognise them more."

Andy Reed MP was in Dishley yesterday and today to give his backing to Betty Newton in the Dishley by-election.

"I have known Betty for years and I know she is a hard worker. She works tirelessly behind the scenes on casework and sees through issues when they are really tricky. She is by far the best candidate in this election and is the only one to see off the BNP again in our town."

Loughborough SportPark took another step forward today as Andy Reed MP joined Olympic stars and East Midlands Minister Phil Hope at the official ceremony.

Andy Reed has had a long association with the iconic sport building destined to retain and bring 600 jobs to the town.

"Lots of people have worked really hard to turn this vision into a reality that will be ready for 2010. Sport plays an important social and physical role but here in Loughborough it is also a key economic driver. We learned at Beijing that Olympic medallists need all the support they can from a world class sport system. That means sport administration has to be the best in the world too. This iconic building is part of our vision to modernise and improve sports governance as well as performance. Once again it is Loughborough leading the way. I have been fortunate to help as the towns MP with my sports connections to keep this project on the road and want to congratulate all those who have done the detailed work to make it happen"

Andy Reed MP said that measures announced today by the Chancellor Alistair Darling needed to be big enough to stave off financial meltdown globally as well as nationally.

"These measures are welcome and under the circumstances are inevitable. But working alone they will not work. We need concerted international effort. We also now need as taxpayers greater reform from the banks and financial institutions and for some of those who have made millions in bonuses out of this misery to pay the price with their jobs and wealth. We must never let the rich bankers loose again with our nations wealth."

After consultation with the Bank of England and the Financial Services Authority, the Government announces that it is bringing forward specific and comprehensive measures to ensure the stability of the financial system and to protect ordinary savers, depositors, businesses and borrowers.
In summary the proposals announced today are intended to:
• Provide sufficient liquidity in the short term;
• Make available new capital to UK banks and building societies to strengthen their resources permitting them to restructure their finances, while maintaining their support for the real economy; and
• Ensure that the banking system has the funds necessary to maintain lending in the medium term.
In these extraordinary market conditions, the Bank of England will take all actions necessary to ensure that the banking system has access to sufficient liquidity. In its provision of short term liquidity the Bank will extend and widen its facilities in whatever way is necessary to ensure the stability of the system. At least £200 billion will be made available to banks under the Special Liquidity Scheme. Until markets stabilise, the Bank will continue to conduct auctions to lend sterling for three months, and also US dollars for one week, against extended collateral. It will review the size and frequency of those operations as necessary. Bank debt that is guaranteed under the Government's guarantee scheme will be eligible in all of the Bank's extended-collateral operations. The Bank next week will bring forward its plans for a permanent regime underpinning banking system liquidity, including a Discount Window facility.

In addition the Government is establishing a facility, which will make available Tier 1 capital in appropriate form (expected to be preference shares or PIBS) to “eligible institutions”. Eligible institutions are UK incorporated banks (including UK subsidiaries of foreign institutions) which have a substantial business in the UK and building societies. However applications are invited for inclusion as an eligible institution from any other UK incorporated bank (including UK subsidiaries of foreign institutions). In reviewing these applications the Government will give due regard to an institution’s role in the UK banking system and the overall economy.

The government's climate change committee has called for at least an 80 per cent cut in the UK's carbon emissions by 2050, including those from aviation and shipping.

Ministers are already committed to a 60 per cent cut by that date, but Gordon Brown had asked the committee to advise whether this needed to be increased in order to make a significant contribution to the fight against global warming.

The ratcheting up of the target from that contained in the Climate Change Bill - currently going through Parliament - would cost the economy one to two per cent of its output, the committee estimated, but it suggested that growth would still be strong.

Committee chairman Lord Turner said in a statement that "climate change poses a huge potential threat to human welfare".

"If we do not act soon, in developed and developing countries, it will become too late to avoid serious and potentially catastrophic consequences," he added.

"That is why it is so vital that a global deal is reached on climate change and that the UK contributes significantly towards this.

"But we have the potential to reduce our emissions by 80 per cent or more by using energy far more efficiently, by investing in developing new energy sources and by making relatively minor lifestyle changes."

Andy Reed said "This is welcome news. I had already pledged to vote for an 80% and would have done so. I now hope the government is able to change the legislation to follow the lead given to it by the Committee it set up to advise it!"

Andy Reed has relaunched his Blog on his website as the the new parliamentary session begins. Keep up to date with the latest news and views behind the scenes at Westminster. You can sign up for RSS feeds on news from Andy - visit the blog or sign up as a friend on facebook or subscribe to YouTube. Andy said "I find this a great way to interact with people - mainly because of the strange hours we work and the times I am mostly able to be around is in the evenings at Westminster. I have thousands of constituents who have already contacted me by email and via my site and facebook but I want to encourage more and to see people visiting more often. The website is usually updated daily."

Andy Reed MP was present to welcome the Statement made by Chancellor Alistair Darling to the Commons today.

Andy said "We are living in remarkable times at present with the global financial crisis creating havoc with economies all over the world. Its is important at these times of crisis to have stable hands on the tiller and Gordon and Alistair have shown great calm leadership during these times."

"I have to say this is enormous contrast to Osborne and Cameron who have flipped around at every whim over the last few weeks. Frankly it is clear they have no idea how to respond and are still chasing cheap headlines rather than facing up to serious issues. I always knew the wheels would come off their PR machine when it was clear that is all it ever was. It has been a re branding exercise not a serious political shift to face up to the modern world and the problems we all face together. They seemed unfit to be an opposition today - never mind a government.

MPs Return to Westminster today. Business of the week can be found via the link above.

Loughborough MP Andy Reed said:" We return in uncertain times. Obviously the wheels of government continue turning whilst the House is in recess and does my own workload - but being back at Westminster will allow us to ask the government what it id doing on a wide range of fronts - the financial crisis and energy prices for example. There are also hundreds of other more local and interesting issues that require Ministers to be accountable to back bench MPs like myself. I am looking forward to putting public pressure on them on many of the things I have seen over the summer months."

IN the House of Commons today Andy Reed called on the Olympic Minister to recognise the Special Olympics being held in the County next year.

Questions were raised about access to the Paralympics for those with a learning disability.

Loughboprough MP and Special Olympic 2009 Board member Andy Reed urged Tessa Jowell to not overlook the 2009 Leicester games and the contribution the Special Olympics was already making for those with a learning disability. The Minister agreed and offered to come to Special Olympics 2009.

Loughborough MP Andy Reed told the Secretary of State for Sport that he must find the £100m for elite sport by December or face massive problems and uncertainty.

The government gave UKSport an additional £300m in 2006 to fund our elite athletes and get us to 4th in the 2012 medal table. The massive success of UKSport and the NGBs in delivering that in Beijing shows the policy worked. However, £100m of that monies was to come from the private sector explained Andy Reed.

"Now it is clear that the £100m cannot and will not be raised by the private sector by 2012 and so I am calling on DCMS and the Treasury to step in and make it clear how the shortfall will be made up before UKSport has to put into action its 4 year funding cycle. I would hate for all the great work done to win medals in Beijing to be undone by cuts to our medal hopes for 2012."

"Of course in Loughborough we see the benefit of that money as elite athletes train at the University and English Institute of Sport. This is a constituency issue as much as a national issue"

Loughborough MP Andy Reed was back in rugby action this weekend in his first game of the season for Birstall RFC. The rugby mad MP kicked off the season playing scrum half for Birstall v Ashby with a 24-12 loss. Reed converted one of the two Birstall tries.

"I have been playing for Birstall RFC since I was at Stonehill School in Birstall and have had so many good times. I may be a bit slower these days but I am still enjoying my rugby and intend to carry on for a few more years if the legs will carry me. The club nearly folded a few years ago and thanks to the hard work of a few key individuals it has grown so that we now field 2 teams again. We are still trying to recruit and so if people are interested in training and playing rugby visit the Birstall RFC website linked above"

Ex Boys Brigade member Andy Reed MP visited the Leicestershire BB display at Quorn Great Central Railway on Saturday.

Andy Reed was a member of the 2nd Leicester Boys Brigade in Birstall between 1972 and 1987. He had been involved as a teenager in the 100th anniversary celebrations representing the County at an International festival at Durham.

Andy said" I can't believe it is 25 years ago that I was involved in celebrating the 100th anniversary and here we are again. Like all organisations the BB has to learn to move with the times and I am pleased to see they are doing that again. I enjoyed my time with the BB and would encourage anybody to get involved in such organisations as either volunteers or as young people wanting a good time. I travelled the country and played sport as well as enjoying the outdoors and camping. I would never have done half the things I achieved as child if it was not for the BB and so it was good to meet on familiar faces and relive some happy memories."

Andy Reed was at Loughborough College on Friday to meet with Jim Mutton and the Learning & Skills Council. Andy was there to hear about progress on post 16 education in the town and progress on the redevelopment plans for the College site.

Andy said "I worked with Jim Mutton over the last 10 years and seen the College go from strength to strength. The Labour government is committing substantial investment to the FE Sector and vocational skills and this is long overdue after years of neglect under the Tories who destroyed our training and apprenticeships as well as our industries. I am pleased to see that all the hard work is paying off and future plans for redeveloping the whole site are continuing. I will be doing what I can to make sure Loughborough gets its fair share of additional investment."

Andy Reed was today meeting local small businessman Mr Pithia of Derby Road Loughborough to discuss local issues.

Andy said "I spend a great deal of time listening to professional groups speaking on behalf of all sorts of people - so it great to go and meet people at their place of work or in their communities to see what the real issues are. I aim to meet a wide range of small businesses over the next few months to see how they are coping with the global slowdown. Whilst there are many large employers in Loughborough where I am pleased to say I have good relations it is important to recognise that small business are the lifeblood of the local economy. I enjoyed our time together and was interested to see how a very small business is managing to operate against others in the market and what more Loughborough and local authorities can do to help"

Andy Reed MP is looking for people from Loughborough to get involved in the Special Olympics in Leicester in 2009.

The Loughborough MP has joined the Board of Special Olympics Leicester and is urging everybody across the county to get involved. As a first step he is asking people to sponsor him in the Leicester Marathon on 19th October.

"I was around in 1988 when Leicester last hosted the Special Olympics. The City s the only place to host this twice. It was a great event and having just come through the Beijing Olympics I am sure nobody will fail to be inspired by these games too.

"I will be running in the Leicester Marathon as part of a Board Team and am looking for people to sponsor me. All the money raised will go to helping Leicestershire athletes take part next summer."

"After that I hope people will consider volunteering to help in July next year or may want to help financially in some other way by fundraising. Special Olympics for people with a learning disability will be something to make the City and County proud and I hope people will want to get involved in some small way"