Welcome to my latest Parliamentary newsletter. This covers some of the most local issues and developments as well as my actions in Parliament. This includes my EU survey, local boundary changes as well as updates on North Worcestershire Golf Course and Starbucks Drive-In. In Birmingham Northfield Elections Roundup The local elections on 5th May saw a clean sweep for Labour across the four wards …
Don’t forget that to vote, you, your friends, family and neighbours have to register as individuals.
Doing so only takes a few minutes – all you need is your National Insurance Number, follow the link here: . Please do it now. To vote in the referendum on 23rd June you need to register by 7th June.
On 23rd June, every one of us will have the chance to decide for ourselves whether to cast our votes for or against Britain remaining in the European Union. It is a big decision and it is a tough one. Talking to people around here in the last few weeks, though, I know that people are getting really fed up with the bitterness and backbiting that has often disfigured the debate. People also tell me …
In February the Government announced new rules on public procurement without any parliamentary or public scrutiny. These rules appeared to restrict public bodies like local councils and universities from refusing to award contracts to certain companies based on ethical grounds and making their own choices to promote ethical trading and investment. A few months ago I held a Westminster Hall debate …
“We believe that leaving the EU would deter investment and threaten jobs. It would put the economy at risk. Britain will be stronger, safer and better off remaining a member of the European Union.” – Ralph Speth, Chief Executive, Jaguar Land Rover — “The potential consequences of a UK exit – or Brexit – are twofold for domestic pension schemes. A break from the …
Leave campaigners have been trying to tell us for months that if we leave the EU, everything will carry on as normal and there will be nothing but sunshine. When visiting the UK last week, US President Barack Obama told us it isn’t as simple as that. No surprise then that the same Leave campaigners went into overdrive about the US bullying us and that this was an unreasonable intervention …
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.