So the deadline has now passed for people to register as Labour supporters to have a vote in the Labour Leadership election. Amid stories of malign infiltration by some Tories and others, Labour is right to check the genuineness of applications before ballot papers are issued. But let’s be clear, the fact that thousands of new people feel motivated to join the debate about the future of Labour is …
We know that politics has to change. That means more than the Labour Party changing. But we can do our bit. And that is why this time not only will every individual Labour member have a vote, but people who support our Party will have a say too. I will be voting for Yvette Cooper to be Leader and Tom Watson as Deputy. But the votes of MPs like me will count for the same as those of everyone else …
Just over two weeks ago, Labour members and supporters -old and new - met at the Factory Youth Centre in Longbridge to discuss our victory in Birmingham Northfield, our defeat nationally and the challenges and opportunities facing Labour over the coming five years. Workshops were on themes ranging from low pay to housing; from children and young people to the economy and the role of the private …
I have been contacted by many people over the past few weeks 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.
This week I listened to David Cameron set out his ‘One Nation’ Queen’s Speech for ‘working people’. After having heard him deliver it, I’m not convinced that the Prime Minister quite understands what either of those phrases mean.
Join the local party and help shape Labour’s future. If you were one of the 17,000+ local voters who supported my re-election, from a £1 a year you can become a Labour member. Everyone who has been involved in the last few weeks knows there was a real buzz about our successful campaign here in Birmingham Northfield and that there was a real sense of shared purpose. Across the country …
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.