I know constituents with family in Ukraine will be distressed at the escalating conflict following the invasion by Russia. I have made contact with the Ukrainian Association in Oldham, and will do the same with my neighbouring MP Debbie Abrahams with the Ukrainian churches in Coldhurst and Glodwick.

We have worked closely with the UK Government to press for harder sanctions to accompany humanitarian and military aide in what will be a difficult and testing time. We remain committed to working across political divisions, and we believe the toughest and swiftest sanctions must be put in place, and the UK must go further. We also support calls for international cooperation and coordination of sanctions including blocking Russian access to global financial markets, investments and the Swift payment system.

The Foreign Office advice for British nationals is as follows;

The British Embassy office in Kyiv has temporarily relocated. Embassy staff are operating from the British Embassy office in Lviv. The in-person consular services that British Embassy office in Lviv can provide are extremely limited. If you are in need of assistance to leave Ukraine, you should call +380 44 490 3660 or +44 (0)1908 516666 and select the option for “consular services for British nationals.” You can also send an enquiry via the web contact form.

Russia’s military action in Ukraine will severely affect the British Government’s ability to provide consular assistance in Ukraine. British Nationals should not expect increased consular support or help with evacuating in these circumstances.

If you are an immediate family member* of a British National normally living in Ukraine and intend to apply for a visa under the Family Migration route, read the guidance on visas for immediate family members of British nationals normally living in Ukraine. You should call +44 (0) 300 3032785 for assistance before applying. Lines are open Monday – Friday 8am-8pm and Saturday and Sunday 9am-5.30pm.

*‘Immediate family member’ is defined as spouse/unmarried partner/ child under the age of 18/ parent if British National is child under 18/ adult dependant who normally resides with you due to a medical condition.

Oldham has seen another year of bruising cuts to school budgets, and the Tories claim of levelling up is left in tatters.

In the coming year Oldham’s primary schools, secondary schools and sixth forms are set to miss out on £19.5m, leaving pupils without the specialist support they need to thrive.

The campaign for fair funding has been taken to parents and carers at schools and door to door to raise awareness.

In a frantic attempt to closedown democracy, Oldham’s small band of Tories are now trying to stop parents and carers discussing these cuts with councillors and the MP at the gates of the very schools affected.

Claiming ‘health and safety’ risks, it must have escaped their attention that this important part of democracy, where those who are elected work all year round, and go to the places where people go about their daily lives, and has been happening for decades without issue.

Away from the distraction being caused, it is important we focus on the huge scale of cuts to our schools.

The figures used by Schoolcuts.org.uk have been validated by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

Analysis from Labour shows that the basic state pension will be worth hundreds of pounds less in real terms over the next year, affecting 15,122 pensioners in Oldham West and Royton.

The analysis shows that, as a result of rising inflation and the Conservatives’ decision to only increase the state pension by 3.1 per cent, a basic state pension for an individual will be worth around £222 less in real terms over a year than in 2021/22.  

For a couple it will be worth around £355 less. This is a real-terms cut to the state pension that is more than the amount Ministers are providing households to reduce their energy bills over the next year.

The motion to approve Conservative plans for a real-terms cut to state pensions was pushed through by Conservative MPs on Monday 7 February. This means that from Friday 1 April in the midst of a cost of living crisis, the Government’s decision to break the triple lock and give pensioners a real-terms cut to their pensions will leave older people in Britain paying hundreds of pounds more as a result of the rise in energy prices.

Labour’s plan to reduce energy bills would raise money to keep bills low through a one-off windfall tax on oil and gas profits to support all households, with households typically getting £200 off their bills. Labour’s plan will get £600 to the lowest income households while the Conservatives will only give them £350.

Commenting, Jim McMahon MP for Oldham West and Royton said:

“At a time of rising energy bills and prices going up in the shops, Tory MPs have pushed through a real terms cuts to pensions and the support families rely on.

“With working people, families and pensioners struggling to make ends meet along with rising child & pensioner poverty this is clear proof that the Conservatives are simply not on the side of working people or pensioners.

“It’s clear that only Labour will always stand up for pensioners guaranteeing older people the respect, security and prosperity they deserve.

Labour demands Government spell out plan to tackle soaring food prices as cost of living crisis deepens

As inflation spirals and pushes up the cost of a weekly shop, Labour will demand the Government sets out its plan to tackle soaring prices and hunger in the UK.

Jim McMahon MP, Shadow Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary, will use an opposition day debate in Parliament on Tuesday to urge the government to focus its efforts on fixing the increasing squeeze on households rather than saving the Prime Minister’s job.

Labour’s motion will note MPs’ concerns over “households bracing themselves for the biggest drop in living standards in thirty years; that the cost of living crisis includes steep price increases in everyday and essential food items, making the situation worse for the 4.7 million adults and 2.5 million children already living in food insecurity and risking more people experiencing food insecurity”.

Labour will say the Government is “making the cost of living crisis worse through tax hikes, low growth, falling real wages, and a failure to tackle the energy crisis” and will urge ministers to set out a national strategy for food, including how it intends to ensure access to high quality, sustainable, affordable food for all and meet the United Nations goal to end hunger by 2030.

It comes as millions feel the crunch across Britain, with families facing hiked taxes, soaring energy bills and rising inflation. 

Figures show 5,972 food parcels were distributed by the Trussell Trust in Oldham between April and September last year, a percentage increase of 121% compared to the same period five years ago in 2016.

Jim McMahon, Shadow Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary, said: 

“At a time when inflation is spiralling, the government should be ensuring people across the country are able to buy healthy and good quality food. This can only be achieved by taking a responsible, strategic approach to this complex and increasingly important issue.

“Labour’s plan to keep bills low would cut £200 off most household energy bills, with £600 in total going to those households who need it most – cancelling out almost the entire rise in energy prices.

“The next Labour government would support British business to bolster sustainability and affordability of good quality food as part of our contract to deliver security, prosperity and respect for the British people.”

03/02/2022 – Update!

After the long awaited white paper was published Jim said,

“After all the fanfare, it turns out the Levelling Up white paper is as empty as the slogan. It brings no new money, and no new powers. These are recycled policies cobbled together to try and save a Prime Minister who has gone well past his use by date.”

“Real Levelling Up can only be delivered by local communities and local leaders. So it beggars belief that Michael Gove is planning to create more unelected regional ‘directors’ that will answer to ministers in Whitehall, not communities on the ground.”

“But the glaring hole in this paper is that there is no plan to reverse the decade of damage caused by repeated government cuts to local communities. Government funding to local councils fell by over 50% in real terms since 2010, causing lasting damage to public services and the fabric of our towns and cities. The limited pots of money that ministers have released in recent years have barely scratched the side.”

“Overall, this is a terrible missed opportunity. Labour leaders across the UK have been doing everything in their power to bring security and prosperity to their towns and cities. For years we have been asking for powers and resources we ned to deliver for local people. Once again, the government have let us all down.”

02/02/2022 – Jim McMahon, Labour Member of Parliament for Oldham West and Royton has backed five tests set from Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up Lisa Nandy, which the Government’s Levelling Up plan must deliver in order to deliver on the promises of the 2019 election.

Talking about why these tests are important Jim McMahon MPpointed to new research from Labour has revealed that areas virtually every area of England (95%) has received less in funding on average since 2018 than they received from regional development funds, such as the Towns Fund.

In Oldham, local Settlement Funding has reduced in real terms by £58m since 2018, while successful bids through the Towns Fund only totalled £24m, showing a £34m real-terms loss for the area since the Government’s levelling up agenda was announced.

The research found that in England 144 local authority areas were still worse off by approximately £50 million on average after receiving Levelling Up funding.

Setting out the tests last Sunday, Ms Nandy said “It simply will not be good enough to give us more of the same –pots of our money to scrap over – without real power on what it’s spent on or a few new mayors. We need to change the settlement of our country back in favour of those who built it.”

“For levelling up to truly deliver on this promise, the Government must meet the ambitions people have for our own communities, specifically, this means:

1.         Good jobs in our home towns, so young people have choices and chances and don’t have to get out to get on.

2.         Our high streets are thriving because the local economy is thriving, with good local businesses and money in people’s pockets – not just papering over the cracks.

3.         Our towns and villages are better connected to jobs, opportunities, our family and our friends through good transport, digital infrastructure and affordable housing that we have too often missed out on.

4.         We get the power to take local decisions for ourselves – ending the system where we have to go cap in hand to Westminster to do things we know will work for us.

5.         Our town centres are safe and welcoming instead of plagued by anti-social behaviour, with criminals being let off and victims let down.”

Jim McMahon, Member of Parliament for Oldham West and Royton, said:
“While the Government is distracted cleaning up the Prime Minister’s scandals, they aren’t governing and they aren’t delivering for Oldham West and Royton.

“With these tests, we will see if the Government really intend match the ambition we have forour communities with the power and resources we are owed. A few pots of money to scrap over or some new tiers of bureaucracy won’t cut it.

“We need to change the settlement of our country back in favour of those who built it. That means growing our economy, and ensuring jobs and opportunities are spread fairly across the country so that young people in Chadderton, Oldham and Royton don’t have to get out to get on.”

Labour MP Jim McMahon has accused the Government of not having a plan to bring down food prices. The Oldham MP and Shadow DEFRA Secretary met with key insiders from the food and drinks industry this week to discuss issues in the sector, he was told that rising inflation, the CO₂ crisis, and the rising cost of animal feed, fuel and energy means farmers and food producers are forced to put their prices up, passing the cost onto the consumer.

At DEFRA Questions today (Thursday 27^th) Jim asked the Secretary of State to outline the governments plan to combat rising prices and save Oldhamers money on their weekly shop. The Secretary of State was unable to provide an answer to the question, merely pointing to the size of the food and drink industry and its importance to the UK economy.

Speaking afterwards Jim said, “There is no plan to combat rising food prices, and this is a theme that runs through the entire Government. They are so focused on saving the Prime Ministers job that they are neglecting the very real cost of living crisis that’s hitting Oldhamers so hard at the minute.”

“Unfortunately for the Government the Prime Ministers parties at 10 Downing Street, with cake and suitcases packed full of booze haven’t been enough to sustain the food and drink industry through these hard times.”

“We deserve a Government that has a plan to combat the increasing cost of living and save people money on their weekly shop.”

I cast my mind back to the time when here in Oldham we were under much tighter rules than almost anywhere else in the country, even our neighbours with similar rates of infection.

People in Oldham didn’t just ignore the rules as unfair as they may have seemed at the time, so the Prime Minister has no excuse for the seemingly endless parties at Downing Street during lockdown.

We took the rules in good faith and followed them because we thought we were doing the right thing and helping spread infection.

My constituent, Mark, was keen to know why Oldham was under such intense social lockdown restrictions compared to our neighbours, the PM didn’t even know what the restrictions were and the Government couldn’t answer why we continued to be under those restrictions for TWO MONTHS. See here: https://www.facebook.com/jimfromoldham/videos/339370100484169

The public have made up their mind, the Prime Minister is not fit for the job so he must do the right thing, as Oldhamers did when they followed the rules, and resign.