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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Such sad news. Thoughts with Aysha’s family and with her many friends. RIP.
Thoughts on Epstein, Mandelson and the monopolisation of power
Happy 94th Birthday to Dennis Skinner @BolsoverBeast
Knife crime is nothing short of a national emergency and the Government need to treat it as such. Yesterday I said they should listen to Labour’s and the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner’s proposals for an emergency funding package so that we can address this problem in a consistent and effective way. My question to the Home Secretary here:
The harsh reality is that Britain’s reputation as a stable place to do business and as the gateway to Europe is being undermined before our eyes. Here is my question to the Government yesterday on Honda’s Swindon closure:
The loss of Honda’s Swindon plant is a bitter blow to the automotive sector in the UK and devastating for the 3,500 people who work there. Representing the area of Longbridge, I know the impact that closure of car plant has on families whose livelihoods depend on it. The reasons for Honda’s decision today are very different to MG Rover back in 2005, but the affected families will today be …
Where we are now In the Birmingham Mail in December, I set out my thoughts on the issues facing the country. I tried to address the real possibility that if Parliament remained unable to agree a way forward – there may be little alternative but to put the choices facing the UK back to the people for a final decision. So what has happened since then? The Brexit deal that Theresa May …
In Birmingham Northfield Police and crime meeting Last week I held a meeting on crime and policing in response to residents’ concerns in the Frankley and Great Park area of Longbridge. The meeting was well attended by local people and we were joined by West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson as well as the Longbridge Neighbourhood Police Team. Thank you to all those who …
It was a privilege this week to add my name to the Holocaust Book of Commitment in the House of Commons, organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust UK. It is important to commemorate those who died, but it is also important that we pay tribute to extraordinary individuals who survived and whose testimonies we must never forget.
Last week, I held a meeting on crime and policing in response to resident concerns in Frankley and Great Park. Thanks to everyone who joined West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson and the Longbridge Neighbourhood Police Team and for letting us know your views. Thanks also to B31 Voices for live-reporting from the meeting. Some useful ideas came out of the meeting about …
Crashing out of the EU without a deal would inflict serious damage on manufacturing industry here in the Midlands and beyond. Whatever happens to the Prime Minister’s deal, the overriding priority now must be to rule out a no deal Brexit to avoid that damage. My speech in today’s Commons Brexit debate:
Did Seaborne Freight issue an inaccurate briefing to investors and what investigations have ministers carried out before awarding a £13.8m contract? My question in the House of Commons and the non-reply I received from the Transport Secretary:
The introduction of Universal Credit is causing real hardship, increased debt and rocketing numbers turning to food banks in Birmingham. What are Ministers doing to sort it out? My question in the House of Commons:
Hopefully you will have seen my previous Brexit updates in previous newsletters and on my website. As ever, things have drastically changed since the last update in November. You will now likely know that the long-awaited Parliamentary vote on the Prime Minister’s deal – that was supposed to take place last week – has been pulled and delayed. The Prime Minister has now said that vote will take …
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.
