I don’t normally comment here on foreign affairs, but events last week, which got scant interest in our media, caught my attention. Putin left Russia for only the second time. He visited Iran where he met Ayatollah Khamenei and President Raisi. These two make the Kray twins look like choir boys. Also present was supposedContinue reading Bloodthirsty dictators…
Contenders don’t inspire
Johnson was driven from office because his own side could no longer tolerate his constant lies. Those same MPs now say they are the right people to shortlist his successor before handing the final choice to less than 160,000 Tory Party members. Of those likely to succeed, the former Chancellor Rishi Sunak is responsible forContinue reading Contenders don’t inspire
Tories need Boris break
It’s possible that by the time you read this, we’ll have witnessed the spectacle of Tory MPs defending, in a confidence motion, the man they forced to resign. In 2019 Boris Johnson told an exhausted nation that he’d get Brexit done and was rewarded with an 80-seat majority, but he betrayed that trust. As ministersContinue reading Tories need Boris break
Generosity gives hope
These are dark times when many question if our country has lost its way. I regularly hear from those who worry about the divisive nature of some policies and speculate on whether values such as decency, honesty and integrity are under attack. Two events I took part in last week have given me a moreContinue reading Generosity gives hope
Time to deal with scandal
It’s good news that the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee have decided to conduct an inquiry into exempt accommodation and even better they’ve come to Birmingham to take evidence. I’ve been warning about exempt accommodation for a long time. It’s an issue which this newspaper has campaigned on and where virtually every BirminghamContinue reading Time to deal with scandal
STEVE MCCABE REPORTS BACK IN STIRCHLEY
On Thursday, I held one of my regular report back sessions at Grace Church on Dell Road in Stirchley. These sessions are a informal, two-way conversation where I update residents on what I have been up to in Westminster over recent weeks, and then hand the floor over to you, which I find is aContinue reading STEVE MCCABE REPORTS BACK IN STIRCHLEY
Motorists left to pay price
In his Budget speech on March 23, the Chancellor said he was cutting 5p from a litre of fuel which he called a tax cut for hard-working families. I asked him on May 17 why those same families weren’t then paying less to fill up the car. He dismissed my question by implying there hadContinue reading Motorists left to pay price
Act like it is 1963 Boris
Last weekend demonstrated the affection the public has for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She’s been a beacon and unfailing source of strength during an enormous period of change. As I’ve listened to constituents talk about her 70 years on the throne, I’ve been struck by how much people focus on some unwelcome changes inContinue reading Act like it is 1963 Boris
Collaborate to beat knife crime
Waiting for an ambulance is not a good experience. I recognise there are many pressures but was surprised to learn how much ambulance time is taken up attending violent incidents. In 2020, they were called to 577 stabbings across Birmingham. Between 2000 and 2012 knife crime and other violent offences fell but in recent yearsContinue reading Collaborate to beat knife crime