In the heart of Birmingham lies the vibrant communities of Erdington, Kingstanding, Castle Vale, and South Oscott, areas bursting with untapped potential. Yet, for too long, systemic barriers have held them back. My constituency ranks among the top five most deprived areas
Twenty-two years ago, I became part of a club no-one wants to join: the young widows club. My husband, Nick, had died of oesophageal cancer, leaving me with an 18-month-old baby and a toddler. Not long after, I joined a support group
Low-income countries are being crippled by unsustainable debt. Many governments now spend more servicing their debt repayments than they do on their healthcare and education systems. Clearly, the international debt architecture is failing. Despite $130 billion of debt cancellation in the last
Last week I was proud to present the First Reading of Sam’s Law – otherwise known as the Water Safety Bill – to the House. My bill’s aims are to introduce and maintain crucial safety equipment around reservoirs and other bodies of
Last year at the age of just 19, a young man took his own life. He was addicted to gambling. Despite efforts to escape he received 63 promotional emails in the two months before his death. Every day he received an offer
Ok yes – I did put on my rose-tinted nostalgia specs this week when I opened the debate in my name on the closure of high street services. I talked about my childhood home town of Tain. I mentioned the greengrocer that
This week the I presented the First Reading of the Harry Parker Bill; its official title is the Road Traffic (Unlicensed Drivers) Bill, but I and Harry’s family will always know it as the Harry Parker Bill. Why? Because Harry Parker, a
Post offices up and down the country are facing uncertainty despite providing vital services and contributing an estimated £4.7 billion annually to the UK economy. Although they provide much more than economic benefits, according to The Post Office, their presence adds to
This National Apprenticeships Week it is right that we celebrate the success of more than 750,000 apprenticeships powering skills and productivity in our local economies. I have had the privilege of visiting more than 100 businesses to meet apprentices since I was
A new campaign will launch today, which aims to eradicate the most common form of plastic rubbish in the world, cigarette butts, which make up around one in five of all littered items. Even in the UK where smoking rates have been
