Stephen Twigg wins West Derby nomination.

Stephen Twigg has this weekend won the Labour nomination for the Liverpool seat of West Derby. Twigg famously beat Tory Michael Portillo in the 1997 general election.

Labour Campaign Team

Today I attended a regular campaign group meeting of Labour’s local government committee. It was a very good meeting with some excellent contributions from Labour group leader Steve Brady and Daren Hale. The chair and secretary of the group have worked hard to follow a timetable for the next local elections and to ensure we have the best team possible in place.

Alan Johnson opens new Health Centre

Alan Johnson today opened the new Longhill Health Care Centre on Shannon Road. The Health Secretary praised the work of the local PCT and highlighted the huge investment going into the NHS in Hull.

Don't Drive tired.

In 2001 a Land Rover and trailer left the M62 at a rail-over bridge went down the embankment and came to rest fouling the main railway line at Great Heck. The resulting rail crash cost the lives of 10 people including train driver Steve Dunn.

This week his widow and the road safety charity Brake are publicising the devastating results possible of driving whilst tired.

I regularly drive trains along the main east coast route past the site of the crash. Whilst there is little sign of the accident now it is a constant reminder of the possible consequences of road users driving whilst unfit.

Thatcher Visits Brown

As a Labour activist through the whole of the 80’s I hated the Tories and particularly Margaret Thatcher. So seeing a Labour Prime Minister welcoming Thatcher into number 10 was particularly galling. However, the photo opposite is interesting. Does it show Maggie now backs Gordon? The bright red dress must have been deliberate and guaranteed to be the photo opportunity outside number 10. The visit sends a clear message to Tory voters that it’s ok to vote for Gordon

Tebbit Test.

In 1990 Norman Tebbit one of the most rabid of the political right mooted a "Cricket Test" be applied to Asians living in Britain. The test clearly designed to be racist in nature is one of the abiding quotes from the Thatcher years. Lets hope it stays buried in the rubbished history of the Tory right.

East Hull Fundraising Event

Photo from the recent East Hull Labour fundraising event.