I just wanted to share an update on my week in Parliament before getting my train home to Newport West.

This week was a busy one in the House. I spoke on a range of issues and because most of the Tory Party were in Manchester at their party conference; it meant that Labour MPs had a much better chance of being called by the Speaker or one of his deputies. The Tories had tried to stop us being here this week but lost a vote on whether we should go into a short recess after their prorogation was deemed unlawful by the Supreme Court. This meant that the House was sitting all week and what a good week for Parliament, it was.

The highlight for me was the second reading of the Domestic Abuse Bill on Wednesday, which will do so much to save lives and change lives. I joined many colleagues like Carolyn Harris, Jess Yardley and Diane Abbott and pay tribute to them for their work on this important piece of legislation to date. But I want to pay special tribute to two brilliant Labour women in Parliament – Naz Shah from Bradford West and Rosie Duffield from Canterbury. They gave emotional, meaningful and inspirational speeches in the Chamber and there will be many women in our country who will find hope from their comments and experiences. It was an honour to be there and to speak in the debate too.

I joined colleagues from across the parties in a debate on the Welsh language which gave me a chance – as a Welsh learner married to a Welsh speaker – to pay tribute to all those who speak Welsh and to encourage people across the United Kingdom to think about learning our vibrant, living language too.

My other contributions covered important issues like the impact of Brexit on Northern Ireland, how to protect farmers in Wales and across the UK from a fall in standards, investment and support if we crash out of the European Union with no deal. I also challenged the Attorney General on how the government plans to ensure more effective prosecutions of cases involving rape and other sexual offences.

There were no votes this week and so no updates on that front.

The last thing I saw before leaving London today was a statement from the Prime Minister on his proposals for Northern Ireland and a deal to leave the European Union. In short, the proposals are simply not fit for purpose. It appears that he has only secured the support of the hard right of the Tory Party and of the DUP. I will be looking for more detail, if there is any; and will be working to ensure that the people of Newport West do not pay the price for the Prime Minister’s partisan games.

I will be out and about Newport West over the coming days before heading back to London on Monday. If you need my help on anything, please do not hesitate to get in touch – Ruth.Jones.MP@Parliament.uk