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.
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.
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’m throwing my weight behind a Private Member’s Bill that seeks to challenge the unscrupulous practices of high-cost credit companies offering pay day loans. The High Cost Credit Bill will come before Parliament on Friday 12 July. It is sponsored by one of my oldest friends Paul Blomfield MP, and I hope to be there to give my support. The bill seeks to end some of the worst practices of pay...
Labour leader, Ed Miliband and Shadow Housing Minister, Jack Dromey MP for Birmingham Erdington, joined me on a visit to St Modwen’s development at Longbridge on Saturday (22 June).
Ed was here to see the progress being made in the area before making his speech to the National Policy Forum in Birmingham.
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.