➡️ 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴…

2 May is 28 years since I was first elected to public office as a Councillor on Tameside Council at the tender age of 21. It’s almost 19 years since being elected as MP, too.

Thanks for all your support along the way!

If the Government believes current secondary ticketing regulations are strong enough, why did they introduce extra legislation banning touting for the London Olympics and why have there been so few prosecutions?🎟️

The Minister could not answer.

My intervention yesterday…

I was proud to speak on behalf of music and sports fans at the latest DMCC Bill debate.

The Government’s shameful vote against Amendment 104 is in effect a vote in favour of ticket touts and to continue the online black market on sites such as viagogo.

sharonhodgson.org/digital_market…

But why didn’t you do this in April 23 when Sir Brian Langstaff Infected Blood Inquiry made his final recommendations on compensation & told the Government to start paying by the end of 23 . Why did it take the Government being defeated in UK House of Commons in December to force you to act?

“The time for talking is over, we need action, we need to resolve what is probably the most terrible injustice of my entire time in Government”

Jeremy Hunt says work is ongoing inside government to allow it to swiftly respond to the Infected Blood Inquiry findings

#Peston

Tony Farrugia said this significant moment “wasn’t just about the money but that his loss has finally been recognised”.
Tony will now be able to apply to the compensation scheme after Sir Brian Langstaff’s report is published on May 20th.

One man who lost his haemophiliac father and two uncles to AIDs and Hepatitis C after being treated with infected blood products described his meeting with the Paymaster General John Glen as “emotional”.

* BREAKING INFECTED BLOOD*
Sky News understands that the infected blood compensation scheme is to be extended to bereaved children who have lost one or two parents.
This group has not been involved in the interim compensation scheme most recently paid to victims of the scandal.

📝 I’ve presented a petition on behalf of people in Glasgow North, calling on the UK govt to implement the #InfectedBlood Inquiry recommendations without delay. Infected Blood Inquiry Terrence Higgins Trust

📽️ Yesterday I delivered a petition signed by my constituents in Worsley and Eccles South urging the government finally to implement the recommendations of the Infected Blood Inquiry and provide redress for the victims of the #InfectedBloodScandal .

🔎We are now live at Home Affairs Committee looking at workplace culture in the Fire and Rescue Service

💬We're hearing from Dr Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, the Chief Fire Officer at West Sussex Fire & Rescue.

📺Watch live at: parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/49…

Thanks to Chris Bryant for making the case so vividly about ticket touts who rip off the public and the music industry. The next The Labour Party government will end this exploitation. Thanks to Sharon Hodgson MP for her determined campaigning on this - proudly Labour policy.

🎟️ Ticket touts are utterly shameful, robbing genuine fans of experiences that will last a lifetime.

📝 My friend @sharonhodgsonmp has be campaigning on this for years and its time the Government stopped playing silly games, and worked with us to shut down the touts for good.

The Government Minister said that that sub committees set up under the compensation body will be the best place for those with lived experience to be involved. Also a shadow compensation body will be set up now with an interim Chief Executive. 4/4

The Government did accept a The Labour Party amendment to include within 3 months regulations on the setting up of the compensation body. They did not accept a Judge should be the chair as Sir Brian recommend but are not ruling it out if that person is the best candidate 3/4

The Government amendments basically rewrote New Clause 27. However they removed the reference to 3 months to set up the arms length body, removed the reference to a Judge as the Chair and did not set out how the infected and affected would be part of the arms length body. 2/4

This was the original amendment that UK House of Commons agreed to in December 2023 - New Clause 27 - to the Victims and Prisoners Bill. It needed to be changed in House of Lords as it had to cover all 4 nations & more detail was needed on how the arms length body would work 1/4

The Colonna Report makes clear that donors should have confidence in #UNRWA . Australia, France, Germany, Sweden, Canada, Japan & Denmark have all restored funding. With Gaza facing famine, I called on the govt to do what Labour has long called for & restore full funding to UNRWA.