Charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises offer crucial support to many parts of our society every day, and in the coming months will be vital in tackling the spread and impact of coronavirus. Many can help alleviate the pressure on our NHS and social care service and provide support to […]
This week the Government announced several measures to support businesses and households through the coronavirus outbreak. These measures are welcome, but the truth is that other countries are already providing far more support to workers, the self employed and people who’ve lost their jobs. Of course the Government […]
In his first speech as UK prime minister last summer, Boris Johnson promised to fix the crisis in social care. Yet last week’s Budget gave more focus and funding to potholes than social care. This is a serious mistake, especially with the immediate and overriding challenge facing the government: […]
I was recently a guest on the BBC’s East Midlands Sunday Politics. On the show I talked about the coronavirus, and the impact that the spread of this disease could have on social care and food banks. We also discussed the Budget, and the importance of making sure that […]
I’m pleased that the Chancellor announced support for businesses affected by Coronavirus and that the NHS will get whatever extra resources it needs. But there was nothing in the budget for social care. This is a serious mistake because the NHS relies on social care to get older people […]
In my Leicester Mercury column this month, I talk about Leicester’s new Space Park – which will bring together the University of Leicester’s world leading space science and research with industry to seize the potential of this sector and create more than 3,000 high skill, high value jobs. For the […]
Last year, the Prime Minister stood on the steps of Downing Street and promised a plan to fix the crisis in social care. So far he has done nothing – and his plan for a new immigration system could make things much worse. According to a report by Skills for […]
Foodbank use has increased massively across the UK in recent years – with some Leicester-based foodbanks reporting a 30% increase in demand since the introduction of Universal Credit. The Making Ends Meet report, published by my Labour colleague Alison McGovern MP, sets out a credible plan to end the need […]
I was recently a guest on the BBC’s Politics Live programme. We discussed the Labour leadership election, and what Labour needs to do to win back public trust, immigration policy and how to tax big tech companies. You can watch the full episode here.
It is a total disgrace that in the 21st century, in one of the richest countries in the world, 40,000 children in our city are now growing up in poverty and 1 in 5 children say they worry about having enough to eat. Growing up poor makes it harder for you […]
Yesterday I joined Emma Saunders, the East Midlands representative of the Labour Campaign for Council Housing, and a local Labour Party member, in Parliament. The Labour Campaign for Council Housing are calling for Labour’s next manifesto to include 155,000 social rented homes a year, with at least 100,000 of these […]
WASPI is a campaign group representative of 3.8 million women born in the 1950s who have been adversely affected by the mismanagement of increases to their State Pension age. As a result of changes made in 2011, women across the UK are now suffering financial hardship – with 3300 women […]