Remembering the Manchester Arena Attack

22nd of May is a difficult day for many of us here in Greater Manchester, this year marks the third anniversary of the Manchester Arena bombing. 22 innocent lives were taken from us far too soon. Today my thoughts are with the family and friends of those 22, all those who were injured, and the

Mental Health Awareness Week 2020

Yesterday marked the start of Mental Health Awareness week (18th-24th May 2020), and the theme for this year is kindness. The Mental Health Foundation want to get the message out there to as many people as possible that kindness is good for our mental health and everyone around us. The pandemic we’re in the middle of really

18/05/2020 Transport Questions

This afternoon I asked Transport Ministers whether they would publish the evidence that suggests personal protective equipment and a change in cash handling procedures would not help save the lives of our frontline transport workers. It cannot be right that bus drivers are at a greater risk of dying from Covid-19 than the general population

Coronavirus and Council funding

It really cannot be said enough times how damaging under-funding in local government is, if ministers do backtrack on their word and leave councils across England with a £10bn black hole it will require catastrophic cuts. For the last ten years councils have been the front line, delivering vital public services that people rely on

Covid19 Transport Guidance

Earlier this afternoon I made my dispatch box debut as Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary in responding to Grant Shapps’ statement on the Covid-19 guidance for transport users and operators that his department had published. I am grateful for the positive and on-going communication that myself and the Secretary of State have had over the last