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Our area has a proud history of leading the world on nuclear power. We need government approval for a new nuclear plant in West Cumbria so that we can unlock new advanced manufacturing and industrial jobs.  That’s why I’ve been leading the New Nuclear Now campaign. The Tories are continuing to drag their feet onContinue reading “Comment on government’s nuclear roadmap”

I was honoured and surprised to be recognised in the New Year’s Honours List with an OBE for services to volunerable children. These awards go to individuals, but all the work I’ve done to improve lives for children has been a team effort. I would not have been able to launch Frontline ten years agoContinue reading “Recognised in New Year’s Honours List”

Labour’s Josh MacAlister has today written to the Chancellor to demand answers after the Conservatives secret £7.3m cut to local families was exposed. This comes just a year after the Conservatives crashed the British economy. The Household Support Fund is an £842m fund to help families with food and energy costs. Incredibly, as the costContinue reading “Major cuts to cost of living support to Cumbrian families in Autumn Statement as taxes continue to soar”

New analysis I’ve done – based on research by the Resolution Foundation – following the Autumn Statement reveals the staggering hit to living standards in West Cumbria over the last five years. The average household is set to end this parliament £1,900 worse off than in 2019 thanks to low growth, stagnant wages, run-away inflationContinue reading “Families in West Cumbria set to be £1,900 worse off by the end of this parliament”

295 people were forced to attend A&E at West Cumberland Hospital and Cumberland Infirmary last year due to dental decay, as patients across the county find it impossible to get an appointment with an NHS dentist when they need one.  At North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust in 2022/23, 235 patients were seen inContinue reading “Tooth decay forced 295 patients to A&E in North and West Cumbria last year”

One year on from the Tories’ disastrous mini-budget, new analysis I’ve done, building on a StepChange survey for BBC Money Box, reveals a staggering 82,000 adults in Cumbria are forced to cut back on essentials like heating and electricity to keep up with debt repayments. Over 135,000 are in financial difficulty, and 51,000 have changedContinue reading “82,000 Adults in Cumbria ‘Rationing heating or electricity to keep up with debt payments’”

Read my statement and letter following the Prime Minister’s cancellation of HS2.

Latest figures, published by the Home Office, reveal just 8% of crimes resulted in a charge or summons across Cumbria in the last year – that includes just 4% of sexual offences, and just 7% of violent crimes. Keir Starmer has made ‘Making Britain’s Streets Safe’ a central mission of the next Labour Government. WithinContinue reading “More than 90% of crimes in West Cumbria go unsolved”