Jonathan Ashworth will be travelling to the Occupied Palestinian Territories today, staying in the West Bank as part of a delegation with Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East, and CAABU (the Council for Arab-British Understanding).

As part of the visit, Mr Ashworth will be meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah.

The delegation comes after news of an agreed ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Speaking before the visit, Mr Ashworth said: “This delegation will allow me to meet with influential individuals in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and I’ll see for myself exactly what life is like when living in those territories.”

“I also fully welcome this ceasefire. The recent violence we’ve seen in Gaza and Israel has been horrific. I have looked on in absolutely dismay at the unfolding events in Palestine, and the loss of so much innocent life is heart-breaking.”

The delegation will last for five days.

In addition to meeting the Palestinian Prime Minister, Mr Ashworth will also meet with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), a relief and humanitarian development agency of the United Nations.

He will also meet with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), and other agencies on the ground.

Mr Ashworth commented further: “In recent weeks a huge number of constituents have contacted me about this issue, and I will report back upon my return.”

As one of the three MPs in Leicester Jon spends a great deal of time meeting with local people and listening to their hopes and concerns.

More and more often concerns are raised with Jon about the state of our National Health Service, whether it be delays in people having operations or people not being able to see their GP.

Jon said: “We all know the national headlines - that the crisis in the NHS is the responsibility of the government. Under Cameron and Clegg £3 billion has been wasted on a damaging NHS reorganisation we were promised would not happen, thousands of frontline staff have lost their jobs, waiting times in A&E are increasing and waiting lists for treatments, having fallen under Labour, are increasing again. However, I want to know from local people what they think of our NHS.”

There are a number of ways Jon will seeking local opinions on the NHS. Jon will be writing to over 10,000 of his constituents across the whole of Leicester South, including parts of Stoneygate, Knighton and Clarendon Park, so look out for these letters.

Jon will also be going door-to-door in different parts of the Constituency asking people’s views directly, and people can send their views to Jon by email, facebook and twitter. Jon will be setting up a special NHS website for people to post opinions too.

Jon commented: “I want to get a wide-ranging view of local opinions on the state of our NHS. I will then present these findings to top level Westminster figures to give them a picture of the state of the NHS across Leicester South.”

“My constituents tell me that it is getting harder to see their family doctor. As a direct result of David Cameron scrapping Labour’s guarantee of a GP appointment within 48 hours, nearly 10% of patients in Leicester now wait a week or more to see their GP, which is approximately 30,000 people.”

“This is clearly unacceptable. Not only will a Labour Government guarantee a GP appointment within 48 hours, and on the same day for those who need it, a Labour Government will repeal David Cameron’s NHS changes that put private profit before patients, so that NHS professionals can focus on your care.”

Leicester South MP Jon Ashworth opened this year’s St Matthews Community Parks Day.

Speaking before the event Jon said: “I am delighted to be asked to officially open such an important community event. This is the fifteenth year that the Parks Day has been held and, as always, it promises to be a fun day that brings the community together.”

There were many activities on Bushey Park including bouncy castles, Ping!, stage acts, musical statues, hot and cold food, fun family activities, and much more. The Community Parks Day ran from 3pm to 7pm.

Jon commented: “The Parks Day would not be possible if it were not for the many agencies coming together with volunteers from the local community. The Parks Day shows the best of St Matthews and its amazing community spirit. Let’s hope for some sunshine and that everyone has a great time.”