On Thursday 20th January I appeared on the BBC’s Question Time. We discussed the Government’s welfare reforms, ongoing problems with the floods, whether Prime Minister’s Questions needs to change, and how to help children do better in maths at school. You can watch the programme here.
On 14th February, I opened Leicestershire Aids Support Services’s conference at De Montfort University, which brought together over 100 delegates from across the country to discuss the challenges that lie ahead in the fight against HIV and AIDS. We talked about raising public awareness, redoubling our efforts to prevent people […]
February is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History Month. To mark the occasion I met with staff, volunteers and visitors at Leicester’s LGBT Centre. You can see coverage of my visit in the Leicester Mercury here. We’ve made huge progress towards LGBT equality. The last Labour Government introduced civil partnerships […]
In my role as a Shadow Health Minister, I spoke in a debate in the House of Commons on Thursday 13 February on cancer priorities for the NHS. With a rising number of cases of cancer, at some point it will touch all of our lives. We need to raise […]
On 12th February I helped launch a major new report from the Institute for Public Policy Research called “Many to many: How the relational state will transform public services”. This important paper sets out how public services should change so they can deal with the challenges of the future. You […]
On Monday 10 February I appeared on the BBC’s Newsnight to discuss Labour’s plans to improve public services, following an important speech by Labour’s leader Ed Miliband, which you can read here. You can catch up with the programme via iPlayer here (the section of the programme starts at 14 mins 20 […]
On Tuesday 4th February I hosted a reception in Parliament for Saga – Britain’s largest provider of home care, and other services aimed specifically at people over 50 years old. I spoke about the vital contribution older people make to our economy and society as a whole. An increasing number […]
High energy bills are already a huge concern for my constituents, which is why I have been campaigning for Labour’s energy price freeze. But I recently came across a particularly appalling case when Susan Holmes from New Parks contacted me. The energy company e.on were charging Susan for a gas […]
Charities and voluntary organisations play an absolutely vital role in Leicester West and across the country. So I was delighted to host the 2014 annual general meeting of the Association of Chief Executive Officers of Voluntary Organisations in Parliament. You can read more about the state of the charity sector […]
On Wednesday 22nd January I met with members of the Sikh community in my constituency and across Leicester and Leicestershire. They had come to Parliament to raise serious concerns following recent revelations about the British Government’s possible involvement in the attack on the Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1984. I […]
On Wednesday 15th January I had the great pleasure, and honour, of hosting an event in Parliament to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of 4Children. 4Children is a brilliant national charity that campaigns to ensure the needs of children and families are at the top of the political and policy agenda. […]
A number of constituents have contacted me about the recent claims that the British Government was involved in the Indian Government’s raid on the Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1984. The attack was a tragedy and the subsequent violence against Sikhs across India led to the death of thousands of […]
