What a difference a few days can make when it comes to migraine 🤯 Thursday was a great day! Pain barely noticeable, I managed to tick something off my bucket list and even coped absolutely fine with the bright studio lights, which had been a bit of a worry. Yesterday, meanwhile, I spent the whole day lying down with the curtains closed, and then was still awake until the early hours because of the pain and nausea. So today, I’m feeling totally knackered! I know some people get annoyed with me for sharing this sort of thing and want me to focus just on politics posts, but having a platform as an MP is such a tremendous privilege. I hope that sharing my experiences with chronic migraine from time to time might help others feel less alone, and might help spread awareness of the realities so together we can reduce the stigma of migraine. (Also, the hoodie only comes out when I am absolutely not being brave about it!)
Heading to the Chamber ready for the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement 💷 A big day in Westminster, but mainly hoping it’s going to mean big things for local residents! You can watch it live at 12:30 on most news channels.
It’s a massive day today for our one punch assault awareness campaign. Years of work have led to this – a huge thank you to @onepunchuk for all the effort and emotional energy they have invested to get us to this point. Will announce more soon!
Back where it all began over 17 years ago. Couldn’t be prouder of what we have managed to achieve. A massive thank you to @onepunchuk for all their work and for all colleagues who supported us. This weekend is for reflecting with family, then next week is for following up with the MoJ to get the ball rolling.
Honoured to lay a wreath in Shildon and pay tribute to those who gave their lives, so that we may have our freedom. Thank you to those who laid the Parliamentary wreathes across Bishop Auckland, Barnard Castle, and Spennymoor this morning. We will remember them.
Honoured to lay a wreath in Shildon and pay tribute to those who gave their lives, so that we may have our freedom. Thank you to those who laid the Parliamentary wreathes across Bishop Auckland, Barnard Castle, and Spennymoor this morning. We will remember them.
Honoured to lay a wreath in Shildon and pay tribute to those who gave their lives, so that we may have our freedom. Thank you to those who laid the Parliamentary wreathes across Bishop Auckland, Barnard Castle, and Spennymoor this morning. We will remember them.
We need to do more to ensure people feel the criminal justice system is on their side. Yesterday I spoke in the Chamber in the King’s Speech crime and justice debate. If you have been following me for a while, you will know that it was my dad’s death after a one punch assault that became the key catalyst for my journey into politics, and since being elected here it has been a key mission of mine to raise awareness about the devastation of single punch assaults. Here is a short clip of my speech. I hope to bring forward an amendment to future legislation on sentencing and crime, and have secured a meeting with the Justice Minister to secure this.
An honour to welcome veterans Mike Donne and Ruth Wright to Parliament today to lay the constituency cross in the Speaker’s Garden of Remembrance. Mike and Ruth, volunteers for SSAFA the Armed Forces charity, also laid a cross on behalf of the Bishop Auckland’s Veterans Group, an incredible organisation they founded. I’m incredibly grateful to Mike and Ruth for taking the time to come to Parliament, and joining me to pay our respects to those who have served our country. Lest we forget.
An honour to welcome veterans Mike Donne and Ruth Wright to Parliament today to lay the constituency cross in the Speaker’s Garden of Remembrance. Mike and Ruth, volunteers for SSAFA the Armed Forces charity, also laid a cross on behalf of the Bishop Auckland’s Veterans Group, an incredible organisation they founded. I’m incredibly grateful to Mike and Ruth for taking the time to come to Parliament, and joining me to pay our respects to those who have served our country. Lest we forget.
An honour to welcome veterans Mike Donne and Ruth Wright to Parliament today to lay the constituency cross in the Speaker’s Garden of Remembrance. Mike and Ruth, volunteers for SSAFA the Armed Forces charity, also laid a cross on behalf of the Bishop Auckland’s Veterans Group, an incredible organisation they founded. I’m incredibly grateful to Mike and Ruth for taking the time to come to Parliament, and joining me to pay our respects to those who have served our country. Lest we forget.
An honour to welcome veterans Mike Donne and Ruth Wright to Parliament today to lay the constituency cross in the Speaker’s Garden of Remembrance. Mike and Ruth, volunteers for SSAFA the Armed Forces charity, also laid a cross on behalf of the Bishop Auckland’s Veterans Group, an incredible organisation they founded. I’m incredibly grateful to Mike and Ruth for taking the time to come to Parliament, and joining me to pay our respects to those who have served our country. Lest we forget.
Come with me to enter the ballot! Last week I was asked, “how can an MP bring about change?”. There are lots of different ways to do this, but one crucial way is through a Private Members’ Bill. And today, the ballot opened! (More info in the video above). What I want to know from you is, if I am successful in Thursday’s draw, what bill do you think I should introduce?
Today was an important day in Parliament – the State Opening. King Charles arrived just before 1130 and delivered his first speech, outlining what legislation the Government will prioritise over the next session. Of the 21 Bills outlined, those that most caught my attention were: 👮🏻♂️ Criminal Justice Bill – giving the police more powers to tackle crimes involving drugs and thefts 🏡 Renters Reform Bill – to improve things for renters, including delivering on our manifesto pledge to ban no-fault evictions ⚽️ Football Governance Bill – to create a football regulator to help protect the beautiful game 🧑🏻⚖️ Sentencing Bill – amongst other things, the most horrific murderers will automatically get whole life orders, and rapists will spend more time behind bars What did you make of it? Let me know in the comments! (Picture was a still from the BBC’s coverage of the State Opening today, spotted by Mum!)
Today the nation will fall silent at 11 o’clock to remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice so we could have our freedom.
The Boy Who Lived (apt given what happened to him on Halloween!) and Mike Wazowski! 🎃 Happy Halloween, everyone!
The Boy Who Lived (apt given what happened to him on Halloween!) and Mike Wazowski! 🎃 Happy Halloween, everyone!
Great to visit Michael at the Spennymoor Youth and Community Centre recently, with @lukeallanholmes. I had a lovely tour of the centre from Michael, as well as discussing the incredible work they do for people within the area. The Spennymoor Youth and Community Centre is a fantastic community asset, perfect for all ages. I’ve linked their website below, it’s worth a look to see the incredible events they host and what they could offer for you. https://www.syaca.co.uk/
At a recent surgery, a constituent raised her concerns about the poor communications from the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service. Today I raised her concerns directly with the Justice Secretary and I look forward to speaking to him directly about this case.
Great to attend Robert Potts’s campaign launch yesterday🚀 As someone who has served in the army and the police force, I know that Rob will make an excellent Police and Crime Commissioner. Last night he set out his vision for better policing of County Durham. His plan includes: 👮♀️Put more officers on our streets ✅ Keep our local police stations open 📈 Improve call times & response times 🙅♂️ Crack down on off-road bikes in our town centres ✋ Stamp out antisocial behaviour with a real plan to put more officers in hotspots 👍 Restore integrity, transparency and accountability in our Police Force
Great to attend Robert Potts’s campaign launch yesterday🚀 As someone who has served in the army and the police force, I know that Rob will make an excellent Police and Crime Commissioner. Last night he set out his vision for better policing of County Durham. His plan includes: 👮♀️Put more officers on our streets ✅ Keep our local police stations open 📈 Improve call times & response times 🙅♂️ Crack down on off-road bikes in our town centres ✋ Stamp out antisocial behaviour with a real plan to put more officers in hotspots 👍 Restore integrity, transparency and accountability in our Police Force
Great to attend Robert Potts’s campaign launch yesterday🚀 As someone who has served in the army and the police force, I know that Rob will make an excellent Police and Crime Commissioner. Last night he set out his vision for better policing of County Durham. His plan includes: 👮♀️Put more officers on our streets ✅ Keep our local police stations open 📈 Improve call times & response times 🙅♂️ Crack down on off-road bikes in our town centres ✋ Stamp out antisocial behaviour with a real plan to put more officers in hotspots 👍 Restore integrity, transparency and accountability in our Police Force
Here in Nottingham for the Punch play. A poignant end to an important week for our one punch awareness campaign.
Today the Chancellor delivered his Autumn Statement. He set out his plans to drive growth in the decade ahead – a crucial task to get our economy firing on all cylinders! There are over 110 announcements today, and lots to unpack. Here are my top 5: ✂️ Cutting national insurance By cutting the main rate of National Insurance Contributions from 12% to 10% from 6th January. That means a £450 tax cut for the average worker! 🛍️ Cuts to business taxes Making full expensing permanent is the biggest business tax cut in modern British history – crucial for getting our businesses investing, boosting growth, and creating good quality jobs. We are also cutting national insurance for the self employed. 💷 Boost the National Living Wage to record levels The National Living Wage will be increased by 9.8%, taking it to £11.44 an hour, benefiting 2.7 million of the lowest paid workers. And this rate will be extended to everyone over 21. 🍺 Freezing alcohol duty The hospitality sector has faced significant pressures over the past few years, so many of us have been pushing the Government to do all they can to support them. As well as extending the 75% business rate reduction for another year, alcohol duty will be frozen too to keep the cost of a pint down. Cheers to that! 🏠 Helping the most vulnerable. 1.6 million of the families most struggling with the cost of living will have their Local Housing Allowance increased, with an average boost of £800. And benefits will be increased by 6.7% (matching inflation) to reflect cost of living pressures. 💼 Get people into work by reforming welfare More support will be offered to those on benefits to get into work, including exploring flexible working and working from home opportunities. After 18 months of support, if they refuse to engage in finding work, their benefits will be stopped. *This seems to me like a fair approach, but I’m writing to the DWP to ask what this will mean for those with genuine chronic conditions.* To find out more, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/autumn-statement-2023
