THERE has been widespread support felt across the UK for the Ukrainian people ever since the full Russian invasion on February 24.

With many taking to the streets to show their empathy. Even locally, a vigil was held in Taunton outside the Market House last Saturday.

There has also been a showing of support in Westminster with Vadym Prystaiko, Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, given a standing ovation in the House of Commons, despite it being against parliamentary protocol.

Although the Parliamentary etiquette bible, Erskine May, forbids clapping - spontaneous applause for Mr Prystaiko erupted as the commons wanted to show a gesture of support to the Ukrainian people during their time of need.

On Tuesday (March 8) evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave an extraordinary speech addressing the British government, echoing Churchill, as he proclaimed that he would fight Russia in “forests, fields, and shores”.

It is paramount that we, as the UK population, rally to support the Ukrainian people in every way we can during their fight for democracy.

With International Women’s Day being last Tuesday, I thought now would be pertinent to bring up the recent Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

The bill was returned recently to the Commons after a series of defeats in the House of Lords. Several amendments altered the bill removing a clause that classified misogyny as a hate crime.

This clause had been heavily campaigned for by several leading women’s rights activists and so was, therefore, met with heavy criticism and controversy.

Female representation in the House of Commons, as of March 2022, is at an all-time high, with 225 MP’s or 35 per cent of the house being female.

Recently, Blackpool elected a black female MP for the first time in their history, after a by-election caused by the sad and sudden death of the 73-year-old veteran Labour MP Jack Dromey.

The award of a knighthood to former Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, caused widespread consternation.

This was evidenced by a recent YouGov poll finding only 5 per cent of participants supporting the decision.

Listing a catalogue of his failures, Labours’ shadow education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said that the award showed “utter contempt for the challenges children and education staff have faced during the pandemic”.

As a student who had to take their GCSE’s during his frustrating term in charge of British education, this is difficult to disagree with those sentiments.