Member

Ms Ghani, you may have detected by now that I have a slight stammer. As a child, I could not even say my own name some days. Mind you, there are still people who have that trouble today—it is not their fault; it is part-Ashkenazi, part-Sephardi and wholly unpronounceable. But I know that I am not alone in overcoming a stammer: Bevan had one and overcame it by reciting the poetry of William Morris. In my case it was not poetry but the NHS that came to the rescue. Dedicated NHS speech therapists worked with me for years, which means that I can talk to you—that I could stand up in class, stand for Parliament and be here today. They gave me my voice so I can now give voice to others, and I am determined to pay that forward by fighting for world-class NHS speech therapy for all those who need it—those on the Treasury Bench should take note.