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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.
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Chair @SarahChampionMP has written with concern to Foreign Secretary @YvetteCooperMP over the Israeli Government’s treatment of @UNRWA and other INGOs, which run a range of services for Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Read more: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/98/international-development-committee/news/211214/international-development-committee-chair-urges-foreign-secretary-to-act-over-unrwa-restrictions/
Trump’s coup in Venezuela didn’t just break the rules – it showed there aren’t any. We’ll all regret that | Nesrine Malik
An illegal military strike on Saturday followed by claims that the USA will “run” Venezuela.
Now a renewed threat to seize Greenland over the heads of its people.
When will our leaders here in the UK stop prevaricating and stand up for international law?
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all. Congratulations to Charlee Hone from The Meadows Primary School who designed the winning entry in my Christmas card competition this year. The theme is ‘Christmas Sports in Northfield.’ Once again there were some fantastic entries and I love Charlee’s idea of snowmen playing football with a Christmas pudding! A big thank you to all the schools and …
Welcome to my latest Parliamentary newsletter. This covers local issues and developments as well as my actions in Parliament. You’ll find updates on rail fares, local government funding and other issues. As ever, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me on these or any other issues. This is my also last newsletter of 2017 which gives me the opportunity to wish you all both a Merry Christmas …
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 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.
