Motor industry / motorsport

MG Longbridge – IT DID NOT HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS

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Originally published in Bromsgrove Standard – 30 September 2016 Many of you may have already heard the recent news that MG has announced they intend to cease assembling vehicles at their site in Longbridge. With the loss of around 25 local jobs, the overall scale of this is vastly different from when MG Rover stopped production over a decade ago – with the loss of over 6,500 jobs. But it …

Statement on MG’s announcement to cease assembly at Longbridge

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Responding to news that MG intend to cease assembling vehicles at the Longbridge site, Richard Burden MP said: “MG’s decision to close its assembly line at Longbridge is hugely disappointing and I believe it is premature. I understand the business concerns that MG have surrounding costs of assembly at Longbridge, which have undoubtedly been aggravated by problems with the strength of the …

In The Debate Over British Steel, Don’t Forget The Human Cost

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The government must learn the lessons of the collapse of MG Rover. Car-making at Longbridge and steel at Port Talbot and elsewhere are not simply about the economies of those areas. They are about their heritage; about community identity and the prospects for the next generation. A focus on building community resilience was a vital part of the response to the collapse of MG Rover in Birmingham …

Transport Secretary must come clean about UK’s role in allowing cars to pollute above legal limit

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Following the recent VW scandal, EU Member State representatives agreed on 28th October at Technical Committee to tighten EU emissions testing rules – and then appeared to give open-ended permission for cars to breach the EU’s own limits by 50% in real live driving conditions.

VW emissions affair

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UK Drivers are being left in the dark due to mixed messages from ministers. By Richard Burden Originally published by HuffPost, October 21, 2015 The UK Government must come clean on what they knew and move quicker to end uncertainty for drivers. Almost a month after Volkswagen’s use of “defeat devices” to evade regulatory emissions limits in the USA became known, it is clear …

Impact of Calais on Kent traffic demands better than short-fixes

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It's not only in politics that a week is a long time. Last week our TV screens were dominated by scenes long queues of stationary lorries stacked up along the M20; of holiday makers stuck in jams; of residents unable to get out of nearby Kent villages and of local businesses losing trade with customers unable to get to them and orders unable to get out. All of them victims of a perfect storm of …

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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.

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You can reach me by email at richard@richardburden.com or use the form on the Contact page to send me a message.