Former Member of Parliament for Birmingham Northfield
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.
People in #Gaza are still living in dire conditions while humanitarian aid is being blocked.
On 28 February, the Israeli authorities closed all crossings into the Gaza Strip, raising concerns about food security and fuel supplies needed to sustain humanitarian operations.
Today I am shocked to reveal the full scale of the cost of living crisis taking place under David Cameron and George Osborne. Analysis of historical figures from the Office for National Statistics shows that David Cameron has been in Downing Street for 36 months of falling real wages – more than any other Prime Minister on record. And no other Prime Minister has seen so many consecutive months …
It has been a busy month in Westminster before MP’s left Westminster for the Parliamentary recess. This July I have launched new project to tackle youth employment, been campaigning against the scandals of rip-off telephone rates and pay day loans, and revealing some shocking truths about the Government’s policy on arms exports. It was also a month that saw another development in the drama of MG …
The accountants Deloitte have lost an appeal over a regulatory ruling that it failed to manage conflicts of interest in its advice to the MG Rover Group and the "Phoenix Four" directors, who bought the UK carmaker before it collapsed in 2005. It is highly concerning that the Tribunal found Deloitte and Mr Einollahi, the partner involved, to have demonstrated “a persistent and deliberate disregard …
In the glorious sunshine of the last few weeks I have been privileged to visit some major new redevelopments in our area – including the near completion of the Sainsbury’s store within Longbridge which will be providing 320 new jobs, and the start of work by Barratt to build over 100 new homes in Kings Norton. As MP’s have left Wesminster for the Parliamenary recess, the sun is certainly shining …
Over the past few weeks my postman in Westminster has been delivering a steady stream of postcards and letters from local people opposing the privatisation of Royal Mail. I completely agree. Along with my Labour colleagues I opposed the privatisation of this 372 year old British institution when the Government first introduced early in this Parliament – and oppose it now.
Today, I’m pledging my support for a campaign to boost single parent employment, run by the charity Gingerbread. 42 per cent of families in Birmingham Northfield are headed by lone parents, and many struggle to balance work with caring for their children. As the cost of childcare increases, finding a decent job that fits in with school hours can become an almost impossible task. Add in to this …
Yesterday the South Birmingham Community Credit Union Ltd (CommuniSave Credit Union) announced that it has gone into liquidation. The credit union has over 2,000 members and serves the Northfield constituency as well as other areas in South Birmingham, Bromsgrove and Redditch.
A National Audit Office report concluded today that the use of high cost phone lines across government is complex, ineffective, and leaving vulnerable individuals with the highest charges. After I held a debate on this issue, calling on the Cabinet Office to urgently improve the government’s performance in this area, the NAO has now concluded that government departments should eliminate the use …
Today the House of Commons Committee on Arms Exports, that I am a member of, publishes a report concluding that the UK’s human rights policy is being fundamentally undermined by the scale and nature of arms exports licences being approved by the Government. It also finds that the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestine Territories is of severe concern.
I was delighted to join pupils at St Laurence Church Junior School on Monday as they designed their pictures for Royal Mail’s 2013 Christmas Stamp competition. An unusual time of year to be thinking about Christmas! But a fantastic opportunity for pupils in my constituency and across the country to take part in such a rare opportunity to design a picture which could feature on the stamps …
A few weeks ago, a constituent contacted me asking why I was seeking a £10,000 pay rise for MPs. My answer was simple: I had not done so and I am not doing so. MP’s do not set our own pay. MPs’ salaries are decided by a body which is completely independent of Parliament called IPSA - the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. So what do I think about it? First, when people are feeling the …
Just two weeks ago, the world’s fiercest and fastest racing drivers returned to Silverstone for what turned out to be a thrilling British Grand Prix. While our exceptional British drivers have had mixed fortunes on the track this season, for me the return of Formula One to our shores is always an ideal opportunity to recognise British success in automotive more widely.
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.
Get in touch
You can reach me by email at richard@richardburden.com or use the form on the Contact page to send me a message.
