Earlier this year, in the immediate aftermath of Israel’s attack on Gaza, I led a delegation of MPs on a visit to the region to survey the impact of the conflict. The situation we encountered in Gaza was appalling. Over 1,300 Palestinians had been killed during ‘Operation Cast Lead’ and a further 5,300 injured. Over two hundred schools lay damaged or destroyed, whilst hospitals and the United...
Over 120 Members of Parliament have expressed their astonishment at the BBC’s refusal to broadcast the Disasters Emergency Committee Gaza Crisis Appeal. Today I tabled a motion in the House of Commons with the support of 122 MPs from across all the main political parties (see latest version here). The motion says: That this House is astonished by the refusal of the BBC and Sky to broadcast the...
The UK Parliament today debated the ongoing military attacks on Gaza.
Gaza needs a real humanitarian lifeline and an immediate end to attacks, not just a three hour break in violence’, Richard Burden MP has said today.
The continuing slaughter in Gaza is an outrage. The international community has to make clear that respecting its calls for a ceasefire is not simply an optional extra for those launching attacks on either side. International humanitarian law must be upheld. That means protecting civilians from military attack. Common humanity also demands that food, medicines and other essential supplies must be...
Earlier this week, I wrote a short piece about why the international community should no longer allow the Israeli blockade to continue its slow strangulation of Gaza and the humanitarian crisis it is causing. Barely had I finished writing when news began to come through that Israel had begun to open its borders to let more humanitarian supplies through. Ominously though, the news was not...
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.