Former
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.
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These are the main subjects on which I’ve written. Click here to view the full list of categories.
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Israeli forces are said to have dropped more explosives on Gaza than fell on London, Dresden and Hamburg combined in the Second World War. The level of destruction is hard to fathom as is the humanitarian suffering.
Our Foreign Affairs Correspondent @SecKermani looks at the…
Some personal reflections on what Remembering Srebrenica means in 2025 – for Bosnia and Herzegovina, for the wider world and here in the UK..

“Two years after 7 October and the kidnap of my parents, hate is in fashion. For all our sakes, we need compassion” | Sharone Lifschitz | The Guardian
Remembering all those killed and those taken hostage in southern Israel two years ago today. Thoughts with those who lost loved ones and solidarity with the families of those still held in captivity.
This by @JeremyBenAmi, who lost friends that day, is very powerful. #October7
Two years after October 7, @JeremyBenAmi writes that to honor the victims and end the cycle of horror, we must reclaim a word too often scoffed at and shied away from: Peace.
🔗 https://jstreetdotorg.substack.com/p/two-years-after-october-7-it-is-time
This week the Government announced its police and local government finance settlements, which set out funding plans for the next financial year. Yet again, it’s more bad news for our city. Birmingham has already suffered the biggest cuts in local government history approaching £700 million. To make matters worse, the Government have failed again to address the £100 million that our city is …
Richard Burden MP, Chair of the Britain-Palestine All Party Parliamentary Group, has today written to the Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson concerning US President Donald Trump’s recent announcement of his decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. A cross-party group of 90 Parliamentarians have added their names to the letter to express their collective concern regarding President’s …
Human Rights Day is celebrated annually to honour the adoption of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to remind us of the importance and value of the inalienable rights that we are all entitled to as human beings. Human Rights Day is an opportunity for us to remember those from all over the world who continue to fight for rights that we sometimes take for granted. As Chair of the …
Alongside other Birmingham Labour MPs I have written to West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street, to call on the Mayor to use his devolved powers to expand free travel on buses and other public transport for the WASPI women who have been disproportionately affected by changes in the state pension age. The Conservative – Lib Dem Coalition Government’s decision to accelerate the rise in the women’s …
Richard Burden MP, Chair of the Britain-Palestine All Party Parliamentary Group, has responded to reports that President Trump has told Palestinian President Abbas that he intends to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Mr Burden said today: “Jerusalem is a holy city for Jews, Christians and Muslims alike, and there has long been consensus amongst the international community that …
Welcome to my latest Parliamentary newsletter. This covers local issues and developments as well as my actions in Parliament. You’ll find updates on Universal Credit, the Autumn Budget and other issues. As ever, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me on these or any other issues. Best wishes, Richard In Birmingham Northfield Rollout of Universal Credit in South Birmingham For many months …
This week is Road Safety Week, an invaluable initiative for keeping our roads as safe as possible, organised by the road safety charity Brake. As part of Road Safety Week, I took part in an event organised by Vision Express and Brake to try out a simulator that replicates the impact of glaucoma on a driver’s field of vision in order to highlight the importance of regular eye testing for road …
This week is Living Wage Week and the Living Wage Foundation announced that the UK Voluntary Living Wage is to rise to £8.75 per hour for those working outside of London. The Voluntary Living Wage is independently calculated from research into what people in the UK need to get by. Unlike the Government’s re-branding of the National Minimum Wage to the National Living Wage – which is £7.50 …
Welcome to my latest Parliamentary newsletter. This covers local issues and developments as well as my actions in Parliament. You’ll find updates on children centres, World Mental Health Day and other issues. As ever, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me on these or any other issues. Best wishes, Richard In Birmingham Northfield Children’s Health and Wellbeing services Earlier …
Voting has now opened for all the projects that have applied to the Aviva Community Fund, including a number of local charities and community groups in the Northfield area. The Aviva Community Fund awards funding of up to £25,000 for local community projects across a range of categories. To vote for local projects in Northfield, click on the following link to find the projects that have applied …
I am very sad to hear that Derek Robinson has died. He was part of a very different era in the UK motor industry. However, I would caution against over simplistic or one dimensional accounts of why there was so much strife at Longbridge and elsewhere in the 1970s. Both management and unions of the time carry their share of responsibility for the problems that the industry faced back then and both …
This Friday, it is wear it pink day for Breast Cancer Now, which will see thousands of people adding a splash of pink to their outfits to raise vital funds for the largest breast cancer charity. Anyone can take part in wear it pink day, which brings together schools, workplaces and communities. All you need to do is wear something pink, or hold a pink event at home, work and school, and make a …
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.
