Merry Christmas everyone 🎄

🎄 My Christmas message to Erdington, Kingstanding, Castle Vale & South Oscott 🎄 This year showed the strength of our community. As we look ahead to 2026, I’ll be right here, standing with you. Wishing you and your loved ones a peaceful Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Great to join friends and partners at the One Thousand Trades Group festive social. It was a wonderful opportunity to catch up and connect. Looking forward to strengthening these relationships further in 2026!

At the Health and Social Care Committee, I asked the Health Secretary about vaccine hesitancy among health professionals, and whether the time has come for mask-wearing in hospitals and care settings. Patient safety must always come first.

🚨Paid apprenticeships now open🚨 Great to see @nationalgrid.bsky.social offering paid roles with training. I recently visited the Kingstanding substation and saw the vital work their team does to keep our community powered. 🔗 jobs.nationalgrid.com/uk/early-careers/apprenticeships

As Trade Envoy for the Commonwealth Caribbean, and with my proud Caribbean heritage, I welcome Jamaica’s initiative to mainstream systematic land titling. This empowers communities, secures land for families & builds a legacy for generations to come. Read more here👇🏿 jis.gov.jm/government-l...

Great to mark one year of the Invest in Women Taskforce, a govt-backed initiative supporting female entrepreneurs. Over £635m raised so far, with campaigns like #FindTheMissingSlice highlighting the ongoing investment gap for women-led businesses. An important conversation and lots more to do!

Great to attend the Lush Parliamentary reception and meet campaigners, scientists & colleagues to discuss ending cruel animal testing🐾 I know how important animal welfare matters are to my constituents & I remain committed to championing better science to #EndAnimalTesting

As Vice-Chair of the HSCC during this inquiry, I welcome the maternal morbidity indicator, which will hopefully be a vital tool in understanding failures in Black maternity care. But insights must lead to accountability and I will keep pushing until they do.

Huge congratulations to Thomas from Abbey Catholic Primary School for winning my Christmas Card competition this year 🎊 Big well done also to our runners-up, Keeva and Arren from Kings Rise Academy. Fantastic effort everyone & we hope you all enjoy your prizes! 🎄✨

Delighted to join staff and volunteers at New Heights Warren Farm Community Project in Kingstanding for their Christmas lunch 🎄 It was wonderful to hear about the fantastic work they do year-round in the community. Huge thanks to Cameron and the team for hosting!

Kingstanding is full of unsung heroes who give up their time to make a difference. It was a pleasure meeting Friends of Conker Island, Together in the Community, and New Heights, who do incredible work every day. This is exactly the spirit needed to champion Pride in Place!

Absolutely fantastic to visit the Erdington Royal Mail Delivery Office this morning. Thank you to our brilliant postal workers for all your hard work delivering the season’s important mail on time to our community. Wishing you all a very merry Christmas! 🎄✉️

I spent 25 years as an NHS nurse and even returned to the frontline during the pandemic, so I know the passion and dedication our staff bring every day. With flu hospitalisation up by 55% in just one week and NHS services under pressure, I urge the BMA to put patients first.

Today, as Chair of @appgblackhealth.bsky.social and with the CAHN and, we met the Minister for Women’s Health, Baroness Merron to discuss the fibroids crisis affecting Black Caribbean and African women. We urged a coordinated, equitable response to improve outcomes and tackle this urgent issue.

Delighted to present the winning Christmas Card from my 2025 competition to the Speaker of the House. 🎄 Congrats to Thomas (Abbey Catholic Primary) and the runners-up from Kings Rise Academy. Thank you to our sponsors Amazon and @avfc-official.bsky.social for supporting the competition!

Proud to be backing Great British Railways 🇬🇧🚂 ✅ Frozen fares ✅ An end to timetable chaos ✅ Modern, flexible ticketing ✅ New powerful voice for passengers 🚆 Labour is bringing the railways back into public ownership to deliver for passengers!

Jury trials are a cornerstone of our justice system, giving ordinary citizens an important role in delivering justice. I pressed the Minister for assurances that jury trials will be protected - to prevent miscarriages of justice and maintain trust in our legal system.

Yesterday, I asked the Minister in Parliament about the need for police forces to share safety information across neighbouring constituencies, especially where the impact of incidents extends beyond parliamentary boundaries.

Employment isn't just about a job; it's about independence and joy. I heard from a disabled constituent how the Motability scheme was a gateway to both driving and a career. I asked the Minister what further steps are being taken to ensure support leads to work.

Honoured to join the Birmingham Branch of the Nurses Association of Jamaica UK at their annual fundraising dinner for an inspiring evening dedicated to supporting elderly care and Hurricane Melissa relief efforts. A huge thanks to the organisers and the wonderful Cynthia Dixon!

Great to meet Sgt Fulford for an update on #OperationSkybridge in Erdington & Stockland Green. The results so far: ✅ Crime is DOWN ✅ 10 arrests made ✅ A major cannabis farm (150 plants) disrupted Our police are making a difference. To help them, always report crime!

Joined Scope's reception marking the UN’s International Day of Disabled People. With 1 in 4 people in the UK disabled, their campaign to end the disability price tag, close the employment gap, and transform attitudes has never been more important.

Calling an entire nation or ethnic group “garbage” and saying they smell is totally unacceptable. A leader, even someone like Donald Trump, should be setting a better example, not fuelling division.

Earlier on @jeremyvine.bsky.social, I agreed with regulators banning Lewis Hamilton’s gambling advert. I’ve seen the damage gambling addiction causes far too often - the debt, the mental health toll and the shattered lives. Celebrities shouldn’t be used to normalise this addiction.

Finished an important meeting of the Delegation Legislation on the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme. Focused on the Amendment Regulations 2025, working to ensure justice and support for those affected. The work for justice continues...

This evening, I spoke about how the Budget delivers real investment for Erdington, Kingstanding, Castle Vale & South Oscott. From major funding to upgrade Stockland Green Health Centre, to improving life chances for over 6,000 local children & helping families with their bills.

A huge congratulation to Court lane Allotments in Erdington, for being voted "Site of the Year" by the Bham & District Allotment Confederation. This is a testament to the countless hours, shared knowledge, and true community spirit that transforms a patch of land into a beautiful, productive space.

#Budget ✅ £12.71 National Minimum Wage ✅ 450,000+ children lifted out of poverty (scrapping the 2-child benefit cap) ✅ Cutting the average household energy bill by £150 ✅ Shorter NHS waiting lists & upgrading Stockland Green Primary Care A Fair Budget for working families🌹

NEW: Labour is making changes to energy levies to bring down your household energy bill by £150.

Huge upgrade coming to Stockland Green!

Joined Parliamentary colleagues for an important drop-in on tackling antimicrobial resistance. We heard powerful stories from patients & clinicians about the urgent need to modernise outdated infection diagnostics. It’s shocking that 50-year-old methods are still being used.

📰 My November column for Erdington Local is now online! ✅ Attended Remembrance services ✅ Objected to a 9-bed HMO in Gravelly Hill ✅ Hosted our 2nd Black History Month event ✅ Supported locals affected by Hurricane Melissa Read more: www.erdingtonlocal.com/opinion-a-me...

This is fantastic news for Stockland Green. This brilliant multi-purpose health hub, funded by a Labour government, will revolutionise health and wellbeing in our community. 1/2 www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midland...

As Gambling Awareness Week ends, the fight doesn’t. We must stop our high streets from becoming a ‘Wild West’ of betting shops. Erdington simply has too many, and I’ll continue to fight for the safe, vibrant high street our community deserves.

Fantastic news! The Government is expanding free breakfast clubs, with 500 more schools joining from April. That’s half a million more children able to start the day well-fed and ready to learn, while families could save up to £450 per year.

Fantastic news! The Government is expanding free breakfast clubs, with 500 more schools joining from April. That’s half a million more children able to start the day well-fed and ready to learn, while families could save up to £450 per year.

Pleased to chair a joint meeting of the APPG on Less Survivable Cancers with fellow cancer APPGs. Thanks to Charlie Maynard MP and all Chairs & secretariats for their valuable input. A strong start to cross-APPG collaboration ahead of the National Cancer Plan.

Over the past few months, I’ve been meeting with local schools to hear their concerns about SEND provision. I raised these issues with Minister Georgia Gould MP, and was pleased to welcome her to the constituency to hear directly from teachers at Christ the King RC Primary School.

I welcome the proposed asylum system reforms announced by the Home Secretary. I asked about establishing clear, safe, and legal routes to deter dangerous small boat crossings, and about the need for robust age assessment methods to prevent adult impersonation. 1/7

Under the Tories, mistaken prisoner releases increased every year since 2021, while only 500 prison places were built in 14 years. This government is already delivering 2,600 new places, on track for 14,000 by 2032 and reviewing the outdated 1980s paper system to finally fix it.

Visited the @rnib.bsky.social's drop-in on vision rehabilitation in Parliament. Powerful stories, hands-on demos, and data on the postcode lottery facing blind and partially sighted people. We must ensure this support is properly funded and accessible.

On the doorstep, people in every community tell me about their concerns about illegal immigration. Labour is taking action and has already removed 35,000 people with no right to be here, as well as 5,200 foreign criminals. The last Tory government simply failed to get a grip.

Last week I hosted a coffee morning in Stockland Green, hearing directly from residents about local issues and sharing the good news about the launch of Operation Skybridge. Thank you to everyone who came along for a chat and a cuppa. ☕️ It was great meeting you all!

🚨 OPERATION SKYBRIDGE IN ACTION Police arrested a 52-year-old man on Slade Road last night after spotting suspicious behaviour. He’s now being held on suspicion of burglary and handling stolen goods. 🔗 www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midland...

Out in Kingstanding this cold morning, door knocking for local candidates Paul Lilly and Anita Ward. Great to speak with residents and pick up local issues. A huge thanks to Jilly Bermingham and Fayaz Khuhro for braving the weather and helping out!

While the government has announced it will scrap the roles of Police & Crime Commissioners, we can't forget that Simon Foster has been excellent. He delivered where it mattered, from funding Operation Fearless to showing a real commitment to communities. He has been a true champion.

NEW: @wmpolice.bsky.social's Operation Skybridge launches today in Erdington & Stockland Green. A fantastic team of uniformed and plain clothed officers will provide 24/7 proactive patrols to prevent and reduce serious crime. I know many are concerned and I'm pleased this action is being taken.