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.
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.
Here is the link to my Bluesky account, and here is the link to my Twitter/X account. You can also view my Facebook page and LinkedIn profile.
Click on ‘Contact’ below to get in touch with me.
This feed refreshes intermittently. Please log in to X (Twitter) to view my newest tweets in full.
Roy Hattersley was a fellow Birmingham MP and a key figure in Labour for decades. We came from different wings of the Party but I always knew he was someone who never lost sight of the bottom-line principles that made him Labour. RIP
Let’s call out what happened in Belfast last night for what it was – a pogrom. What a contrast with the hugely dignified response of Stephen Ogilvie’s family. Total respect for them as they face such an ordeal after the horrific attack on him.
Abolishing patient watchdog leaves NHS ‘marking own homework’, councils warn
In otherwise wide ranging interview with Health Secretary, James Murray, regrettable that @BBCr4today didn’t ask why the new Health Bill, to be debated today will scrap independent patient and public voice in health &social care. Here’s why govt is wrong
Every child should be able to walk, cycle or scoot to school safely. But far too often our roads are just too dangerous for them to do so. Two thirds of primary school children think streets in their community are unsafe for walking and cycling. And no wonder. Figures released today show that in 2014 the number of children killed or seriously injured rose for the first time in 20 years. So it’s …
Today is National Voter Registration Day!
Raising awareness of National Voter Registration Day is even more important as parents can no longer sign up adult children and Universities can no longer sign up students.
It only takes 5 minutes to #RegisterToVote online, do it now: .
I never knew Tory ministers were like buses but it's true. You don't catch a glimpse of one for ages and then they all turn up at once. That's certainly how it's been in my home constituency of Birmingham Northfield. The Conservative government has never shown much interest in the people who live around here. Presumably that is why they thought it fine to hit Birmingham with cuts at a rate twice …
On Tuesday (3 February 2015) I successfully held an Ask Me Anything using my Twitter and Facebook pages. As promised I did my best to answer as many questions from Northfield constituents as possible within the intended hour-long chat. In the end I stayed on for an extra 20 minutes and I’m still getting back to a few I missed! You can see my responses on Twitter by checking out this handy Storify …
Last Thursday (29 January) I welcomed constituents to a public discussion held at Northfield Baptist Church to talk about the early findings of my survey on immigration, and local peoples’ concerns on the issue. In addition to the hundreds of people who participated in the survey, over fifty constituents braved the snowy weather to hear the findings and raise their concerns at the event. They …
Since December my diary, and my mind, have been rather occupied with the Government’s “Infrastructure Bill.” This might sound rather technical. But I know from the number of local people who have contacted me about the various issues covered from the Bill – from fracking to cycling and the Highways Agency – that it is hugely important. So although it has been hard work, and it has taken a …
Lots of residents get in touch with me about anti-social behaviour problems. This can cover anything that reduces local people’s quality of life and causes them distress – and it can vary from abandoned vehicles and litter, to noisy and rowdy behaviour outside your home. These things are not minor nuisances – I know they often leave people feeling completely helpless and desperate. I regularly …
This is just a quick note to say that despite the snow earlier, the public meeting on immigration will be going ahead tonight as planned. We are continuing to monitor the weather, so should it deteriorate please check the website, Facebook or Twitter for updates. The event will begin promptly at 18.45, so we would be grateful if you could arrive at 18.30. Refreshments will be served. The address …
An appeal has now been submitted against the City Council’s refusal of separate Planning Application for a new Sainsburys store on the Car Park of the Navigation Pub near Kings Norton Green. Here are the details of how residents can submit views.
Here is the Letter I have received from Tescos informing me that the store is going to close on or after March 15.
I am delighted to announce I will be hosting an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session between 5.30 – 6.30 pm on Tuesday 3rd February 2015. Social media offers exciting opportunities for politicians to engage with local people directly. I believe that it’s really important we use the technology available at our finger tips to help represent you – the people who elect us. I want to reach out to people in as …
The Government are failing to listen to the public who know that the major problem with Britain’s roads is the pothole epidemic and the failure to maintain our road infrastructure properly. Ministers care more about a top-down reorganisation of the Highways Agency, who manage 2% of strategic roads, than fixing the 98% of local roads – a third of which are in urgent need of attention. The …
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.
