Earlier this week I visited the Peepul Centre to see how the vaccination roll-out is progressing in Leicester. I’m so proud of all the staff and volunteers who are delivering the vaccine, and who are working to make it such a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. With rates still high in […]
Today, I visited Imperial Avenue Infant School. I caught up with headteacher Libby Smith, who told me about the incredible work her team are doing to help children achieve their potential, despite Covid-19. The last year has been especially challenging for teachers and pupils. While it is good news that […]
All care homes in England have now been offered the vaccine. However, there are still a number of elderly people who haven’t been reached by vaccine teams. The Government promised that all over-80s would be vaccinated by mid-February, and yet in some places up to one in four elderly people […]
In this month’s Leicester Mercury column, I talk how we must build a brighter future for our children as we emerge from this pandemic. Education must be top of the agenda. Right now, the Government’s National Tutoring Programme won’t even reach every pupil on Free School Meals, and the extra […]
The latest report from the National Audit Office shows how the Government’s years of failure to get a grip on the social care crisis has left thousands without the help they need. This highlights what we have known for a long while – that long-term reform for social care is needed […]
I appeared on Sky News yesterday to reflect on one year since the first national lockdown was called. As we emerge from this pandemic, we need to look at how we can build a stronger and fairer economy. This means tackling important issues like poverty, inequality, and poor housing – […]
I spoke to BBC Radio 4 Today about the urgent need for social care reform a year on from the start of the first lockdown. More than 31,000 care home residents have died from Covid-19 so far. This is a much higher proportion than in many other countries. As we […]
It’s extremely disappointing that the Supreme Court came to this decision. Care workers do a highly skilled and difficult role and they should be paid fairly for every hour of the work they do. Crucially, no care workers should see their pay fall as a result of this ruling and […]
The Prime Minister promised on the steps of Downing Street in July 2019 that he would bring forward a plant to fix social care. Since then, the issue has been delayed again and again. Last week, the Chancellor said they were looking to work ‘cross-party’ on social care – but […]
I appeared on Politics Live this week to discuss the latest announcements on NHS pay. Since the Tories came to power, nurses starting salaries have fallen in real terms by £840 a year. By giving NHS staff a 1% pay rise, the Government is in fact giving them a real-terms […]
Today I spoke in the final day of Budget debates in Parliament. I argued that reforming social care is a matter of social justice and an economic necessity, and that the governments failure to grasp this fact is undermining growth, productivity and the need to get value for taxpayers’ money […]
It was a pleasure to speak at East Midlands Labour Party’s International Women’s Day event yesterday evening. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, women have been more likely to be made redundant, see their pay packets cut, and bear the burden of unpaid work in the home. We’ve seen these gender inequalities […]
