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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Click on ‘Contact’ below to get in touch with me.
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This, from Will Hutton in the Observer today, is well worth reading
Privileged to be at very moving @RemSrebWestMids Memorial Breakfast at @YMCANS in Stoke-on-Trent on Wednesday. Probably my last time speaking as WM Chair. Thanks to all for your support over past three years #YMCANS
“A reset of UK policy towards Israel and Palestine by Andy Burnham will demonstrate his values and help earn him public trust.”
Yesterday in parliament we debated the importance of the arts and creative industries - not only for the economy but for people's lives. I called on the government to invest and harness Birmingham's innovation and talent - especially by ensuring the BBC has a real and long term presence in our region. We need more programmes produced here, and more representation of local people on the TV screens …
Welcomed local @unibirmingham students Claire and Becky to Parliament today for 2nd stage of their #Parliamentors programme placement
— Richard Burden MP (@RichardBurdenMP) June 18, 2013
Health for Life event – children from Forestdale and Fisher schools on course for healthy future pic.twitter.com/Bjx20XFNNo
— Richard Burden MP (@RichardBurdenMP) June 18, 2013
Yesterday I celebrated a really exciting new project – Health for Life in Schools – that aims to provide primary schools children in South Birmingham will the skills to lead a healthy and active lifestyle for life. It was an excellent event – Forestdale and St John Fisher schools from my Northfield constituency were there, showcasing the work of staff and pupils to grow vegetables, encourage …
There is enough food in the world to feed everyone. But every year 2.3 million children die from malnutrition. If we’re going to put a stop to this global injustice we need radical change. Hosting the G8 in Northern Ireland today and tomorrow (17-18 June), the UK once again has the opportunity to demonstrate its ability to show global leadership. Alongside hundreds of charities and Ivan Lewis …
On Saturday (15 May) I joined over 250 protestors outside Birmingham Council House to campaign against the bedroom tax. People receiving housing benefit, who live in council or housing association homes with a spare bedroom, face a choice between paying £600 more a year or moving home. But as I know all to well from my constituents, there often just isn’t a choice. The truth is there aren’t …
Northfield’s long term youth unemployment trebled in last two years. George Osborne & Tories must #ChangeCourse #fb twitter.com/RichardBurdenM…
— Richard Burden MP (@RichardBurdenMP) June 12, 2013
Opening @mgmotor new design studio today – welcoming launch of brand new #MG3. Next step for #Longbridge future twitter.com/RichardBurdenM…
— Richard Burden MP (@RichardBurdenMP) June 12, 2013
I have been contacted by a number of people over the past week about my nomination for the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. Make no mistake, this has been a big decision and it is one I have thought very closely about. Firstly, that decision has been difficult because the current contest has revealed problems in the present rules for nominating MPs. Requiring the backing of 35 MPs is …
I'd already used the station as a passenger but this week, I also got an update briefing at Birmingham New Street to see how the redevelopment project is unfolding. I used the opportunity to call again for action to improve transport connections to Longbridge and surrounding areas. I believe that the potential Longbridge gives the area is undermined by poor facilities at the railway station.I …
As passenger I already use #Brum New St Station Phase1. @tamworthcarol & I were briefed on Phase 2 progress todaytwitter.com/tamworthcarol/…
— Richard Burden MP (@RichardBurdenMP) June 10, 2013
This week data from NHS England shows that the Queen Elizabeth Hospital A&E which serves the Northfield constituency has missed the target of seeing 95% of patients within four hours in 28 out of the last 30 weeks. This is a crisis that has started on the Government’s watch. When Labour left office, 98% of patients in A&E were seen within four hours. But since 2010 the number of people waiting …
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.
