Tomorrow, the Chilcot Report into the Iraq war will finally be published. Ahead of publication, my thoughts have gone back to how it felt in the House of Commons – and outside – at the time. Sometimes it is easy to get hindsight mixed up with what we knew at the time, as we approached a conflict that was going to have such a profound effect on the Middle East and beyond. It was a …
On Wednesday I urged the PM to put mechanisms in place so Birmingham and Midlands voices are heard in preparatory talks and negotiations with the EU over Brexit.
Watch it here:
I have just sent the below letter of resignation to Jeremy Corbyn. I have done so with a heavy heart. Jeremy is a friend and someone who I have worked with for many years. However, I hope the attached letter of resignation sets out why I believe the current situation has become untenable and cannot be allowed to continue any longer. You can also find links below to copies of the letter I sent to …
Yesterday I wrote to members of my Constituency Labour Party on the challenges ahead after last week’s referendum. This is what I said: Dear Member/Supporter, Describing the events of the past week or so as momentous doesn’t really come close to it, does it? Britain votes to leave the European Union of which we have been part of for over forty years. And by doing so our country enters …
Friend, comrade and fellow boat-dweller. Rest in peace, Jo. You made a difference and we will miss you x
Yesterday I pledged my support for Carers Week 2016. Across the UK there are 6.5m people providing unpaid care for an ill, older or disabled family member or friend, with 11,243 of those in Birmingham Northfield. There are also a lot of people who do not identify themselves as carers because they see what they do as part and parcel of family life, helping to support those closest to them when …
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.