Parliament was due to consider the Hillsborough Law (Public Office (Accountability) Bill) today.

Over the weekend I wrote to Justice Secretary to outline my concerns which mirror those of campaigners and MPs involved across Parliament, as well as the Mayor’s of Greater Manchester and the Liverpool City Region.

It was clear from the Manchester Arena Inquiry that the intelligence services failed and that the account previously presented of their actions was not accurate or complete. That is not accountability and it is not acting with candour.

It is perfectly possible for sensitive evidence to be heard in private, as it was in this inquiry. What should not be possible is for those giving evidence, whether corporately or personally, to provide an incomplete or inaccurate account of what was known or done in a way that undermines the stated intent of the Hillsborough Law.

Royton lost two mums in the Manchester Arena attack. Alison Howe and Lisa Lees were murdered as they took their young children to the concert. The attack shook the whole community, and their family and friends deserve accountability and a law that truly acts in the public interest. As it stands, it does not go far enough.

It is important to say that while campaigners are bravely standing up to secure justice for their loved ones, the law we make today puts in place the framework for all future inquiries. We cannot allow any grey areas that give those in positions of authority any sense that anything less than full and open candour is acceptable.

I know the Prime Minister is personally committed to this, and I am pleased the government has stepped back and has committed to working with campaigners so that this can be resolved.

Our pubs matter. They’re at the heart of our communities and are vital for bringing local people together.

That’s why I support a potential new package of support for pubs, and why I want to see that help extended to the wider hospitality sector too. From pubs and cafés to restaurants and small independents, these businesses are vital to our local economy.

Locally, I’ve been listening and acting. I recently met with William Lees-Jones from JW Lees Brewery to talk about the pressures pubs are facing and what government can do to help them thrive.

I’ve also been working to sort issues around increased service charges at Royton precinct, where hospitality businesses are a big part of the boom we’re seeing in Royton town centre. When costs rise unfairly, it hits local traders and customers alike and that’s not right.

At the Oldham Town Centre Board meeting in late 2025, I joined stakeholders from across the borough to push forward Towns Fund projects and wider regeneration plans – all focused on driving footfall, backing local businesses and breathing new life into the town centre.

Backing hospitality isn’t just about balance sheets. It’s about jobs, pride and keeping our town centres alive. I’ll keep pushing for practical support that works on the ground.

Along with the usual meetings with fellow MPs, stakeholders & sector representatives, it’s been a particularly busy week in Parliament pushing for the best deal for our area.

𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗶𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀

In Westminster Hall, I raised concerns about parking, drop-off and pick-up charges at Manchester Airport calling for fairer rules, clearer signage and a system that doesn’t catch people out for local residents and airport workers.

𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁

Members voted on the Finance Bill, delivering the changes set out in last year’s Budget – backing measures to cut child poverty, support growth in every community, fund public services, and cut the cost-of-living.

𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗥𝗮𝗶𝗹

In the Commons, I spoke up after the government confirmed long-overdue investment in east–west rail backing Northern Powerhouse Rail to deliver better connections, more capacity, less congestion and real growth across the North.

𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗗

I welcomed changes to the digital ID policy in the Commons, making clear it should be voluntary, not mandatory, and in line with the Prime Minister’s commitment to tread more lightly on people’s lives.

𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝘀 & 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆

During Business Questions, I pressed ministers on support for pubs and the wider hospitality industry, recognising their rich heritage along with their role in jobs, town centres, and local pride.

Now it’s time to head back up to Oldham for constituency engagements because Parliament matters, but so does being on the ground and listening locally.

I welcome the government’s revisions to the digital ID policy. Mandatory ID was an overstep too far.

When the Prime Minister led Labour into government, he was clear in his first speech on Downing Street: this Labour government would tread lightly on people’s lives, and we would be a government of service.

We can use technology to make public services work better. Anyone who has used government digital systems knows just how disconnected they can be. Improving government so it works for working people is being a government of service. But we can do this without overreach and without undermining personal freedoms.

I am concerned about the gradual creep of government involvement, which risks intrusion rather than empowerment. There is almost always a standalone case that can be made for individual policies, but the cumulative impact must be checked.

There is a case for checking the bank accounts of welfare claimants to tackle fraud. There were arguments made by the previous government for requiring online platforms to collect and report National Insurance numbers for sellers, to ensure tax compliance. There are also arguments for the use of facial recognition to catch offenders. There is an argument for digital ID too.

But taken together, these measures risk a steady expansion of state reach into people’s lives unless clear limits are set.

It is this need to keep the role of the state in check that partly informs my opposition to the Assisted Dying Bill. I believe it changes the role of the state too far.

Making digital ID voluntary, not mandatory, is the right call. People should have choice and confidence in how they prove who they are, not feel that something is being imposed on them.

And on treading lightly which was an important and foundational principle that means good and effective government that people barely notice, because it simply works well and causes as little frustration and intrusion as possible.

That balance matters, and I’ll always back policies that respect it.

Congratulations Frank on receiving your Order of the British Empire from the Prince of Wales yesterday at Windsor Castle.

From breaking world records with his two solo rows across the Atlantic raising over £1.4 million for Alzheimer’s Research UK, to everything he has done as Oldham Athletic owner to turn the club around & take Latics back to the Football League: thoroughly well deserved and a proud moment both for Frank & our town.