What do events in Venezuela mean for the UK and the rest of the world? A statement from Debbie Abrahams MP

I visited @oldhamcollege.bsky.social recently. I host students every year, and my team and I were invited to discuss these placements, giving me a tour of some of their new programmes while I was there.

At my final surgery before Christmas, I met with a number of constituents to discuss a range of issues, if you have an important query that you need to meet with me about please get in touch with my office

Grateful to my team out in #Austerlands talking to residents about car parking, traffic and speeding. I have recently contacted @manccop.bsky.social and @oldhamcouncil.bsky.social about these issues particularly on Huddersfield Road.

Last month I hosted my annual Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls online event, with excellent guest speakers. Including Inspector Kat Murray from @manccop.bsky.social, who spoke about many of the changes that will help the police tackle violence against women and girls.

First day for Parliament in 2026 and I questioned the Minister over the stalling Gaza peace plan, the Israeli government's inexplicable ban of 37 humanitarian aid organisations such as @msf.ca, @medicalaidpal.bsky.social, @oxfaminternational.bsky.social

Thank you #HousingSecretary #SteveReed. The #Pride of Place programme will bring transformative change in #Alt. The £20 million funding from the Government will make a massive difference to local people, who will decide how it should be spent!

History is made as the Employment Rights Bill is set to become law. This includes: ✅ A ban on exploitative zero hours contracts ✅ Sick pay from day one ✅ A ban on fire and rehire ✅ Stronger family leave

Last week, we celebrated International Human Rights Day and the Universal Declaration for Human Rights, which was set up in the wake of the Second World War, to set out the foundations for our rules based system, our human rights, that we are all equal, and emphasising our common humanity.

It was a pleasure to welcome #ChrisCurrie from the #PensionsPolicyInstitute and #JonathanCribb from the @theifs.bsky.social to the #WorkandPensionsSelectCommittee as part of our 'Transition to State Pension Age' Inquiry. If you would like to watch more go to 👇🏼

I was pleased to welcome the Reverend Dr Jack Sara - President of the Bethlehem Bible College - to a meeting of the APPG on Palestine. We heard Dr Sara's account of the persecution and suffering faced by Palestinian Christians.

At #DWP questions last week I thanked @patmcfaddenmp.bsky.social and other Ministers for the work they have done on the Child Poverty Strategy which will see 450,000 children lifted out of relative poverty as a direct result of lifting the 2-child benefit limit

It was wonderful to meet campaigners from @savechildrenuk.bsky.social in Parliament for their annual #ChristmasJumperDay. From pushing to abolish the two-child benefit limit to supporting children in conflict zones, Save the Children remains at the forefront of defending children’s rights.

As many of you will know, I do a weekly #MPknock most recently with my team, I have been out in #Sholver & #Clarksfield.

I am grateful to my fellow British Parliamentarians joining me in a call for peace as part of the ‘Parliamentarians for Peace’ campaign, this is my third year co-ordinating this campaign, which included our first Peace Conference in September.

I strongly welcome today’s news that Baroness Longfield has been appointed to chair the National Inquiry into Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (CSE/CSA).

I spoke in Parliament this week about current and historic Constituency child sexual abuse cases I have been helping with.

#ParliamentariansforPeace was set up in November 2023 in the wake of the terrorist attack in Israel on 7th October 2023 and subsequent killing of Gazan civilians.

This year on #SmallBusinessSaturday I visited #TheEdgeHairandBeauty #LAflorist and #DeleCoffeeHouse, businesses in Lees where women entrepreneurs are doing Oldham proud.

Parliament is getting ready for the Christmas holidays!

Last week was #InternationalDayOfDisabledPeople! Did you know that an estimated 16.8 million people in the UK had a disability in 2023/24, accounting for 25% of the total population?

If you prefer your investment big and tangible, we are supporting the expansion of Heathrow and Gatwick airports, plus the construction of Sizewell C

For private investment to happen firms have to be able to get things built (even intangible capital is often housed in very tangible things). That’s why we’re backing builders not blockers through the biggest planning reforms in a generation

Firms are more likely to invest if they have markets to sell into. That’swhy trade deals with the EU, US and India matter (just ask JLR or the whisky industry). All the opposition parties oppose them for all the usual made up reasons (not least thinking we shouldn’t talk to EU)

Across regulated industries there has been a step change in the past 16 months. Solar farms left as proposals for years were signed off in weeks. We haven’t completed a new reservoir in 30 years despite the population growing by 10m. This government’s signed off 9

Most investment is in the private sector. All of the lower productivity in the UK vs France can be explained by French workers having more capital (ie kit) to work with.

It’s exactly because we believe in Britain’s future that this government has started investing in it. Revised fiscal rules have enabled the highest sustained levels of public investment in a generation - £120bn extra.

Like a home, if you don’t invest for a year or two you can get away with it. Don’t do it for decades and the roof risks falling in ie you’ve undermined growth

Only Germany has done worse public investment wise (as you’ll know if you’ve been on a German train), and they’ve compensated with high private investment, on which front the UK has been bottom of the G7 league table. By miles.

Lots of things matter for securing a higher productivity future - but the thing that has marked the UK out in recent decades is our catastrophically low investment. Public and private.

That same growth failure post-financial crisis is why the OBR has downgraded productivity growth in their latest forecasts - it’s a verdict on the past not an inevitable future

Rightly lots of debates about growth this weekend - rightly because it was low productivity growth that saw wages entirely flatline during the 2010s.

Happy Lancashire Day! Thank you to the Friends of Real Lancashire for their card.

UK Parliament Week is an annual event which seeks to inform and educate people about the work and role of the UK Parliament.

Join me on the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women Friday 28 November 2025, 1:00pm, Virtual Event

With the news that an earlier lockdown could have saved 23,000 lives: www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cm...

It was a pleasure to welcome @profbambra.bsky.social (newcastleuni.bsky.social), @lukemunford.bsky.social (@manchester.ac.uk) to Parliament yesterday. As part of #HealthEquityNorth the #CommonsWorkandPensions commissioned them to analyse what savings could be generated from new #EmploymentSupport

As chair of the #BritainPalestineAPPG I was grateful to former Israeli ambassador #IlanBaruch, #AlonLiel and #SusieBencher for joining us last week to discuss what role the UK play in ending the occupation in Gaza and the West Bank,

Join me on the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women Friday 28 November 2025, 1:00pm, Virtual Event

Great news that the @teamlabouruk.bsky.social Government’s Great British Energy will be installing solar panels at #OasisAcademyClarksfield and #OasisAcademyLeesbrook locally to cut bills and improve our energy security!

Yesterday was the National Day for Tolerance, and last week we celebrated #kindness. With news of division and strife across the world, it is essential we remember to show each other compassion.

Last week: ● Following my community meeting and the Moorside & Sholver Community Centre, my team were out in Sholver to speak to residents

I am grateful to @patmcfaddenmp.bsky.social, the #WorkandPensionsSecretary for his statement to the House on new survey evidence from 2007 on communications to women born in the 1950s about changes in their #StatePensionAge which has only just been made available to him.

Join me on the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women Friday 28 November 2025, 1:00pm, Virtual Event

I am very grateful to my team of volunteers for speaking to residents on Hodge Clough. Following a community meeting I held at the Moorside & Sholver Community Centre in October, I have been in touch with stakeholders since to discuss progress on actions taken from the meeting.

Today, we pause to remember all those who have died in service of our country, and express our gratitude to all who continue to serve.

I am grateful to Oldham Council, Historic England and the representative from St Pauls for joining me today to discuss the development of St Pauls in Shaw.

I attended the Remembrance Day service in Oldham; it was an honour to lay a wreath in memory of all the armed forces men and women who have been injured or gave their lives for us.

Join me on the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women Friday 28 November 2025, 1:00pm, Virtual Event

This week I held my weekly MP surgery, where constituents raised concerns with me about the growing division in our society. I have had many constituents contact me with similar worries. I have written to Oldham Council to discuss how we can address these concerns locally.