The war in Ukraine continues to dominate proceedings in parliament. It was an honour to hear from President Zelensky when he addressed the Commons virtually last week - his bravery and determination to defend democratic values in the face of unimaginable adversity has been inspirational.

The people of Ukraine, who continue to suffer callous and unjustified violence at the hands of Putin's forces, are in all of our thoughts. I am grateful to all of the constituents in Newport East who have contacted me to express their solidarity with the Ukrainian people at this time.

During the recent Welsh Affairs debate in Parliament I highlighted the ongoing ties between Wales and Ukraine, and thanked constituents who are doing what they can to help.

This includes the Polish Community for Ukraine and the Women of Newport who have been overwhelmed with support for their emergency appeal; Caldicot residents who have established a local Ukraine Donation Fund; Newportonians in Prague who are raising donations for Ukrainian refugees on the ground there; and all those who have donated to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal - donations which I am pleased the UK Government has pledged to match up to £20 million. You can donate here - www.dec.org.uk/appeal/ukraine-humanitarian-appeal

Keir Starmer and Labour have called on the UK Government to provide all possible political, economic, and practical support to Ukraine at this time.

This should include a simpler and safer system for refugees looking to flee the country. I know from constituents who have been trying to help vulnerable family members to escape from bombarded areas that what has been provided by our government so far has fallen well short of what is needed.

As Keir Starmer has highlighted, we also need action to strip Russian money away from Britain's politics and economy.

Last week I asked Foreign Secretary Liz Truss why UK taxpayers may be forced to foot a £43 million pound bill for loans taken out by Russia's biggest coal company and underwritten by the government's export agency when she was in charge of International Trade. Her response - blaming officials for signing off on the deal with one of Russia's richest oligarchs - emphasised that we still have a government which is unwilling to get to grips with the problem at hand.

* Last week I supported Labour's motion calling on the government to scrap the planned increase in National Insurance contribution.

The National Insurance rise is a tax on working people and businesses at the worst possible time, coming on top of skyrocketing energy, food, and petrol costs. I had raised this issue during my Westminster Hall debate on the cost-of-living crisis last month. The government's decision to reject Labour's motion last week shows where their priorities lie - and they certainly not on the side of millions of ordinary families struggling to get by. There is a different way - and the government should look again at Labour’s proposal for a one-off windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas profits to cut household energy bills.