On 5th September 2022, Liz Truss was announced as the next leader of the Conservative Party and she will become Prime Minister on 6th September 2022 after visiting with HM The Queen in Balmoral.

In her speech to Conservative Party members accepting the leadership, Ms Truss praised the work of outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson. She was also backed by a large number of Boris Johnson’s closest allies in her leadership bid suggesting a certain amount of continuity with the outgoing Prime Minister’s regime.

After months of dithering, the Conservative Party finally threw an out of touch Prime Minister out of office. That Prime Minister broke the law, flip flopped from one position to another, and had no answer to the looming cost of living crisis. And who have they replaced her with? Liz Truss, who was Boris Johnson’s foreign secretary and stood by him every step of the way.

The Government will try to tell you that this a big change for them and that things will get better. There’s very little evidence that that is the case. Where Liz Truss has consistently stuck to a position throughout the contest, we have seen alarming evidence that things are going to get worse for Oldhamers. In the analysis that I’m releasing today, I’ve shown that in 5 particular areas – workers rights, the economy, cost of living, housing, and crime and anti-social behaviour- there are tangible downsides for Oldhamers to her policies.

You can see what each party cares about by comparing Labour and Conservative policies. Labour’s policy to freeze energy bills at the existing cap of £1971 would save people around £1000 a year and bring down inflation. Meanwhile Liz Truss is promising a tax cut that gives top earners a benefit of more than 250 times the amount that most working people will receive. Oldhamers need a government that is genuinely on their side and prioritises what they need in the upcoming cost of living crisis and only a Labour Government will do that.

Five ways in which Oldham will be worse off under a Liz Truss Government

After months of squabbling between each other the Tories have finally made their mind up and have chosen Liz Truss as the new Prime Minister. While there is no longer any excuse to ignore all the urgent issues we have at hand in the midst of the worst cost of living crisis for decades Prime Minister Truss is bad news for the people of Oldham and here’s why:

1. Liz Truss is not on the side of working people. As the cost-of-living crisis spirals for working people all over the country now more than ever do we need a Prime Minister willing and able to stand up for people. However, Truss has shown that she would rather attack working people saying that they lack “graft, skill & application.” The people of Oldham have demonstrated these qualities for generations and continue to do so to this day. This is typical of a Conservative Party who have consistently shown a lack of respect and support for working people. Instead, they are on the side of big businesses like the energy firms who have been counting record profits at a time when millions across the country are worrying about paying their bills.

She has also threatened a ‘bonfire on worker’s rights’ at a time when they are so crucial. Instead of providing extra support for workers to help them in a time of crisis she is looking at plans to allow bosses to force workers into extra hours and fewer breaks.

2. The Tories’ economic plans do not add up. We have now had 12 years of Tory government and all we have to show for it is low wages, high prices and a Tory cost of living crisis. During the leadership campaign Liz Truss had more to say on cutting tax for huge corporations than she did on supporting working people. This shows that we are in for more of the same failed Tory economics. After years of serving in Tory cabinets Liz Truss has failed to discover any new answers to the problems, we as a country face and yet again the Tory party have resorted to offering unrealistic and unfunded promises. Labour has come forward with new plans and ideas and always makes sure all policy is fully funded- Tory economics is anything but. The people of Oldham and places just like it around the country need more than just a change of who has the reins at Number 10, what they really need is a change of government that is on their side to bring new ideas that will really make an impact to their lives.

3. She has no clear plan for how to tackle the cost-of-living crisis. Throughout the leadership contest both candidates showed an unwillingness to confront and tackle the cost-of-living crisis at a time when it is getting worse by the day. At the beginning of the campaign she suggested she was not planning to step in to now insisting there are plans to step in (albeit with no details on what sort of support this will mean in reality) it is clear that we should expect another Prime Minister defined by U-turns and indecisiveness. Friends of the Earth research has shown that Oldham West & Royton has an unusually high number of energy crisis hotspots showing just how hard this crisis is hitting in the local area. The Labour Party were calling for a windfall tax on the energy companies for months before the government finally decided to back the policy and this is no way to go about tackling an urgent and critical national crisis.  

4. Liz Truss is opposed to building much needed new housing. Oldham is a borough desperately in need of housing. The average house in Oldham is around £183,000 and have increased by 11.3% over the last year, vastly outstripping average wages which are the second lowest in the borough. In the last 12 years of Tory government we have seen a housebuilding drop to unprecedently low levels and this has inevitably led to a generational housing crisis. Demand for housing is consistently outstripping supply across Oldham with some Oldhamers spending years on waiting lists and far too many people suffering from homelessness and rough sleeping. In quarter one of 2022, there are 88 fewer properties available and 668 new applications for homelessness in the month of June alone. It’s clear we need more homes for our residents and yet Liz Truss has planned to scrap housing targets describing them as ‘Stalinist.’ Everyone deserves to have a roof over their heads and building new homes is an essential part to making this a reality as the current shortage means that there is no option other than to prioritise applications based on their need. Once again, this issue is an example of the Tory government failing to put the interests of working people first. Building new homes could have a transformative effect on millions of families across the country. 

5. Liz Truss is on the side of criminals – Oldham has the third highest rate of crime in Greater Manchester. I believe strongly that if someone breaks the law, they should be caught, tried and convicted. However, this has become increasingly difficult in the 12 years that the Conservatives have been in power. I’ve been arguing since I was elected that the County Court and Magistrates Court should not be closed yet the Tory Government took the decision to close both courts during Liz Truss’s time as Justice Secretary. The Criminal Bar Association recently stated that the backlog for cases in the Crown Court could reach 70,000 cases. The longer a trial is postponed, the more chance there is of prosecution witnesses giving up hope or forgetting their evidence and the harder it is to secure a conviction. This means there is more chance that guilty people will get away scot-free. Even when offenders are found guilty, we don’t have a single custody suite in the entire borough of 225,000 people. Liz Truss is uniquely badly placed to do anything about this crisis. When she was Justice Secretary, she took no action to defend judges from accusations that they are enemies of the people. Most recently, the former Conservative Lord Chancellor, Lord McKay said that Ms Truss had ‘no idea’ about legal aid and pointed to the fallout between the new Prime Minister and the legal profession during her time as Justice Secretary. This does not give high hopes to those who need justice to be done.

12 years of Tory government has already been far too long for working people across the country. Liz Truss becoming Prime Minister signals that the era of dithering, indecisiveness and U-turns is set to continue. Her past record in government and during the campaign shows that she is not on the side of working people and only serves to highlight that what we really need to tackle this unprecedented cost-of-living crisis is a Labour government that would decisively be on your side.

It was good to meet Dr Owen Williams, Chief Executive at the Northern Care Alliance last week, with Debbie Abrahams to discuss the Royal Oldham Hospital, the recent IT failure, changing the culture at the trust, and health inequalities in our town.

I think I speak on behalf of everyone in Chadderton, Oldham and Royton when I say how grateful we all are for the hard work all the staff at the Royal Oldham Hospital puts in, often under extremely difficult circumstances.

An important message on the front page of today’s The Oldham Times to the two Tory candidates.

It comes as research from the IPPR North shows that in the three years since this Tory government announced its levelling up agenda for towns like Oldham in the North, public spending has risen the most in London, with the smallest rises coming in the North of England.

We are sick of broken promises, the North is asking for its fair share, no more, no less.

I’m looking for a Communications and Constituency Support Officer to join my team!

A great opportunity to be part of a small but dedicated team in Oldham supporting my constituents across Chadderton, Oldham and Royton.

If you or someone you know is interested, please do get in touch & apply!

See below for the full details of the job and how to apply:

Job Title: Communication and Constituency Support Officer

Location: Constituency Office, Chadderton Town Hall, Oldham

Salary: £21,529 – £32,938 depending on experience

Length of Contract: Permanent after a probationary period

Job Details

Essential Criteria

• Well organised with excellent IT and communication skills
• Ability to use social media effectively
• Ability to communicate with key media and stakeholders
• Good understanding of the political environment and knowledge of issues in the constituency.
• Experience of managing confidential/sensitive information

Key responsibilities

• You will usually work 5 days over a 7-day working week supporting the MP when in the constituency. This role involves routine evening and weekend work, and flexibility is essential.
• Supporting the MP on any additional responsibilities or roles when undertaking visits outside of the constituency in conjunctuction with the London Office.
• Maintain a forward plan of proactive press and social media activity, gathering content from local events and visits, casework generated through the office, and issues raised on behalf of constituents.
• Maintain strong professional relationships with key stakeholders, including other elected members, public bodies, local organisations and local and regional media outlets.
• Maintaining social media accounts, responding to incoming messages, comments and any follow up action as required. This also involves being able to analyse visitor and post interaction to grow audiences.
• Produce online graphics and video content, as well as publicising surgeries and news alerts etc.
• Monitor media coverage and prepare press releases as required, meeting deadlines where appropriate.
• Manage the local events diary
• Keeping the MP informed of issues as they arise
• Helping to produce a regular newsletter as well as producing reports and online material

A car owner with a clean driving licence is essential.

Upon appointment you will be required to comply with the Baseline Personnel Security Standard, undertaken by the Members’ Staff Verification Office (MSVO). See Members’ Staff Verification Office (MSVO) page for further info. MPs generally pay staff in accordance with IPSA guidelines.

Closing Date: 3 August 2022

Interview/Start Dates: Interviews will take place between the 4th and 5th of August.

Application Details

To apply please provide a CV and covering letter – each no longer than one side of A4 please, outlining your experience.  Please send directly to Jim McMahon at jim.mcmahon.mp@parliament.uk with the subject line Communication and Constituency Support officer

Many constituents have been in touch with my office over the last few months regarding delays to passport applications, and I’m sorry to report that the service that the Home Office is providing my constituents is appalling.

Last week I wrote to the Home Office with a list of cases sent to them between April and June to which my office have received no repl.  Members of my team in London have been to a drop-in session with Home Office staff to raise a variety of cases and unfortunately made very little progress.

The summer is always a busy time for chasing up passport applications, as you would expect with more people going away during the school holidays, but the level of delay this year seems unprecedented.

The Home Office are refusing to look into or give an update on a case unless it has been over ten weeks since the application was made, and even then there appears to be no equality with the service people get when they reach out to the Home Office. A number of my constituents have had real difficulties getting through to the helpline in the first place, and some of those who do report it is sometimes of no help, whilst others have found that their passport has arrived within a couple of days of them speaking to somebody.

I know of at least one person who applied for their passport in early March, ahead of their holiday in June, who in the end had to cancel their holiday as their passport did not arrive on time.

The chaos in the passport office is just one example of the failure on the Home Secretary’s watch, Boris Johnson and the Tories are presiding over backlog Britain, where waiting lists across government are crippling our economy, costing the taxpayer billions and preventing British people from getting on with their lives.

At a time when the cost-of-living crisis is hitting the country hard, Home Office incompetence is forcing British families to pay for fast-track passport services or face losing hundreds for cancelled holidays.

The Home Office was warned that a surge in passport applications was likely once Covid travel restrictions ended and families had gone two years without a holiday abroad, but they completely failed to do the forward planning needed to prevent the chaos we’ve seen over the last few months. It is the same lack of foresight and planning which has led to cancelled flights and summer misery for hard working holiday makers wanting to get away.

My office will continue to push the Home Office to keep constituents in the loop with their applications and chase those seemingly lost in the system so please don’t let the delays make you hesitate to get in touch if you haven’t heard back from them, we will always do our best for constituents.

My MP colleagues for Oldham and I have written to the Mayor of Greater Manchester and the Leader of Oldham Council to set out our continued expectations for achieving justice for the survivors of child sexual exploitation in Oldham.

You can read our letter below: