Every young person should finish school with a clear set of options and the confidence to choose the path that’s right for them – whether that’s continuing in full-time study, taking up an apprenticeship, or gaining skills through high-quality training. For too long, our education and skills system hasn’t made that easy. The last government left too many young people without clear routes into good jobs, too many qualifications overlapping or undervalued, and too many colleges

My Personally Speaking Column in the Sentinel (23 October 2025) There aren’t many drivers around Newcastle-under-Lyme who don’t know the A500 Audley slip road – a stretch of road that’s become an accident blackspot. Near-misses and collisions are now all too familiar, and residents have every right to be worried about their safety. In recent months, I’ve heard from many people who use this junction every day. They’ve told me about cars ending up in ditches, about having to br

Today, I received confirmation from Transport Minister, Simon Lightwood MP, that safety improvements are being progressed at the A500 Audley Slip Road – a direct result of the pressure we’ve been applying locally and in Parliament. The Minister was responding to the letter I sent to the Secretary of State for Transport earlier this month, in which I urged the Government to step in and ensure action was finally taken to make this junction safe. In his reply, the Transport Mini