I’m proud that the last Labour government introduced the National Minimum Wage

I’m proud that the last Labour government introduced the National Minimum Wage. This boosted pay for millions at the bottom without leading to a loss of jobs and now most people can’t imagine a Britain without it.

But the issues we face today are different to those we faced at the end of the last century. The minimum wage was originally designed to prevent extreme low pay and abuse. Today, the

Nicky's Whisper annual charity football match raises £30,000 for Cystic Fibrosis Trust

Last month I took part alongside many other MPs and celebrities, sporting stars in the annual charity football match to help raise money for vital research to beat cystic fibrosis.

After their shock defeat last year, the CFT XI reclaimed the trophy by a narrow 6-5 margin.

CFT XI skipper Dalton Grant bagged a superb hat-trick in what was an even contest involving Mark McLennan, a 29-year-old

'Booze & Fags' culture: New report on cancer and deprivation: Cancer Research UK and NCIN

Last week we had a report that Hyndburn was in the top 10 areas for alcohol related deaths. This week a report form Cancer Research that levels of deprivation correlate to tobacco related diseases. 



There is no doubt there is a fags and booze culture in this area. An acceptance that excessive drinking is good and smoking is a pleasurable activity. The reality is of course is both run a very

Haslingden Task Force update

Yesterday was the second meeting of the Haslingden Task
Force. Labour colleagues on Rossendale BC have earmarked £100,000 to help kick
start the regeneration of Haslingden. The meeting is attended by members of
both main political parties, the police, the council's regeneration team, local
community groups and voluntary organisations and the next meeting will see
local traders represented at the

Calling all local export businesses!

I strongly believe that the future of Hyndburn and the wider North West economy is closely tied to private and business consumption in China. We are one of the few areas in the UK where manufacturing is still responsible for the majority of employment, and new markets for new products are the way to ensure our future prosperity.

I have been working with the Manchester-China forum, which is a

Hyndburn Windfarm extension Public Consultation a week Tuesday (3rd)

I was asked on Twitter what my feelings are on this application and I thought I'd jot down some issues that people may consider at the public meeting.

Aesthetic. Does it spoil the countryside or doesn't it? There are mixed views on this and it is a bit like marmite. Of those expressing an opinion I have to say, they tend to fall into loathing or liking and I'd take a guess there is no clear

Record numbers of disputes – as people look for honest answers

From: emma.partington@financial-ombudsman.org.uk Sent: 20 May 2014 19:53 To: JONES, Graham Subject: record numbers of disputes – as people look for honest answers


Dear Mr Jones, 
The Financial Ombudsman Service – the independent organisation that settles disputes between consumers and financial businesses – today published its annual review of 2013/2014.I thought you might be

Shelter can help people at risk of eviction or repossession

From: Martha Mackenzie [mailto:Martha_Mackenzie@shelter.org.uk]
Sent: 21 May 2014 09:03
To: JONES, Graham
Subject: Shelter can help your constituents

Dear Mr Jones, I wanted to let you know that today Shelter are publicly promoting the advice we can offer to people who are facing high housing costs and are at risk of eviction or repossession.

We are encouraging those at risk to seek advice

Labour’s plans to ban unfair letting fees and deal with the housing crisis head on

The Tory-led Government voted against Labour’s amendment to ban unfair letting agent fees this week which will dismay ‘Generation Rent’ - the nine million people in this country including 1.3 million families who live in rented accommodation for whom housing is already insecure, uncertain and a strain on family finance.

Labour is standing up for private renters who are being hit hard by David

Labour will call time on clock-watch care

This week Labour announced new plans to call time on clock-watch care and 15 minute home care visits which mean our loved ones aren’t getting the care they need.

Ed Miliband has promised to improve the quality of care in this country - to ensure vulnerable people and carers get a better deal.

HMRC figures reveal that a big part of the problem lies with unscrupulous care companies who exploit

Another letter to Stephen Hammond about the lack of trains for the Todmorden Curve

Only Labour will tackle the scandal of low pay

The introduction of
the National Minimum Wage is one of Labour's greatest achievements – it boosted
pay at the bottom without leading to a loss of jobs, and has wide industry
support as a result. But the NMW was designed to

Walk to School Week is coming

  Can't read this email? View it in a browser         Putting pupils first during Walk to School Week Today, Living Streets has published its latest policy report Putting Pupils First- Making the walk to school safer for all. The report calls on the Prime

The Tories are failing on immigration

David Cameron promised to get net migration down to the tens of thousands. But it's rising, not falling and is now at 212,000 leaving the Tories' target in tatters.

Meanwhile, illegal immigration is getting worse, with fewer people being stopped at the border, more people absconding and fewer foreign criminals being deported.

And the Tories are doing nothing to tackle the undercutting of local

Labour guarantees patients the right to see a GP within 48 hour

Under the Tory-led Government it has become harder to see a GP. More people have to wait over 48 hours for an appointment, and over a quarter of the public say they can’t get an appointment in the same week.

That’s awful for families who depend on their local GP service, and it’s also putting huge strain on our A&Es which are also now in crisis.

That’s why Labour has announced plans to

Fwd: The Weekly Bundle: Last week's articles and speeches from the Front Bench

Articles and speeches, delivered by members of the Labour Front Bench in the last week:   Ed Miliband's speech today at Airbus on Labour's new approach on immigration.   Press release and the speech from Ed Miliband on Monday unveiling Labour's GP Guarantee - http://press.labour.org.uk/post/85537528889/ed-miliband-unveils-labours-gp-guarantee   Article from Ed Balls

Summary of this week in the House of Commons:

Regulation of letting agents and Consumer Rights Bill, Report Stage  
Urgent Question on free school funding
Care Bill, Lords amendments 
Criminal Justice and Courts Bill, Report Stage (Day 1)
Government Statement on Ukraine
Deregulation Bill, Report Stage (Day 1

Regulation of letting agents (Consumer Rights Bill, Report Stage)

On Tuesday I supported an amendment to the Government’s Consumer

The next Labour government will end time-limited 15-minute care visits

The next Labour government will work with local authorities and care providers to raise standards in the industry and end time-limited 15-minute visits

Labour has already set out detailed policy to strengthen the enforcement of the NMW and end exploitation of zero hours contracts and will work with councils and care providers to end limited 15-minute visits.

The Kingsmill Report published

Changes to Haslingden Post Office

It is disappointing that changes are being made to Post Office services in Haslingden. The Post Office is an retail anchor. Customers changing the way and reducing their use of Post Office services plus changes in how government services are provided have hit the Post Office model. Online services such as TV and road tax licences, scrapping of dog and other services. The growth in email and

David Cameron should be standing up for British science and industry

This week saw Prime Minister David Cameron appear to cheerlead for US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer’s bid for AstraZeneca – when he should have been championing British science and industry.

Many people are really worried about what the takeover will mean for British jobs as well as our economy in the longer term.

There is no reason why Government could not immediately expand the public interest

Nick Clegg’s broken promises

Time and again Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems have gone along with the Tories - putting the interests of a privileged few before those of ordinary hardworking families - despite the promises they made in 2010.

You can’t trust a word that Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats say. They are breaking all their promises and have been too weak to stand up to David Cameron.

They promised to scrap tuition

Labour's GP Guarantee

This evening Ed Miliband has announced Labour's GP Guarantee: An appointment within 48 hours for all who want one – and an appointment on the same day for all who need one.

Labour will give all NHS patients contacting their surgery the right to:
• Consult a doctor or a nurse at their local GP surgery on the same day.
• Get an appointment at their surgery on the same day if they need

Every primary and secondary school in Hyndburn is being given the chance to take part in My Money Week

I want to encourage every local school to put on money lessons this June, to give their pupils a head-start in financial education before it becomes a compulsory part of the new National Curriculum in September.  This is as part of this year's My Money Week (9 to 15 June), run by national financial education charity pfeg (Personal Finance Education Group). Every primary and secondary school

More working people rely on housing benefit under David Cameron

Shocking rise of people in work claiming Housing Benefit

Since David Cameron became Prime Minister, the number of working people claiming housing benefit has increased by 60 per cent nationally, costing ordinary British taxpayers an extra £4.8 billion.

In Hyndburn alone, the number of working people now claiming housing benefit has increased by a staggering 55% per cent from 796 to 1236. In

Labour’s childcare plans will help tackle the cost of living crisis and make work pay

New figures out this week show that Labour's childcare plans to extend free childcare provision could help 135,000 more mums get back to work, or work extra hours, and benefit nearly half a million three and four year-olds and their families.Childcare is a big part of the cost-of-living crisis families are facing, which is why it is such an important part of Labour’s Cost of Living Contract – 10

Observer Article - longer version.

With just a few weeks to go I have been out on doorstep ahead of the European and Local Elections talking to voters. Our Hyndburn Labour statistician tells me we have managed to call at 21% of people in the 11 wards up for election and 64% in the constituency over the last few years. In numbers that's just short of 10,000 people and 38,000 people respectively. People are keen to tell you

Summary of this week in the House of Commons:

• Proposed takeover of AstraZeneca (Urgent Question and PMQs)
• Immigration Bill, Lords amendments
• Reforming tenancies and improving safety in the private rented sector (PMQs and Smoke Alarms [Private Rented Sector] Bill)
• Wales Bill, Committee of the House (Day 2)
• Legal aid cuts (Justice Orals)
• Scotland Orals
• Water Bill, Lords amendments

Proposed takeover of AstraZeneca (Urgent

Direct Rail link to Manchester. Porterbook leasing - a reply to the lack of the trains

Double Click to read

I wrote to Porterbrook who are a large rolling stock leasing company. I have received a reply from them. It is clear that the north is a poor cousin of the south. That the new line to Manchester will only receive a 'hand me down' diesel engine once brand new trains have been built and acquired for Southern Train operating franchise. Their older trains to be transferred to

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Combating Metal Theft

Wednesday 7 May 2014

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Combating Metal Theft met yesterday to discuss the progress that has been made since the passage of the Metal Theft Act 2013 and the significant challenges that still remain.The focus of the Group’s discussion was on addressing the export of stolen metals, which is not covered by the licensing scheme introduced last year.Simon Davis

Labour’s Plans Will Help 135,000 Mums Back to Work

Families in Haslingden and Hyndburn tell me time and again how much childcare costs eat into the family budget. For many it’s difficult to make ends meet.

Families hit by a cost-of-living crisis are seeing wages fall as prices rise. Childcare costs have soared 30 per-cent under David Cameron. With childcare costs in the North West up 46% for nursery care, 29% for childminder care and 48% for

David Cameron must govern for all of us not just the privileged few

David Cameron has struggled this week to justify why he has sold off chunks of the Royal Mail to so called ‘ priority investors’ - including hedge funds with links to the Conservative Party.

The more we know about David Cameron's privatisation of Royal Mail, the bigger the fiasco it is.

Based on share-prices earlier this week, the taxpayer has lost over £1 billion - while hedge funds have

David Cameron refused to act on rents. Tories have abandoned Generation Rent.

Labour’s bold reforms to renting will help millions of households caught in the cost of living crisis

The Tory-led government refuses to do anything about the biggest housing crisis in a generation. Their record is shocking with house building now at the lowest level since the 1920s.

I’ve spoken to many people in Haslingden and Hyndburn who have all but given up on their dreams of ever owning

Labour is the only party fighting for ordinary hardworking families

Ed Miliband’s ‘Cost of Living Contract’ stands in stark contrast to David Cameron’s Tories who refuse to admit that the cost of living crisis exists. Nigel Farage’s UKIP pretend to be the champion of Britain’s hard working people, when the truth is they are even more right wing than the Tories.

A closer look at Nigel Farage and UKIP reveals an ugly truth. A vote for UKIP means a vote for higher

The Prime Minister is cheerleading for Pfizer’s bid for AstraZeneca rather than championing British science and industry.

We need a proper assessment of the Pfizer bid for AstraZeneca, but David Cameron refuses to act. He is cheerleading for the bid rather than championing British science and industry.

The Government could widen the public interest test. This could be done straight away and Labour would support it.

I am really worried that Tory led gov isn't taking the threat to British science seriously enough in

Labour’s cost of living contract with hardworking Britain

This week Ed Miliband launched Labour’s Cost of Living Contract - ten commitments that show what a One Nation Labour government would do to make a difference by making work pay, stopping rip-off prices, and giving all our young people a chance.

David Cameron says that people are better off under his Government. The opposite is true.

The record of this government is simple: hardworking Britain

Articles and speeches, by members of the Labour Front Bench in the last week:

Articles and speeches, by members of the Labour Front Bench in the last week: - Ed Miliband: A vote for UKIP would be a vote for the very worst of Thatcherism article in the Mirror - http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ed-miliband-vote-ukip-vote-3476030 - Ed Balls wrote for the Mirror on who was really benefiting from the so called ‘economy recovery’ http://www.mirror.co.uk/

Metal Theft legislation continues to bare down on thieves

Ahead of this week’s meeting in international metal theft (containerisation) the committee of which I am co-chair have received this letter from Heinekin. Helping refresh legislation that other MP’s couldn’t reach (that’s the best I can do!). 

 

It is becoming clear my campaign and subsequent tough changes to the law to tackle this issue is now beginning to have a significant impact in

Appeal to parents to check for early signs of children’s heart conditions

Myself, Anne
Keatley-Clarke, Chief Executive of CHF and CHF parent volunteer Alex
Smith who has a daughter with a congenital heart condition.


The Children’s Heart Federation are calling on parents across Haslingden and Hyndburn to check for warning signs of possible heart problems in babies and follow life-saving guidance from the UK’s leading children’s heart charity.

This campaign ‘

Labour has today launched the Cost of Living Contract