Nadia Whittome, MP for Nottingham East, has donated £3,000 to the Nottingham and Notts Refugee Forum as part of her salary donation commitment.
Upon her election to Parliament in 2019, Ms Whittome pledged to take home £35,000 of her MP’s salary after tax, the average UK household income, and donate the remainder to local causes.
The Nottingham and Notts Refugee Forum offers practical advice, information, support and friendship to refugees and asylum seekers, and also campaigns on issues affecting them. Last year, they helped over 1,700 people.
Ms Whittome visited the Forum this week, meeting staff, volunteers and clients. They discussed asylum seekers in destitution, the hostile environment, the severe impact of the no recourse to public funds policy during pandemic, and resettlement schemes for Afghan refugees.
Ms Whittome has previously donated to a number of other local organisations, including St Ann’s Advice Centre, POW Nottingham, the Nottingham branch of the App Drivers and Couriers Union and the Nottingham couriers’ branch of the IWGB.
Commenting on her donation, Ms Whittome said:
“We all watched the situation unfolding in Afghanistan with horror as the Taliban assumed control and thousands attempted to flee.
“I was inundated with emails from Afghans in Nottingham East but also many other constituents, all urging the government to do more.
“It was a powerful reminder of the importance of the right to asylum and the need to support people fleeing conflict and persecution.
“The Nottingham and Notts Refugee Forum do incredible work to support asylum seekers and refugees, and campaign to make their lives better.
“So many of my constituents have told me that their assistance has been invaluable since they arrived in our city.
“I hope that by sharing part of my salary with them, I can make a small contribution to NNRF’s continued growth and success.”
