Hartlepool Labour Party

18/06/2026

10/06/2026

THERE IS SIMPLY NOTHING BETTER THAN THIS 💙

It was an absolute pleasure to welcome pupils and staff from Stranton Primary School to Parliament this week.

Seeing young people from Hartlepool walking through the doors of Westminster, full of curiosity, confidence and brilliant questions, is exactly what makes this job so meaningful.

My office was proud to help facilitate the visit, and it was genuinely inspiring to spend time with them, hear their thoughts, and try to answer their questions about how our democracy works. They were a credit to their school, their families and our town.

For parents and grandparents reading this, moments like these matter. They are about more than a school trip. They are about giving our children and grandchildren the confidence to believe that Parliament is not something distant or “for other people”, it belongs to them too.

We often talk about politics in terms of policies and debates, but it is these experiences, seeing democracy up close, that stay with young people for life.

I’ve said it many times before, and I mean it more every time I say it: as long as I’m our MP, Parliament belongs to Hartlepool. If schools, community groups or residents are ever in London and want a visit, just get in touch. If I’m here, I’ll always do my best to show you around. Just drop me a message or email.

Moments like this remind you why you do the job. 💙
Eden Academy Trust

07/06/2026

YOU’RE DAMN RIGHT I AM!

The Daily Telegraph is furious that Labour politicians like me want to scrap the hated Council Tax system.

According to them, I’m “obsessed” with making the system fairer.

Well, while a Band D home in Hartlepool pays around £1,500 MORE in Council Tax than a property in Westminster, you’re damn right I am.

That’s the Britain the elites built: working people in towns like Hartlepool paying more while the wealthy and well connected in London get a better deal.

The establishment doesn’t want that to change. The people who benefit from this rigged system never do.

A proportional property tax would turn that upside down. Those living in multi million pound London mansions would pay more, while families in Hartlepool would pay less.

The average household in Hartlepool would be £950 a year better off.

That’s nearly a thousand pounds back in the pockets of local families instead of subsidising a system designed to protect the privileged.

If standing up for Hartlepool against a system that favours Westminster makes me “obsessed”, then so be it.

You’re damn right I am.

04/06/2026

FAIR FUNDING FOR HOSPICES

This week I stood alongside MPs from across the political spectrum at Downing Street with one simple message: our hospices deserve better.

Hospices like Alice House Hospice in Hartlepool provide extraordinary care, compassion and dignity to people and families facing the most difficult moments of their lives. They should not have to fight year after year for the funding they need to keep delivering that vital support.

That is why I am backing Hospice UK’s four-point plan for fair funding:

➡️ Full funding for the specialist palliative care provided by hospices

➡️ Proper NHS contracts for hospices

➡️ Funding to cover NHS pay rises for hospice staff

➡️ National accountability to ensure everyone can access quality end-of-life care, wherever they live

I have also written directly to the Chancellor and joined more than 200 parliamentary colleagues in calling for urgent action.

No family should have to worry about whether the hospice care they need will be there when they need it most. It is time for a fair deal for our hospices and the incredible staff and volunteers who make them possible.