CategoryPolitical reform

The Labour Leadership

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A few weeks ago I wrote a piece about the Labour leadership election and about the future direction of our Party. It set out the reasons why I believe the qualities that Yvette Cooper would have brought to the position of Leader made her the candidate for me to support. The scale of Jeremy Corbyn’s victory was, however, overwhelming and it must be respected. I don’t say that...

Reflections on the election: How we take things forward in Northfield

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Last month a large gathering of Labour Party Members and Supporters met to review the lessons of the recent elections, and to work out how best we can move forward.

Before we broke into four workshops (see below), I opened the event with some personal reflections on the election and on the future. Read my notes here.

Why the Future of Labour has to be about more than comfort food

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So the deadline has now passed for people to register as Labour supporters to have a vote in the Labour Leadership election. Amid stories of malign infiltration by some Tories and others, Labour is right to check the genuineness of applications before ballot papers are issued. But let’s be clear, the fact that thousands of new people feel motivated to join the debate about the future of Labour is...

IPSA decision on MPs’ pay

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The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, IPSA, have now announced their decision in respect of the future of MPs' pay. As the name suggests, IPSA is independent of Government and of MPs ourselves. Before IPSA made its final decision, I set out my view about its proposals several times over the last year. I thought the proposals were ill judged, particularly when average pay rises...

Devolution must reach people on the edge

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Last year’s independence referendum, and the massive increase in support for the Scottish Nationalists at the General Election, have inevitably focused attention about how and where decisions should be made across the different nations of the UK. It’s also clear that big questions must be answered about how power is devolved – not only to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but within...

Open Up! Digitalising UK Democracy

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A few weeks ago we saw the publication of an ambitious new report looking into how digital technology can help shape the future UK politics. The Commission was ground-breaking in a number of ways and its’ conclusions are broad and ambitious. I would encourage anyone interested to read it via their impressive interactive website. I also wanted to offer a few thoughts on the five key...

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Richard Burden

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I was Labour Member of Parliament for Birmingham Northfield between 1992 and 2019 and a former Shadow Transport Minister. I now chair Healthwatch in Birmingham and Solihull, and the West Midlands Board of Remembering Srebrenica. I also work as a public affairs consultant. I am an effective community advocate and stakeholder alliance builder with a passion for human rights. I am a trustee of the Balfour Project charity and of Citizens Advice Birmingham, and a former Chair of Medical Aid for Palestinians.

Get in touch

You can reach me by email at richard@richardburden.com or use the form on the Contact page to send me a message.