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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.
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.
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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?
My Easter Newsletter provides an update on what I have been doing locally and in Parliament to represent people in Birmingham Northfield over the past few months. This newsletter covers national issues from the Chancellor’s budget, road safety, potholes, the upcoming elections in May and an update on the ‘Trojan Horse’ allegations. There are also local updates on Northfield’s budget, North …
Along with local Labour Councillors, for some time now I’ve been raising the widespread concerns of residents about North Worcestershire Golf Club’s (NWGC) announcement that they want to sell of the Golf Course in Northfield for redevelopment by Bloor Homes. We promised to keep residents informed so here is an update. Bloor Homes, officers of NWGC and their advisors, Harris Lamb, asked to meet …
On this Mothers day, families would be forgiven for thinking they’re in for a £2000 subsidy on their childcare costs under plans recently announced in the Budget. Whilst any new money to help families facing soaring childcare costs is welcome, this Coalition con should not fool mums and dads in Birmingham.
Last week, I joined Shadow Education Secretary Tristram Hunt to visit Jervoise Primary School, near Weoley Castle, following their recent successful Ofsted inspection.
Last week, I attended an event in the House of Commons to back the GMB union’s campaign calling for support for Teaching Assistants in Northfield.
You may know that the Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP is currently developing its Strategic Economic Plan (SEP), which will be submitted to the Government at the end of March 2014, and form the basis of the city-regions negotiations for a a ‘Growth Deal’. It is a crucial time for determining how our city region will drive growth and new opportunities in the future.
My latest newsletter gives an update on what I am doing locally and in Parliament to represent people in Birmingham Northfield. This newsletter covers national issues from the recent floods to the rising cost of living, as well as my local work to boost jobs and employment in our area, support local residents at Kingswood Care Homes, and respond to the huge financial challenges facing Birmingham …
On the 5th March, I held a debate in the House of Commons to ask the Government why two farmers’ markets in South Birmingham, including Kings Norton Farmers’ Market in my constituency, had suddenly lost their tax exemption – at the same time as huge multinational firms like Amazon, Google, Starbucks and Vodafone continue to get away with paying almost nothing.
All political parties try to grab headlines and present stories in a way that makes a political point. But there are bottom lines. That is why it is just not right to manufacture stories to discredit your opponents and scare local people in the hope of getting votes for yourself. Unfortunately, that seems to be what at least some Conservatives are trying to do in Northfield right now. They have …
Next Friday, the 21st of February, I’m very proud that I will be hosting a major jobs fair for South Birmingham at Bournville College in Longbridge, as part of The Climb Project I launched last year.
I hope that local people will be able to attend and see the fantastic opportunities that are available here in South Birmingham.
Residents have contacted me about reports that the North Worcestershire Golf Course in my constituency may be sold off for redevelopment as a housing estate.
Local councillors and I have opposed this in the past and we had been assured by the Golf Club that they had no such plans. Therefore, we are as concerned to hear the latest reports as local residents have been.
Richard Burden MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Britain - Palestine, responding to the news of Scarlett Johansson's resignation as a Global Ambassador for Oxfam, said:
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.
