Many people are only one crisis away from their whole life falling apart.

I spoke to BBC Radio 5 liveabout my own experience struggling to get by.

In this #CostOfLivingCrisis we must make sure the welfare state provides a safety net when people need it. Listen below ⤵

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=380198964070983

Last night I voted for a windfall tax on oil and gas companies to help cut your bills.

It’s shameful that Tory MPs lined up to vote against it. A chance to stand up for working people feeling the pressure blocked by this Government!

And this morning as inflation hits its highest point for 40 years it’s time for some real action from the Government, Labour are calling for an emergency budget and a plan for growth to help end the cost of living crisis.

The rise in inflation is hugely worrying for families up and down the country.

Scary numbers can sometimes be hard to fathom but the reality is people are struggling to afford food and heat their homes. Households on the lowest income will feel the pressure from this rise harder than others.

More and more people are being pushed to crisis; bills can’t be paid, further debt, missing meals, and experiencing huge stress which destroys families.

Labour has a plan to help, now it’s time for the Government to act before things get harder.

Labour to force vote on windfall tax on oil and gas producer profits

Today (Tuesday, 17 May) Labour is urging MPs of all political parties to vote for a one-off windfall tax on oil and gas producer profits, as the cost-of-living crisis continues to escalate.

Labour’s amendment will be voted on during the Queen’s Speech debate on Tuesday. Unlike how the Government treats opposition day debates, MPs are required to vote on the amendment.

Labour first called for the windfall tax on 9 January, to fund a VAT cut on home energy bills and expand and increase the Warm Homes Discount, saving families struggling with soaring costs up to £600 off their bills.

Since then, the party has called on the Conservative Government to bring forward this change almost 250 times.

It comes as BP and Shell alone have made £12.37bn of profit in the first three months of 2022 – despite Cabinet ministers describing these companies as “struggling” when defending the Conservatives’ refusal to implement a windfall tax.

Analysis by the Labour Party on Sunday showed the expected profits of North Sea oil and gas firms in 2022/23 are higher than the combined rise in energy bills for every household in the UK.

As well as growing support from the Conservative backbenches, there is also widespread public support for a windfall tax, including senior business figures such as the chairs of Tesco and John Lewis. 

Jim McMahon MP said:

“As energy bills for thousands of families in Oldham rise by record amounts, it is shameful that Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak still refuse to back a windfall tax that could help tackle the cost of living crisis.

“Today, Labour will give MPs another chance to support our one-off windfall tax on oil and gas producer profits to bring down bills.

“This fair and principled measure now has support from business, trade unions, across the political spectrum and most importantly, the overwhelming majority of the public.

“Conservative MPs must now join the British people in calling for a windfall tax – or explain why they continue to oppose measures that would ease the cost-of-living crisis.”

Thank you to all who cast 16,071 votes for Labour candidates standing in Oldham West and Royton this week.

The backdrop to the campaign was intense throughout the constituency and I am deeply proud of the hard work, resolve and integrity shown by each of our candidates.

My congratulations to Colin McLaren and Barbara Brownridge who were returned as councillors in Chadderton, to Jean Stretton in Hollinwood, Shoab Akhtar in Werneth and Marie Bashforth in Royton. My warmest welcome to newly elected councillors Sajed Hussain and Umar Nasheen who together now represent Medlock Vale.

As the dust settles on a mixed evening count there will be the usual further analysis and response, but for now I want to place on record my thanks to outgoing leader of the council Arooj Shah, Hannah Roberts, and Abdul Malik who were not returned as councillors on the night.

Arooj has been the leader of the council for a year and in a short time began to make the changes local people wanted to see; a cleaner, safer, and greener borough we can be proud of, launching the Don’t Trash Oldham campaign which has begun to make a difference.

I would be failing if I didn’t call out Oldham Conservatives for the way in which they coordinated a disgraceful campaign with Raja Miah, a political activist and former CEO of the Collective Spirit Free School which closed following a series of failures and scandals, who recently featured in Hope Not Hate State of Hate report.

The leaflets question made false allegations that she played a role in the cover up of child abuse and focused heavily on her ethnicity and religion before reminding voters the ward was ‘white majority’, seeding doubt about the character of the Labour candidate. The coordination of this sustained attack, which followed the same pattern which cost the previous leader his seat in nearby Failsworth, clearly had a material impact on the outcome of the election, as shown in the significant canvassing data gathered during the campaign.

The dignity in which Arooj Shah responded speaks to her character; to lose with integrity is better than to win with none.

For all those elected across all parties who acted with honesty, decency, and goodwill; Thank You. To come into public service demands much, but it matters that good people stand up to be counted.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=318975603674572

Oldham West and Royton MP and Shadow Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Jim McMahon has called out the Government for their failure to address poverty and food security.

After raising the issue with the Secretary of State at DEFRA Questions on Thursday morning in the House of Commons, Jim said, “Britain is besieged by a cost-of-living crisis, tax hikes and rocketing bills are making life harder for working people, 4.7m adults and 2.5m children live in food poverty, with 2.1m food parcels issued last year and 1million people will not eat at all today.”

“And figures from the Trussell Trust show that foodbank usage in Oldham is higher today than it was pre-pandemic, people are going hungry and this shouldn’t be acceptable in modern Britain.”

“The Government know the cost of food will get much higher as farmers grapple with increased costs and govt inflicted labour shortages.”

“Government should convene a summit to address food security, with the food industry, devolved and local government and charities to finally get ahead of this issue, but this government is just out for themselves, out of touch and completely out of ideas.”

Russian today placed sanctions on 287 U.K. MPs.

The illegal invasion of Ukraine has been met with cross party unity in Britain, if the consequence of that is being sanctioned by the Putin regime then like other MPs I am the least affected by his aggression.

This cannot be a distraction from the task in hand, to give the Ukrainian people the means to defend themselves, the aid to support them through these horrendous times and to increase efforts to support refugees fleeing.

Oldham Athletics was a founding member of the Premier League and it’s relegation marked a tragic day for our football club and town. It should never have come to this.

My thoughts are with the loyal Latics fans who are the beating heart of the club.

I have been working alongside fellow Oldham MPs Debbie Abrahams and Angela Rayner for some time meeting fan groups and the Trust board and will continue to do so.

It’s vital that the future ownership of the club is resolved as a matter of urgency to allow the club to rebuild.

The Government announced last night that it planned to continue with its disastrous plan to sell of Channel 4 despite opposition from across the country.

Channel 4 may be publicly owned but it doesn’t cost the taxpayer a penny and reinvests its profits back into supporting cultural industries across the UK.

So now the Co-op Party, which I am the Chair of, are calling for Channel 4 to remain publicly-owned, and to be operated via a mutual model.

Making Channel 4 mutually-owned by the British public wouldn’t just give the public more of a say and free our broadcasters from political interference – it would make Channel 4 much more difficult to privatise in the future, safeguarding it for a generation.

At a time when many Brits are struggling to pay the bills the Government should have a laser like focus on the cost of living crisis, not undertaking action which will potentially see people lose their jobs.

This Conservative Government have run out of ideas and have got their priorities all wrong.

Sign the petition to oppose it here:
https://party.coop/channel4