A quick round-up of my week in Parliament

The biggest positive move this week was without a doubt the vote to finally scrap the Tories two-child benefit cap. A policy that pushed children into poverty is finally going and that matters for thousands of families here in Oldham, the majority of which are working families.

In the Commons, in clearly less positive news was the unfolding of the revelations on Peter Mandelson, where I pressed the government to deliver full transparency and accountability by ensuring the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) had oversight of the disclosure process.

It was a very co-opy week as usual with meetings with the Building Society Association, Co-op Parliamentary Group to discuss community owned energy, and the Co-op NEC which I’m proud to chair.

There was plenty of more good Labour things the government were getting on with too including setting out our new Cancer Plan, with the ambition that 75% of cancer sufferers will be saved. Early diagnosis, faster treatment and better outcomes where it counts, with the biggest drop in waiting lists for 15 years.

On Thursday, I was out campaigning in Gorton & Denton ahead of the by-election later this month. Great conversations on the doorstep about the change we are making to increase in the national minimum wage, tackling energy bills, and strengthen renters’ rights – although we knew there is more to do to drive up living standards.

Plenty done so far this week and plenty more to get on with back in Oldham from meetings with important stakeholders including the council and Transport for Greater Manchester.

On Tuesday, I voted in favour of the Universal Credit Bill to abolish the two-child benefit cap.

It was wrong when the Tories brought it in, and it’s right that a Labour government is getting rid of it.

Nationally, 1.6 million children are affected by the cap. A million of them are in working families. In Oldham alone, it 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝟭𝟭,𝟯𝟰𝟬 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 across 3,160 households, the majority of whom are in work – around 1 in 5 children in our borough.

As well as scrapping the cap, we’re rolling out 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗯𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹, including already at Whitegate End Primary, Richmond Academy, Westwood Academy, Northmoor Academy, St Martin’s CofE Primary, & Medlock Valley Primary.

We’re also extending 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝟭𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗹𝗱𝗵𝗮𝗺 this September, and all these changes together will lift more than half a million children in the country out of poverty by 2030.

This isn’t just the right thing to do; it makes economic sense. Supporting families means money spent on essentials, going straight back into local shops and local jobs. And if we want a strong economy in the future, we need to support the next generation now.

There is a false argument which sets the working poor against working poor, setting those with more than two children as undeserving. It’s a tactic as old as time. Ending the two child limit only ensures children don’t live in poverty, it’s not a luxury lifestyle. The level of working poverty is a national scandal, that so many who will benefit from ending the two child limit are in work and contributing is clear. But the argument falls; surely working people should be earning enough to live a good life in the first place.

A bigger question is why do we accept the state subsidising businesses paying low wages, often while those at the top get wealthier for a long time.

Labour governments tackle child poverty. We’ve done it before, and we are doing it again.

This vote matters, and it’s only the start.

A big thank you to everyone who’s been in touch about proposals to raise the age limit for social media to ban under-16s.

From those who have been in touch from across Oldham West, Chadderton & Royton, the overwhelming majority were in favour of protecting our young people and the ban. Parents, carers and grandparents are rightly worried about the harm social media can cause to them, and they want action.

That’s why the government’s announcement a fortnight ago of a consultation was welcome. It’s a long-overdue step. Tech companies have had years to get their act together, and time and again they’ve fallen short. Recent issues, including around Grok, show just how fast things can go wrong when regulation can’t keep up.

As I spoke about in a Westminster Hall Debate in December, the Online Safety Act is progress, but it doesn’t go far enough. Like many Labour MPs, I support looking seriously at the Australian-led approach to banning social media for under-16s, as well as eight specific actions below to clean-up social media.

Children’s safety online must come before the interests of big tech. Thanks again to everyone who took the time to share their views, I’ll keep pushing for them to be heard.

If you want to share your views, please contact me jim.mamchon.uk@parliament.uk

The Co-operative Party is leading the charge on grassroots community action. For too long communities have been starved of the support and resources to thrive, and around £12bn of vital community assets have been lost in England alone.

And so it was great to be over in Spen Valley this week, meeting with Kim Leadbeater MP and brilliant volunteers to see a community-led project in action she is supporting.

A big focus was Cleckheaton Town Hall. We discussed plans to reopen it in partnership with the local council as a true community hub and events space, the challenges the steering group is facing, and how lessons from other successful projects can help turn it into a centre of excellence for the area.

There are hundreds of examples across the country, including here in Oldham through groups like the Oldham Coliseum, AVRO FC and Spark who are doing just that. They make a powerful movement but it can often feel like fighting alone.

Community Britain in action means supporting each other to get on: local people, local assets and local power. As Chair of the party, proud to be working alongside Kim and the Co-op Party to back communities to lead their own renewal.

This isn’t just a quick tidy-up. It’s proper deep cleaning, rapid fly-tipping removal, and a zero-tolerance approach to environmental crime – street by street, alleyway by alleyway, covering the whole of our borough.

𝗪𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗵, 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝗲, 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝘁 & 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱 have already seen major clean-ups, with teams tackling long-neglected alleyways, roads and hotspots. Just as important, it’s great to hear that council teams have been knocking on doors, listening to residents and working through the real causes of fly-tipping, from poor alleyway design to bin storage and high tenant turnover.

The message from residents has been clear: the clean-ups are welcome, confidence is growing, and people want to help keep their neighbourhoods looking better. That’s exactly the culture change we need.

Since the campaign relaunch in November, community involvement has really taken off. Our Labour-led Council deserve huge credit for putting real time, effort and resources into tackling fly-tipping & focusing on the issues that matter most to local people when they open their doors and stand on their doorstep everyday.

And this is just the start: more streets, more wards, and more progress to come as Don’t Trash Oldham continues rolling out across 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐨𝐧 & 𝐑𝐨𝐲𝐭𝐨𝐧 in the weeks and months ahead 💪

📩 Fly-tipping reports are continuing to go up and we are encouraging local people to keep on reporting concerns to my team at jim.mamchon.uk@parliament.uk so that we can end this crime for good.

It’s been another busy week in Parliament standing up for Oldham West, Chadderton & Royton, here’s a snapshot of what I’ve been up to:

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗢𝗹𝗱𝗵𝗮𝗺 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀

I questioned the Treasury in the Commons on the changes to business rates and what they mean for our borough. Our local pubs, cafés & restaurants are the heartbeat of our town centres and they deserve proper support to survive & thrive.

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁

A meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Credit Unions took place, bringing MPs across political divides together to back community finance and practical solutions that work for ordinary people & places like Oldham.

𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗛𝗦 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲

Members also voted on the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill, which has now completed its passage through the Commons. A stronger NHS depends on recruiting, training and keeping the staff it needs for the future, with a focus on securing the domestic supply of NHS staff for the long term.

𝗖𝗼-𝗼𝗽 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵

This week we launched the Co-op Party’s Local Elections 2026 campaign, just 100 days out from election day. Community, fairness & cooperation at the heart of everything we are doing to transform Britain.

Now it’s back up North for a weekend of local party meetings, out campaigning, and visiting brilliant projects as part of the Co-op Party’s flagship Community Britain campaign.