Rachael Maskell MP for York Central is supporting a campaign run by charity The Reading Agency to encourage all primary school children to take part in this year’s Summer Reading Challenge, which launches across England and Wales on Saturday 15^th July.

To mark the starting date of the summer-long project, Rachael will be donating several books to York’s city centre library York Explore on Saturday morning.

The Summer Reading Challenge, a unique partnership between The Reading Agency and public libraries across the UK, last year got over 729,000 children borrowing, reading and talking about their favourite books.

Rachael Maskell York Central MP has been appointed as the Shadow Rail Minister in the reshuffle which took place on Monday. Ms Maskell, who was re-elected on 8 June with an 18,575 majority is looking forward to developing Labour’s rail strategy, not least due to the pivotal role that York has played as a railway city through the years.  The MP has been promoted as Jeremy Corbyn prepares his line up ready to challenge the Government and face the possibility of another General Election.

Following the recent announcement about the closure of Burgins Perfumary, a business which has been trading in York for 137 years, Rachael Maskell challenged the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, to say when he will begin an urgent consultation on business rates to help traders in York.  In his Spring Budget the Chancellor promised that “a new preferred approach to business rates” would be consulted on but this has not happened.

Rachael Maskell MP: "The East Coast Main Line returned £1BN to the the treasury in public ownership after the collapse of the National Express contract. I asked the Minister if Virgin or the taxpayer alone will be contributing to the cost of upgrading the crumbling network. Labour will nationalise our rail network, It's time for public ownership for the public interest."