They Blog For You

  It’s 18 months since David Taylor died.  The grief and shock at his wholly unexpected heart attack was accompanied by the regret at the sadness of his final months. David, the retiring MP for North West Leiscestershire, was unfairly dragged into the maelstrom of the Commons Expenses scandal in spite of his [...]

  Part of the excitement of the coming Assembly Election result is the prospect of a fresh group of exciting new AMs. Until Monday I expected one of those to be Mari Rees. When I cheerfully answered the phone to Mari’s father my friend Caerleon Doctor Russell Rees on Monday I had [...]

Tory tax rise means thousands more families to lose their child benefit Up to an extra 750,000...

Tory tax rise means thousands more families to lose their child benefit   Up to an extra 750,000 people will become higher rate taxpayers tomorrow (Wednesday), meaning that thousands more families will lose their child benefit in 2013 Labour will warn today.   Following changes announced in last June’s Budget by George Osborne [...]

The link is to a high court appeal (that is from a district judge).This was an application for (in this case) a father to pay a capital sum in support of his child under Schedule 1 of the Childrens Act 1989. This is an area of law that [...]

The Family Justice review has now reported. I am not surprised that it has basically come out with a "business as usual" report. The review panel consisted substantially of people who run the service rather than people who have experience of how it does things. Hence they [...]

The political elite in SW1 are out of touch with the public on law and order, according to the Sunday Telegraph.  In a poll commissioned by Lord Ashcroft, 47 percent of voters think that no party has the right approach. [...]

A wealthy financier involved in a family dispute has made British legal history by winning anonymity in a libel case. This latest court attempt to censor internet material has led to claims that free speech is being further eroded in Britain.I am unsure how this really helps. The interests [...]

If there is one single indicator illustrating the political health as well as the economic health of a government, it is RPDI (real personal disposable income).   Year on year that tracks changes in the value of household income after taking account of inflation.   For 20 years till 2005 it rose [...]

But no more. Today's budget was a drama-drained drone of yesterday's press releases. In his day Gordon Brown was apocalyptic with a Heathcliff booming voice and contrived surprises. Nothing of any significance can be delivered in Osborne's squeaking falsetto. Today I had a choice. Attend my 24th budget speech or chair the [...]

I'll be listening out for how many times the Chancellor mentions the word "inflation" in his budget speech today. At the weekend a constituent complained about the cost of groceries.  They used the example of butter, the price of which, they told me, has increased sharply. With inflation [...]

Delyn MP David Hanson walked for water at Westminster today as part of a global campaign to raise...

Delyn MP David Hanson walked for water at Westminster today as part of a global campaign to raise awareness for the world water and sanitation crisis.   Marking the United Nations World Water Day, David Hanson joined hundreds of thousands of people across the globe who walked in solidarity with the almost [...]

Delyn MP David Hanson is backing a campaign launched by the shopworkers union Usdaw to shine a...

Delyn MP David Hanson is backing a campaign launched by the shopworkers union Usdaw to shine a light on the Tory-led Coalition’s hidden cuts to family budgets.   With all eyes on this week’s Budget announcement, David joined Usdaw members and their families at an event in Parliament to highlight the tax [...]

  The Guardian listed me as one of the only four MPs who are opposed to the UN decision on the 'no-fly zone.' They have been misinformed. I have made no comment either way, publicly or privately. I feel conflicted about the decision but on balance I am in favour. This is [...]

17 March 2011 Alan Johnson voted in favour of the below Opposition Motion tabled by the Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury last night to reverse the Government’s VAT rise on petrol and diesel. The motion was defeated. “That this House recognises that rising world oil, food and commodity prices are increasing [...]

Please visit www.fco.gov.uk for updated information. 17 March 2011 ·       We advise against all non essential travel to Tokyo and north eastern Japan given the damage caused by the 11 March earthquake and resulting aftershocks and tsunami. Due to the evolving situation at the Fukushima nuclear facility and potential disruptions to [...]

I was asked by Carers Week - the annual campaign to raise awareness and provide support to carers - if I would provide them with a statement of support. I was more than happy to and you can see what I said (and what other MPs are saying) by [...]

Liam Fox’s conditional support in this morning’s Today programme for a no-fly zone over Libya was hedged by three requirements: that its implementation had to be fully justified, that its legality had to be established, and that it attracted widespread international support.   At present none of those conditions are met.   [...]

It’s not just the bizarre and botched SAS raid ending up in shaming capture by some Libyan farmworkers, a whole series of other revelations are coming to light about Britain’s opportunistic dealings with Gadaffi’s unsavoury regime.   It casts a revealing light, amid the usual grandiose declarations of foreign policy, on [...]

The Mail on Sunday’s Robert Verlaik reveals that a wealthy Tory minister earns £2m subsidies in EU farm subsidies that his department tried to cover up. Further proof that it’s cuts only for some. Robert writes:- "The family of a Government Minister whose department has covered up details of who receives EU [...]

There are two more family court stories in The Telegraph. This one strikes me as one where the children were taken moreso because of conflicts between the mother and the authorities than for any other reason. Banning her from having any contact is an extreme outcome which can [...]