The first duty of Government is to keep its citizens safe, and in today's online world, that increasingly means cybersecurity, an issue previous Govts sidelined. So I welcome the new cyber bill but called for further action to protect public services, businesses and people

My office will be closed from 5pm on Wednesday 24 December and reopen Monday 29 December. We will monitor email and voicemail for urgent enquiries, but otherwise please expect a response in the New Year. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

My last official engagement of Christmas 2025 - on the dancefloor at Blakelaw Social Club for their Pensioner’s Party! Hope everyone has as Merry a Christmas! 💃🏾🎉🎅🏽🕺🏽🎄

Great to join Crisis North East distributing Christmas hampers for 150+ sleeping rough or in temporary accommodation. We discussed Labour’s homelessness strategy & extension of the ‘move-on period’ to 56 days, giving refugees more time to secure housing & reducing risk of homelessness.

An amazing visit to the Newcastle Foodbank Centre on Benwell Lane, hearing from the incredible volunteers & donors whose commitment keeps families supported — including one donor who has been bringing potatoes for years! Their dedication and community spirit are the true strength of our city❤️

It was a huge honour to be made a Dame in 2025 and of course I want my ceremony outfit to reflect my Geordie, Nigerian & Irish roots. Huge thanks to Lamin, Lynne and Jordan at Newcastle College for the fantastic outfit and Margaret for the wonderful hat!

Great to join Children North East at their Winter event in the Cowgate Centre, speak with kids & staff, and see the disco in full swing!🕺🪩❄️ Brilliant to speak with them about their work tackling poverty now being trademarked — a real milestone for children & families!

Labour is delivering the biggest reforms to animal welfare in a generation, including: 🐶 Ending puppy farming 🐓 Ending chicken cages and pig farrowing 🐇 Banning snare traps and reducing hare coursing Read more here 👇🏾 gov.uk/government/p...

Inspiring visit to Newcastle Foodbank at the Venerable Bede Church on West Road, to see how they are helping those less fortunate this Christmas with food, support and advice. Thank you to all the staff and volunteers for the incredible work you do.

So honoured to join the Lord Mayor, Newcastle City Council Leader Karen Kilgour and representatives of Newcastle's Jewish communities in the Silver Gallery to celebrate the eighth night of Chanukah, bringing light amidst the darkness

St Mary's Cathedral Church was beautifully decked for a lovely service of Carols by Candlelight with inspiring Advent Reflections from the Canon

Morning from the Moor on the second shortest day of the year!

Honoured to visit the War Memorial of Korea during the UK‑Korea Forum to pay tribute to those who fought and gave their lives in the Korean War – often called the forgotten war – including brave UK servicemen and women, among them many from Newcastle 🌹 🇬🇧🇰🇷

Met with constituents at the UNISON Fair Visa Campaign lobby, where care workers spoke about exploitation in the social care sector linked to the visa sponsorship system. Their work is essential to keeping services running, and I’ll be raising these issues with the Minister.

Great to join the HTA's #PlantsInParliament event, celebrating Britain’s original green industry. Environmental horticulture drives green growth, skilled jobs & healthier communities - it's what makes Britain bloom! 🌱🌸

The OBR has warned of the downside risk to the UK economy of an 'AI bubble' bursting I asked the Minister whether he agreed, and what steps his department and UKRI are taking to protect investments in innovative companies that would undoubtedly be affected by a market correction

My latest #DearNewcastle Constituency Report is now up, check out what I’ve been up to & who I’ve been meeting as your MP – in #Newcastle, #UKParliament and online! 👇🏾 chionwurahmp.com/wp-content/u...

Out in Elswick, Denton, Westerhope, Wingrove, Arthur's Hill or Monument residents complain of the litter on our streets! I called for a debate on giving more powers to local authorities such as making fast food outlets have larger bins or landlords keep their properties clean

Grooming gangs remain a dark chapter in our history. On LBC with Iain Dale, I stressed victims’ voices must lead every inquiry. For too long they weren’t heard or believed. Data transparency is vital to confront uncomfortable truths and drive real change.

Does your gift wrapping let your presents down? I know mine does! Which is why I was so grateful to the wonderful volunteers at @tcfcharity Christmas gift-wrapping stall in @EldonSqNCL who taught me some of their secrets. Volunteers are wrapping for a donation until Christmas Eve!

Santa doesn’t always arrive by reindeer...sometimes he takes the bus 🎅🚌 Today, Saturday and Sunday @Sunshine_Fund Santa’s Bus Grotto is on Nelson Street by Grainger, offering free festive fun for families. Open till 5.30 each day, a local charity bringing sunshine to many lives

Many of my constituents felt angered, insulted or bemused by the US National Security Strategy. I asked the Minister to reassure them that UK sovereignty is not dependent on the US, and that any capability reliant on the US - be it in AI, quantum or defence - is not sovereign

We avoided regulating the Internet to spur innovation Under Conservative governments, there was a desire not to intervene in the market Now, big firms dominate - diversity, creativity & safety have suffered Let’s not make the same mistakes with AI.

I asked the Minister whether it is right for someone living in a rural hamlet to pay a lot more for decent broadband than someone living in the centre of Newcastle. She said the Govt are not setting prices for telecom operators - so yes, they will pay more!

In a packed Digital ID debate, I highlighted my Committee's evidence that the rollout costs are not yet known, acknowledged that some constituents want the right to a Digital ID but raised concerns that Govt digital management isn't robust enough to support a mandatory scheme.

My favourite walk on the Northumberland coast is from Craster to Newton-by-the-Sea, but in 15 years in Parliament I’ve never had good mobile coverage. In the Committee today, I pressed the Minister on the Gov’s ambitions for improving rural coverage but she couldn’t say what they were

A real pleasure to open @OVHcloud’s ‘Shaping a Fair Cloud Future’ event. A competitive, resilient cloud market is vital for UK innovation & growth, but it will take political will and robust enforcement to make fair play a reality.

Inspiring Carols by Candlelight at Church of the Holy Spirit in West Denton with beautiful singing from local community choirs Uplifted Voices and Newburn Choir brilliantly led by Canon Jackie

Lovely to drop in on the Christmas Fayre and Market at West Denton Community Church with local residents and community groups including entrepreneurial scouts, the fabulous Mrs T, and the CDW food bank

Great to stock up on Christmas jams, cake and spices at Westerhope Methodist Church Christmas Coffee Morning, and catch up with local residents

Lovely to join the wonderful staff, residents and their families at Orchard Mews Care Home in Elswick for their Christmas Fair - tombola, raffle, craft stalls, vintage clothes and cake were all there but what was most noticeable was the love and community on display

Great to be out in Arthur's Hill with the local Newcastle Central and West team talking and listening to residents about the issues that matter to them. We found a lot of concern about about flytipping and litter, environmental issues and SEND provision

Christmas Fayres mean Christmas is really here - lovely to start the day at Holy Saviour Sugley Church Hall, Lemington, with the Christmas spirit evident in every stall and on just about every jumper

To celebrate Small Business Saturday, I visited Rachel from The Yesterday Society in the Grainger Market to try on some of their beautiful vintage clothing! Small businesses are the lifeblood of our community and local economy. Be sure to support a small business near you!

A few of the things I’ve been getting up to this week 👇🏾

Great to meet Sarah Taylor, founder of Pamoja – named one of the UK’s #SmallBiz100 for 2025! Leading her skincare business in Fenham, Sarah is a proud Black female founder championing diversity in British business. Read more about Pamoja's story here👇🏾 pamojaskincare.com/pages/our-st...

The North East has one of the strongest regional identities in the UK, and a brilliant Labour mayor Kim McGuinness driving real change I asked the Minister whether she agreed strong identity & institutions and devolved funding & powers are critical for mayors to succeed.

In the Committee yesterday, I asked the SoS if we’ll see this Government bring forward an AI Bill as promised. She said they are focusing on targeted measures rather than a single, comprehensive AI Bill. I think that is a no.

In the Committee today, I challenged the SoS over why DSIT projected savings from digital transformation were less than 0.5% of their budget. The Perm Sec did eventually say they expected more gains but were not budgeting for them!

On the Committee, I asked Jess Wade from Imperial College London whether a lack of diversity in quantum tech could introduce bias She warned that, just as we have seen with AI, if diverse people aren’t developing these technologies, they won’t benefit the whole of society equally

In the Committee today, Quantinuum's Duncan Jones said the UK had 'sovereign capability' in quantum computing. He clarified that he meant having strong skills. There seems to be no Govt definition of sovereign capability, but skills alone won't deliver the capacity and security we need

The Budget was the big political event this week — see how I responded and what else I’ve been up to👇🏾

I welcome new science investments into our region like the £30m RNA therapy facility in Darlington, but call for further action to tackle barriers to regional growth. We need investment in skills & infrastructure so every region benefits from Britain’s scientific strengths.

My constituents expect me to spend their money and my time addressing their issues — not managing an inbox flooded by lobbyists, spam and bots. So I asked Parliament why we are paying more for Microsoft Copilot AI when it isn't helping MPs with the problems we actually face?

This Labour Budget will lift 4,960 children in Newcastle Central and West out of poverty by scrapping the two-child benefit cap. Here are some of the other key examples of the difference a Labour Government makes 👇🏾