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Keep updated on the latest news, campaigns and my work on behalf of voters in the local area.
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Andy Burnham’s victory in Makerfield is a brilliant demonstration of what can happen when you have a candidate who listens and responds, and a campaign which focuses on hope and positivity over division. I was there in Makerfield myself, and I’d like to thank the voters who chose to put their faith in Andy, alongside all our volunteers and activists who contributed to this outstanding result.
I’m very pleased that Andy Burnham shares my concerns about small towns being overlooked. I have been raising the need to focus on areas which have been left behind for a long time, in Parliament, in the press, within the Labour party and with local authorities. I look forward to working with Andy to bring about change for places like those of Rossendale and Darwen.
Next week, I’ll be fully engaged in a number of discussions, but today my focus is on delivering results for my constituents. I'm meeting with Lancashire County Council and setting out my concerns on road safety, pushing for a Rawtenstall rail link and discussing other issues which have been raised with me. ... See MoreSee Less
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The Government has given the Reform leadership at County Council £47,000,000 to address potholes across Lancashire.
We need to see Lancashire County Council taking immediate and urgent action to address our pothole crisis. ... See MoreSee Less
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England 4-2 Croatia, what a way to start!
We led, we got pegged back, and for a while it was anyone's game, but the Three Lions kept their nerve and saw it through. Harry Kane with two, Jude Bellingham getting in on the act and then Marcus Rashford with a fantastic goal to seal the win.
Three points for England and a brilliant night's football.
On to Ghana! ... See MoreSee Less
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The wait is finally over. England are back tonight, kicking off their World Cup against Croatia at 9pm, live on ITV1.
I'll be watching this one and I know plenty of you will be too. It's a fitting way to start as well, a rematch of that heartbreaking 2018 semi-final, so there's a bit of a score to settle. Here's hoping England can go one better this time and bring it home.
Wherever you're watching, down the pub, round a mate's, or on the sofa with a brew, enjoy it. And if you're heading out, plenty of our local pubs and clubs will have the game on across Rossendale and Darwen.
Come on England! ... See MoreSee Less
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This week is Cancer Prevention Action Week and World Cancer Research Fund is tackling health misinformation.
Misleading information about supplements, “superfoods” or restrictive diets and alcohol claims can divert attention from what we know reduces cancer risk.
I'm supporting the World Cancer Research Fund's campaign to prioritise science, not fiction. ... See MoreSee Less
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For years, Edgworth's transport isolation, particularly the lack of a consistent bus route to Bolton, represented a failure to enact joined-up thinking. I am pleased to say that a study commissioned by Blackburn with Darwen has finally recommended that the council get behind a new bus route. ... See MoreSee Less
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Ten years ago today, Jo Cox was murdered in Birstall on her way to a constituency surgery. She had been an MP for just over a year.
Everyone who has done this job since works in the shadow of what happened to her. Her murder changed how MPs think about their own safety and the safety of their staff.
Jo is remembered most for one line from her maiden speech: that we have more in common than that which divides us. Finding that common ground is harder and less satisfying than picking a side, and it rarely makes the news, but it is worthwhile work.
My thoughts today are with Jo's family, and with her sister and fellow Labour MP Kim Leadbeater. The Great Get Together she helped start runs again this weekend. If you are interested, there will be a link in the comments below where you can learn more. ... See MoreSee Less
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It was with great sadness that I learned of the death of Roy Hattersley.
Roy was a giant of the Labour movement. Across more than three decades as the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Sparkbrook, and as Deputy Leader of our party, he devoted his life to the cause of a fairer and more equal Britain. He never lost that belief, and our party is the stronger for it.
He was also one of our finest writers, the author of more than twenty books, with a wit and a generosity of spirit that came through in everything he did.
My thoughts are with all who knew and loved him. We have lost a good man and a true servant of our movement, and we will not forget what he gave us. ... See MoreSee Less
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I am proud that this Government have fully recognised from the start that buses are a public service, not a commercial enterprise. ... See MoreSee Less
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