Today marks an historic moment for justice and transparency in our country. This Labour Government has introduced the Public Office (Accountability) Bill , also known as the Hillsborough Law . This landmark legislation will ensure that public authorities are held to the highest standards of honesty and accountability – and that no family is ever left to fight the State alone in the aftermath of tragedy. The scars of Hillsborough , Grenfell , Windrush , and other devastating f

On Friday, I had the great pleasure of visiting The Victoria – known to so many of us as The Little Vic – to present Julie, Sarah, and their fantastic team with the award for Newcastle-under-Lyme's Best Pub 2025.

Mike Wood MP, Harry Redknapp, Adam Jogee MP, Lord Craig Mackinlay Today is World Sepsis Day . I recently attended a parliamentary drop-in session hosted by the UK Sepsis Trust to mark the occasion. Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body’s response to an infection spirals out of control. It’s sometimes known as the ‘silent killer’ because its early symptoms can be easily missed – yet it claims around 48,000 lives every year in the UK. The drop-in wa

Questions to the Leader of the House (11 September 2025) Thousands of women across the United Kingdom were coerced into giving up their babies for adoption between the 1940s and 1970s. I called on the government to preserve adoption records so families can be reunited, and to issue a long-overdue formal apology to the women and families whose lives were devastated by these practices. Anyone in Newcastle-under-Lyme affected by historic forced adoptions can contact my office at

At Prime Minister’s Questions earlier today, I raised the issue of persistent anti-social behaviour in Crackley, Bradwell and across Newcastle-under-Lyme. This Labour government is recruiting 13,000 extra neighbourhood police officers to take back our streets and keep our communities safe. I asked the Prime Minister to join me in pressing Staffordshire’s Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner, to make sure these extra resources are used effectively, to support our local p

In House of Commons Business Questions (4 September 2025) I raised the fantastic local RAF Association in Parliament as it celebrates its 50th anniversary. I have also written and Early Day motion, which you can view here .

Over the last few weeks, many residents in Madeley have been in touch with me about Lightspeed Broadband’s plans to put up telegraph poles in the area. Residents told me they were frustrated not just by the impact the poles would have on their streets, but by the way the proposals were being handled — being done to the community rather than with it. That was not acceptable. I took those concerns directly to the company’s leadership and pressed them to listen to the people o

This week I was pleased to welcome the Culture and Tourism Minister, and the Minister for Data Protection and Telecoms, Chris Bryant MP, to Newcastle-under-Lyme for a day of visits across the constituency. It was a great opportunity to showcase the strength of our local visitor economy, cultural life and the innovation taking place at Keele University. Tourism roundtable at Brampton Museum We began the day at Brampton Museum, where the Minister toured the museum and joined a

My Personally Speaking Column in the Sentinel (28 August 2025) Where we live, whether there are enough school places for our children, if GP surgeries and NHS services can meet local demand, how we improve transport connectivity across the community and how we protect the green spaces that make Newcastle-under-Lyme special – all of these things are shaped, in part, by the Local Plan. Earlier this year, Newcastle-under-Lyme District Borough Council submitted its draft Local Pl

Full interview with Susan Hanks on Radio Stoke Yesterday, I joined BBC Radio Stoke to talk about the news that Deakin’s Yard, the new student accommodation development in Newcastle-under-Lyme, will not be opening as planned this September. In the interview I explained how I first became aware of the situation, the steps I have taken since, and why serious questions now need to be answered about planning, oversight, and the developers’ responsibility to deliver the project saf