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Welcome to my website and blog.
You can read a bit more about who I am and what makes me tick here. A summary of the work I did when I was Labour MP for Birmingham Northfield between 1992 and 2019 can also be found here.
The older posts on here date from my time as an MP but I have continued to blog since leaving Parliament.
The opening paragraphs of my blog posts appear at the bottom of this page in reverse date order. The “Read on” buttons take you to what I have written in full. My posts below also contain links to articles I have written and which have been published elsewhere, together with posts imported from my own Facebook page.
To view posts on a specific subject, from both during and after my time in Parliament, please click one of the buttons below.
These are the main subjects on which I’ve written. Click here to view the full list of categories.
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Click on ‘Contact’ below to get in touch with me.
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This, from Will Hutton in the Observer today, is well worth reading
Privileged to be at very moving @RemSrebWestMids Memorial Breakfast at @YMCANS in Stoke-on-Trent on Wednesday. Probably my last time speaking as WM Chair. Thanks to all for your support over past three years #YMCANS
“A reset of UK policy towards Israel and Palestine by Andy Burnham will demonstrate his values and help earn him public trust.”
The action taken yesterday by the Israeli Knesset is discriminatory and formally creates a two-tier system of rights within Israel. It formalises as second-class citizens any non-Jewish community, particularly the 20% of the population who are Palestinian Arabs. The new law also allows for the creation of communities based on religion, something that raises worrying parallels with apartheid …
By Richard Burden Originally published by Labour List, July 18, 2018 Strictly, meetings of the Parliamentary Labour Party are meant to be private. There has, however, been so much media commentary based on leaks from the meeting that I want to set out a few things to hopefully provide some additional perspective. The main item for discussion at the Parliamentary Labour Party this week was how …
Many local residents will be aware that National Express have announced changes to some bus routes in and around South Birmingham. These changes will come into force from Sunday 22nd July and include small changes, such as timetable amendments, as well as some larger route changes. National Express believe these changes will help to provide faster, more reliable, and more punctual journeys …
This week is Srebrenica Memorial Week, organised by British charity Remembering Srebrenica, to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide in which over 8,000 men and boys were systematically murdered by Bosnian Serb forces. The Srebrenica genocide was the worst massacre to take place on European soil since World War Two. It was part of a horrific conflict in which rape was …
Today the National Health Service turns 70. On 5 July 1948, the NHS was established by the Labour Party against all the odds to deliver healthcare for all – based on need, not ability to pay. The National Health Service is one of Labour’s greatest achievements and over the years it has deservedly become a national treasure. This historic birthday is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the …
Welcome to my latest Parliamentary newsletter! If you think a friend or family member may be interested in receiving my regular updates they can sign up here. Space prevents the newsletter covering all of what I have been doing over the past month. However, hopefully it provides a flavour of some of the local issues I have taken up as well as my actions in Parliament. You’ll find updates on …
The past month saw key votes in the House of Commons on the kind of Brexit the UK Government should be trying to negotiate. These votes were not about whether or not Brexit takes place. Following the referendum, Parliament set that process in motion with the triggering of Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty under which a Member State can give notice of its intention to leave the EU. Last month’s …
Air pollution is a killer. Research suggests that in Birmingham alone, poor air quality accelerates the deaths of 900 people a year. Children, the elderly and people with cardiovascular, breathing and lung conditions are particularly vulnerable. Birmingham is not alone in this. Across the country, it is estimated 40,000 people die prematurely as a result of poor air quality, with the problem …
In this week’s votes in the House of Commons on amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill, all MPs, irrespective of Party, had a duty to cast our votes in a way that we genuinely believe is in the interests of the country. These votes were not about whether or not Brexit takes place. The decision to take the UK out of the European Union was made at the referendum and by triggering Article 50 …
As many local residents will personally know, the issue of Unauthorised Traveller Encampments has been a serious problem in my constituency of Birmingham Northfield and across south Birmingham in recent years. The encampments we have seen in the area have often been accompanied by anti-social behaviour and have created huge amounts of mess. This is made even more frustrating for local residents …
Last week I met with Road Safety charity Brake to pledge my commitment to making our roads safety by becoming a Brake ‘Road Safety Champion’.
Over the years I have campaigned for better road safety, both locally in Northfield and nationally. It was a priority for me during my time as Shadow Transport Minister and it continues to be an important issue for me now.
Residents living close to North Worcestershire Golf Course will know that in August 2017 a renewed application by Bloor Homes to build 950 homes on the site of the old golf course was rejected by Birmingham City Council. Bloor Homes then lodged an appeal with the government in an attempt to overturn this decision. The Government’s Planning Inspector will now conduct a public inquiry into Bloor …
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.
