Fab to see Fraser & Chris to officially open their new venture. You may know their popular indoor market store Bear Bottom, but after they spied a vacant unit on the Riverwalk they decided to expand their offering across the city. Next time you’re in their neck of the woods make sure you stop by! ☕️🍰

It was great to meet with TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak and Durham Unison members at Redhills today to discuss jobs, pay and protecting public services! It’s always my pleasure to stand alongside hardworking reps who support local workers and their communities.

The APPG on Smoking & Health’s Co-Chair @marykfoymp.bsky.social wrote to the Guardian 📰 making the case for a polluter pays levy on tobacco companies 🚭. £700m per year direct from industry (not taxpayers!) to fund smoking cessation services. What’s not to like! 🙌 🔗 Read here: shorturl.at/O8bBv

I've seen horrific footage of murder of Charlie Kirk many times, as well as surveillance footage showing the fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska. This is a clear failure of online platforms to prevent the spread of such harmful content as mandated by the Online Safety Act 2023.

A major issue facing bus operators is lack of engineers available locally to support the maintenance of their fleets, but we have fab colleges in Durham with budding apprentices. I also can’t get my head round fact NW drivers are paid more than NE drivers, despite working for same company!

I know a reliable rail service is important to my constituents, not just for work and education but also for those who may be elderly or disabled - why should they not be able to get direct services from Durham? Particularly since Durham station is the second most used in the North East!

This afternoon I took part in the rearranged General Debate on Public Transport Inequality. I'll share a few clips from my contribution over the next day or so, but I thought I'd start with a section on buses 🚌 as I know many people got in touch regarding the same services. Take a look 👀.

I GOT IN!!! 🎉 It was a slog but I squeezed into Transport Qs. I'm pleased the Minister will meet with me to ensure when reassurances are given for ‘equivalent’ services to be put in place by transport operators - they actually follow through and make it happen!

Urgh; 20th out of 24 in Treasury questions this morning. I dont know why I get excited when I’m drawn! 😫😣 Hopefully I’ll get in on behalf of businesses in Durham. 🙏🏼

The Employment Rights Bill is one of the most important pieces of legislation in a generation. It must be delivered in full, with a minister dedicated to the brief.

Good luck to everyone taking part in the Great North Run today. Whether you’re running for charity or for a personal challenge - I hope you have the best day. Like most years, me and my family will be at the bottom of the John Reid Road with supplies for runners as they pass. 🏃🏃🏼‍♀️🏃🏻‍♂️

Ice pops, jellies & a cheer for all the #GNR runners today. You’ll find us just before the John Reid Road 🏃🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️🏅🥇

Lovely to call at The Station House after my market stall yday & raise a glass to their recent success being named CAMRA NE Pub of the Year. In Oct they hear if they’re in final 4 pubs in the running for the overall title - they get a great big YES from me!Good luck Chris, Susie & the whole team. ❤️🍻

A brilliant market stall today. My team & I had so many chats on topics from private parking companies, council services, policing, anti-social behaviour, student loans, digital skills, flags, opportunities for young market traders, support for local businesses 💷, students - & Asian hornets 😱!

Fab time last night at Redhills for special screening of the movie Pride, organised by the DMA and TUC NEYH to fundraise for Durham Pride. Lush to be surrounded by likeminded comrades to celebrate the friendship & solidarity forged between mining & LGBT+ communities which grows as the years pass!

Excited for my market stall on Sat. I am running a survey at the moment on private parking company practices, do stop by & complete one if you’ve fallen foul to one of the companies that operate our car parks. Even if you simply want to swing past for a chat I’d be thrilled to speak to you.

Of course I added my name to this👇🏻

🚘PRIVATE PARKING COMPANIES🚨 I hear regularly from constituents who have had dealings with private parking companies - and frankly some of the practices and behaviour is appalling. survey.labour.org.uk/parking

Getting over the disappointment of the public transport debate not going ahead yesterday evening by trying to speak in a debate on access to defibrillators, this morning. More 👇🏻

It was lovely to meet Steve and Rob from The Glendenning Arms in Witton Gilbert and hear about all of the work they are doing to build a thriving community pub. Knitting Club anyone?! 🧶🍷 I worked behind a bar as a student so it’s good to know I can still pull a decent pint! 🌹🍺😉

Great to meet Liam and Jimmy and see the difference Wheels 2 Work make across Durham helping people get into and stay in work 🛵🚲 People of all ages use their service and are able to take jobs they couldn't if they had to rely on buses! 👀🙌

Reform MPs have voted against new rights and protections for you at work again, and again, and again. They say they’re on the side of working people – but their actions say otherwise.

When Parliament returns there’ll be a General Debate on Regional Transport Inequality. I’ve already submitted my intention to speak & I’m beyond frustrated with endless emails I receive from public transport users re the poor quality, unreliability & cost of our buses and trains in City of Durham. 👇🏻

Best of luck to the brill young people in City of Durham picking up GCSE & VTQ 1/2 results today. I hope it is a day of celebration for you all, but remember, if your results aren't what you hoped for your teachers will support you & there are many different exciting options to take after school.

I’ve been contacted about Palestinian students unable to take up their studies in Durham due to strict rules around biometric data which cannot be produced in Gaza.The students, who have lost everything, have achieved scholarships to study so that they may return to rebuild 🇵🇸 for the future.

Are you involved in a grassroots football ⚽️ club in City of Durham? If so I want to hear from you! Please complete my short survey so I can feedback to DCMS Ministers. You deserve access to quality facilities let’s work together & make it happen! Scan the QR or ⬇️ survey.labour.org.uk/grassrootsfo...

So many wild claims about Durham Pride funding recently. Instead of folk at DCC announcing they're defunding Pride to attempt to look like superstars to their supporters, let's praise the actual work of Durham Pride & ensure they're supported to continue. After all this is more than just an event.

It’s the eve of results day for many young people in the City of Durham. Whether you’re waiting for your A Levels, AS Levels, T Levels or one of the other great Level 3 qualifications on offer, don’t spend your day and night feeling nervous - try and relax. More 👇🏻

Happy birthday to the most wonderful of cathedrals in the country - if not the world! Durham Cathedral, still simply stunning after all of these years. 😍

While I was at Ushaw College, I went for a trip down memory lane & popped into the World of the Ladybird Book Artists exhibition, running until 31 August. As well as ticking off the books that I had in my youth, it was fascinating to learn about the artists behind them. You have to check it out!

Really great to meet Stephen at Lone Wolf Vision in the beautiful Ushaw College. If you're looking for a truly welcoming space for yoga, meditation or fitness, this is it. There are classes for every level and online support as well. A fantastic way to improve your health & wellbeing!

🚨New funding for youth services!🚨 Are you involved in a local youth organisation? The Government has just announced a new grants programme! Better Youth Spaces aims to fund capital projects between £5000 and £100,000. You can find out more details below 👇 www.sibgroup.org.uk/funds/better...

On my visit to the Cheesy Waffles Project at Belmont Community Centre I found out that not only are the staff and volunteers’ superheroes but so are the young people who attend! Also heard about the support from the community to help replace their stolen minibus. Well done everyone!

It was lovely to meet Steve and Rob from The Glendenning Arms in Witton Gilbert, and hear about all of the work they are doing to build a thriving community pub. Knitting Club anyone?! 🧶🍷 I worked behind a bar in my younger days, so it’s good to know I can still pull a decent pint! 🌹🍺

Delighted to meet with Emma and Faith, two of our fantastic social prescribers. They're helping residents improve their health through access to community activities, from walking groups to art classes. It's vital that we support this work to improve mental and physical wellbeing. #SocialPrescribing

Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the UK. I'm proud to co-Chair the APPG on Smoking and Health, and of this report, as we move further towards a #SmokefreeFuture. bsky.app/profile/fres...

What a cracking start to a Monday! Had a wonderful visit to Hamsteels Community Centre to have a chat with Rhona and her volunteers. It's a great asset for the village, with a packed diary of events for all ages. I'll be back to check out other events, and their wellness and story walks as well!

This week I stopped off in Willington. While I was there I popped to see residents of Coronation Terrace. You may remember there was a dreadful house explosion there, over a year ago now, and quite frankly the amount of time it is taking to put the area right for residents is shocking! More 👇🏻.

Today, on Roma Genocide Remembrance Day, we commemorate the Roma and Sinti people who were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators during WWII. Historians estimate that there were up to 500,000 Roma and Sinti victims under the Nazi regime. We remember them today.

I stopped by Charity Shop 4U in Willington today & had a chat with some of the team. I got a lovely little toy & musical instrument for my granddaughter & it was super to learn all cash goes back into the local community. There’s school uniform from 50p per item! Why not call in & check it out.

Great to sit down and chat with Matt from Durham United Youth FC about the challenges they face as a grassroots football club in Durham. If you're involved in a local team, keep an eye out for my survey which will be online soon. I want to hear from you about your challenges and successes too! ⚽️❤️⚽️

Lib Dem and Tory peers need to back off with their out of touch views when it comes to protecting workers. It’s unreal that they continue to side with the bad bosses. When the Employment Rights Bill returns in September, this government must stand firm and deliver it in full.

I was glad to join colleagues from across the House in demanding the government publishes its response to the International Court of Justice. www.caabu.org/news/press-r...

I was overwhelmed by testimonies at the @unisonnorthern.bsky.social Migrant Worker Event, today. Everyone deserves dignity & respect at work & I’ll be with UNISON’s migrant members ever step of the way. 💜 Thank you for the care you provide to so many of our families across the entire region. ⭐️

We’ve further powered up our commitment to EV with a £600mill grant for drivers! ⚡️🚘 The Electric Car Scheme gets you up to £3,750 off a new EV & this Labour Govt is rolling out charge points to more drivers every 30 mins. Do we need more charge points in & around Durham? Let me know!

Too many children continue to have their life chances determined by their background, so I’ve been really pleased to see the launch of a new £500 million Better Futures Fund to support vulnerable children and families across England.

Great to meet Nick, Clare and Sally this week in Parliament as part of the Climate Coalition lobby. I’ve heard there are folk that don’t believe our concerns about the climate should be taken seriously, well let me say this, I’m listening - and I’m taking them incredibly seriously.

It’s almost time! The second Saturday in July is almost upon us. Got my reading material sorted for tonight! 📚

Today, the UC & PIP Bill returns to the House of Commons for the third reading. I’ve made my opposition to this legislation being railroaded through clear from the outset. Continues 👇🏻