Dear Newcastle Most of the last month has been “ConferenceTime” with MPs, accompanying media and lobbyists decamping from Westminster accompanied, in Labour’s case at least, by delegates and members from across the country. Labour’s conference was well attended, constructive and…
As a member of parliament I am often faced with difficult choices and this is especially true for today’s debate on the National Policy Statement on Airports. A third runway at Heathrow raises very challenging economic, environmental and ethical considerations.…
I am deeply saddened and ashamed to think I may have constituents who fear they might not be welcome or indeed celebrated in the Labour Party because of their Jewish faith or heritage. The mural upon which Jeremy Corbyn commented…
Parliament has returned with the Autumn and it is the same subjects which are occupying Westminster minds – Tory infighting, Brexit and the economy. The Labour Party Conference showed a party united and determined to achieve a ‘jobs first’ Brexit,…
Today a jury returned guilty verdicts on 17 men and 1 women who committed abhorrent crimes in our city. The convictions came about because of the bravery of victims in testifying and Northumbria Police’s Operation Sanctuary – a complex, three…
Late last year I asked the House of Commons Library to tell me which economists were most cited in the House, and posted a graph on my website illustrating trends over time. Now we’ve added Schumpeter, Blanchflower and Galbraith into…
You can find the video of Chi’s speech on Brexit here, and the full text is below. My constituency voted to remain. My country voted to leave. My conscience continues to believe that the country’s interests are best served within…
Dear Newcastle I don’t know about you but I was very much looking forward to the end of 2016. It was an extremely difficult year in many ways for many of us. The Brexit vote divided our city down the…
I have worked for social justice all my adult life, whether as a politician or an activist, and it breaks my heart that there are still so many people in this country and around the world who cannot take equality…
After I cited Mariana Mazzucato when setting out Labour’s vision of an industrial policy I wondered which other economists were cited in parliament and what that said about the economic influences on our parliamentary debates. The House of Commons Library…