A few weeks ago, a constituent contacted me asking why I was seeking a £10,000 pay rise for MPs. My answer was simple: I had not done so and I am not doing so. MP’s do not set our own pay. MPs’ salaries are decided by a body which is completely independent of Parliament called IPSA - the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. So what do I think about it? First, when people are feeling the …
For me, securing a yes vote in the referendum is about helping to create a more open and participatory politics. A lot of people in this country find politics a really big turn-off – and I can understand why. They want to see a change in the way politics is done. I do too.
As the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Electoral Reform I am very pleased to be able to announce the publication of the Review of Voting Systems (Condensed) which the Group has just published with the help of the Electoral Reform Society. The APPG on Electoral Reform exists to foster discussion on, and support the cause of, electoral reform. I am keen that it is voters …
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.