Shadow Business Secretary backs new nuclear in west Cumbria

I was delighted to welcome Jonathan Reynolds, Labour’s Shadow Business Secretary, to west Cumbria this week to discuss my thoughts on a West Cumbria Industrial Plan and plans to regenerate our town centres.

Jonathan made clear Labour’s commitment to delivering new nuclear and I am determined to ensure that west Cumbria benefits from that after more than a decade of dither and delay under the Tories.

We also visited businesses in Whitehaven to hear their views about how we revitalise our town centre. I hear concerns about this from voters all the time and it’s something I am committed to improving, working with the next Labour Government. Our plan to cut and reform business rates, reform the planning system and tackle anti-social behaviour which blights our town centres was warmly welcomed.

Finally we visited the Stobart warehouse at Lillyhall to discuss the decarbonisation of logistics and Labour’s plan to invest in skills.

Over 500 join campaign against closure of ticket offices

More than 500 local residents across Whitehaven and Workington have signed my petition against the planned closure of the ticket offices at both stations.

I will be submitting the petition along with my opposition to the closure at the end of August before the consultation closes.

Sign my petition here

Petition launched to save local pharmacy

Following reports that Boots are planning to close 300 stores across the country, with a focus on pharmacies, I wrote to Boots and launched a petition calling on them to protect stores in west Cumbria.

I placed particular emphasis on the Boots Pharmacy in Frizington which, following last year’s devastating closure of the GP surgery, is now the only place in Frizington where residents can access medicines and medical advice.

See my latest letter to the Managing Director of Boots:

You can sign the petition here

Hundreds of conversations with voters as campaign launches

I was delighted to get out and talk to voters in Egremont this weekend as we officially launched my campaign to be the next Labour MP for west Cumbria.

We had hundreds of conversations with voters in the town, who raised concerns with everything from poor bus services to the state of the NHS and the cost of living crisis.

I’ll be spending the summer months listening to local people and forming my priorities as your candidate and future MP.

Share your views in my residents’ survey

Josh meets Shadow Business Secretary

I’m committed to delivering a West Cumbria Industrial Plan that can attract investment and jobs to our area as part of a new national industrial strategy.

This week I went to Westminster to meet with Jonathan Reynolds MP, Labour’s Shadow Business Secretary, to start discussing that plan.

Fresh thinking to bring secure, decent jobs to our area. Time to move on from a government that’s run out of steam and stuck in the past.

Labour chooses former teacher and charity worker to contest West Cumbria

Local members have today (17 June) chosen former teacher and charity worker Josh MacAlister to stand as their Parliamentary candidate for West Cumbria.

Josh has a history of fighting against inequality, in the classroom as a teacher, in setting up a national charity, and in leading the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care, a landmark government-commissioned review which delivered £200 million for vulnerable children. He has a track record of delivering for those in need.

Speaking after his selection, Josh said:

“It is the honour of a lifetime to be selected by local members here in West Cumbria. Cumbria is my home. My family and I live here, I got married here, and I volunteer for the Mountain Rescue here. “

“In me, Labour has someone who understands the communities of West Cumbria, someone who understands the issues that matter to them most and importantly, someone who will listen to their concerns. From farming to fishing, from tourism to nuclear energy, from our towns to our villages, I will be an MP for all of our communities.

“The Tories are holding West Cumbria back. Families here are struggling, with rising energy bills, stagnating wages and an NHS at breaking point. We need an MP and a Government that works for all of us, not just those at the top. I will be working every second from now, out on the doors, listening to local people and making sure their voices are heard.”