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.
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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
I was last in Gaza almost exactly three years ago. I was part of one of the first groups of MPs to enter after Israel's ‘Operation Cast Lead’ which left over 1,300 Palestinians dead, the majority of them civilians and 352 of them children. Over 5,000 more were wounded.
Three years on, I had hoped by now to see how much had changed. But I write this near to - but not inside - Gaza.
The hot topic in Westminster this week is, once again, the NHS.
Not surprising, perhaps, given that the NHS is facing the biggest financial challenge in its history and, at the same time, the government has launched the biggest top-down reorganisation since 1948.
Lots of constituents have contacted me about the Cities fit for cycling campaign being led by The Times to improve cycling safety in British cities.
I have joined them in supporting this campaign and have added my name to a parliamentary motion calling on the government to take further action to improve cycling infrastructure and reduce the number of casualties on roads.
Pleased to have the chance to talk to racing driver Jason Plato at the launch of the MG KX Momentum BTCC Racing Team at the MG factory in Longbridge.
I am calling on the government to rethink its approach to policing after figures released today show that police numbers have fallen to the lowest for a decade, including the loss of 1,077 officers across the West Midlands. Today’s figures show that there are now 8,000 fewer officers on the streets in England and Wales, at a time when personal crime, which includes theft and violence, has gone up …
Earlier this week I signed a Book of Commitment in the House of Commons, honouring those who were persecuted and killed during the Holocaust.
Holocaust Memorial Day, on 27th January, marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau – the Nazi concentration and extermination camp which is the site of the largest mass murder in history.
I’ve been invited to several Christmas events this year, but one in particular has stood out. Last Friday I joined representatives of West Midlands Police to present a special award to Billie Jayne Fulford, a year 11 student at St Thomas Aquinas school in Kings Norton. Until this year, the award has been named after Pat Manion, a former Deputy Head at the school who is remembered for …
On Sunday, Israel released 550 Palestinian prisoners, the second and final phase of the prisoner swap which secured the release of Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, in October. Israel reserved the right to make the final decision on which Palestinian prisoners to release, and which should remain in jail. Not surprisingly then, it attracted widespread criticism when not one of the 164 Palestinians …
Congratulations to Abdul Ahmed from Fairway Primary School who designed this year’s winning Christmas card.
Once again there were some fantastic designs this year and I would like to say a big thank you to all the schools and children who took part.
Last week I spoke in a debate organised by Politics in Brum about whether or not Birmingham should have an elected mayor. I am sure there will be many more such debates over the next six months as we move towards a referendum in May 2012 to ask the people of Birmingham whether or not they want an elected mayor. These next six months provide an important opportunity to address some fundamental …
I have heard from many constituents who disagree with the government's plans to cut feed-in tariffs (FITs) for solar power. I have also heard from local community groups who are worried that their plans to install solar power panels may now be under threat. Labour has been leading the campaign against the government’s plans, which will put thousands of jobs and businesses in the solar industry at …
Labour in Birmingham has set up a policy commission to look at the future of housing in Birmingham and we want to hear from you.
Whether you are a council or housing association tenant, renting in the private sector or a home owner. We want to know your views online at birminghamhousing.wordpress.com.
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.
