Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield) (Lab): Does my right hon. Friend agree that on the subject of investment, the proposed joint venture between the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation and MG Rover is not only vital for the west midlands but offers long-term benefits to both companies and both countries?
Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield) (Lab): Amid the speculation in the press about the progress of negotiations between MG Rover and Shanghai Automotive, does my right hon. Friend agree that we must keep at the forefront of our minds the 6,000 employees at MG Rover, the employees’ families, the communities that depend on MG Rover and the businesses whose futures are intertwined with MG …
Government spokespeople have confirmed that senior officials from the Department of Trade and Industry are in China to help bring to a successful conclusion, the proposed partnership arrangement between Shanghai Automotive (SAIC) and MG Rover. They have also confirmed that the government has offered repayable bridging finance to stabilise the transition and to allow the new joint venture between …
At the end of January, I attended the launch of the Make Poverty History Campaign in Birmingham, and along with hundreds of other supporters, wrapped a huge white ribbon around St Martin’s in the Bullring. This campaign, which is supported by a coalition of over 200 charities and other organisations, is a chance for everyone to get involved, and to put pressure on World Leaders to really move …
After leading last year’s campaign to save local post offices in the constituency from closure, and helping to spearhead a Commons Inquiry into Post Office reorganization nationally, I was pleased to open a new sub post office in Longbridge. The new Longbridge Post Office on Bristol Road South replaces a former branch on Edgewood Road and an old one on Bristol Road South. The new branch is …
I was out and about in February, talking to local Pensioners groups, listening to their views about the future of pensions in this country. As a result of the increase in government investment under Labour, nearly two million pensioners have been lifted out of poverty. In addition, changes brought in by the Government mean that 14,035 pensioners benefit from the Winter Fuel Allowance, worth at …
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.