AuthorRichard Burden

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.

Listening to Young People

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I am really pleased that a local Youth Commission has been set up in Northfield, to help improve facilities for young people locally and – just as important- to listen to what young people themselves are saying.  The Commission should help identify how young people in Northfield can make best use of the extra money which the Labour Government is has made available to improve facilities for young …

Britain-Palestine Group welcome results of London meeting, but call for a full peace conference

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Today, as Chair of the All Party Group on Palestine, I welcomed the positive outcomes of the London Meeting to Support the Palestinian Authority. But I’ve called for a full Peace Conference, involving Israel, to be held as soon as possible. The agreements made in London yesterday are an important step forward, and mark another significant movement in the right direction towards a united …

Northfield Students visit Parliament

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I recently attended an event hosted jointly by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Parliamentary Reform in association with the Hansard Society, which aimed to allow parliamentarians to hear directly from young people and to look at ways in which Parliament can connect directly with them. I was joined by Lauren James, 12, from Turves Green Girls’ School, and Joseph Shaw, 14, from Turves Green …

Labour’s top 50 achievements

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Our top 50 achievements since being elected in 1997: 1. Lowest inflation since the 60s 2. Lowest mortgage rates for 40 years 3. Introduced the National Minimum Wage 4. Record police numbers in England and Wales 5. Cut overall crime by 30 per cent 6. Record levels of literacy and numeracy in schools 7. Best-ever primary school results 8. Funding for every pupil in England to double (since 1997) by …

Arafat memorial – 205 MPs call on Israel to dismantle separation wall

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Today, Richard Burden MP, Chair of the Britain-Palestine All-Party Parliamentary Group, will chair a Memorial Evening in London to commemorate the life of Yasser Arafat. The evening will be attended by H. E. Afif Safieh, Palestinian General Delegate to the UK. Speakers will also include Rajab Chamlakh, Head of the Association of Palestinian Community in the UK; Lord David Steel, Former leader of …

Remember Arafat’s olive branch not simply his gun

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Richard Burden MP, Chair of the Britain-Palestine All-Party Group in Parliament today responded to news of the death of Palestinian President, Yasser Arafat. Richard, a regular visitor to the region and an active campaigner for greater recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people, had met with Mr Arafat on several occasions during recent years. He said: Yasser Arafat was “Mr Palestine” for …

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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.