As we approach the 10 year anniversary of the war in Iraq there is inevitably a great deal of interest, once again, in the issue. I was one of the 139 Labour MPs who opposed the war and voted against the government in the House of Commons on 18th March 2003. The issue had dominated much of the debate – both inside Parliament and across the country – for the months leading up to that …
This week the United Nations General Assembly is expected to vote on upgrading the recognition of Palestine at the UN. Today I have written an article for the Huffington Post calling on the UK government to support Palestine at the UN without preconditions. “Proper recognition of Palestine by the UN General Assembly is not the same as peace in the Middle East, but it is a step on the road …
The International Community must press for an immediate ceasefire, not only “restraint”. My article in the Huffington Post today is online here. You can also help the people of Gaza in a practical way by donating to Medical Aid For Palestinians’ emergency appeal online here. See more about MAP’s work online here. Gaza: Leaders play to the Gallery, the innocent suffer but will the …
Over 60 British MPs from across seven political parties have signed a parliamentary motion supporting UN recognition of Palestine.
The MPs signed the motion after the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared his intention to ask the UN General Assembly to recognise Palestine as a non-member state when the General Assembly meets between 24 September and 1 October.
MPs welcome independent report on Palestinian children in military custody Members of the UK Parliament have welcomed the publication yesterday of a hard-hitting report by senior British lawyers on the treatment of Palestinian children under Israeli military law. The report – funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office – found that Israel is in breach of a series of articles under the UN …
On a delegation with the All-Party Parliamentary Jordan Group, I visited Ramtha in the north of Jordan with Andrew Harper from UNHCR to look at the situation facing refugees fleeing from Syria and the impact this is having in Jordan.
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.