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New accessibility facilities at Llanelli Railway Station were officially unveiled this week as part of a £6.3m upgrade.
The investment has delivered a range of improvements to make it easier and safer for passengers to travel, particularly disabled people, and those with luggage, wheelchairs, prams or additional access needs.
The improvements include:
A new fully accessible footbridge with lifts
Improved ramped access on Platform 1, reducing reliance on the level crossing
CCTV, public address and lighting upgrades
New tactile paving along platform edges
Upgraded emergency egress points

I have joined other Manchester MPs in writing to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, to ask that the Government delivers a fair and substantial uplift in funding for Manchester City Council as part of the upcoming Local Government Finance Settlement.

In recent days, the Deputy Prime Minister set out the most sweeping modernisation of the criminal courts in a generation as the Government responds to Sir Brian Leveson’s Independent Review of the Criminal Courts.
With the Crown Court backlog approaching 80,000 cases and projected to reach 100,000 without urgent action, the Deputy Prime Minister has warned of a “courts emergency” that is leaving victims waiting years for their day in court.
The Deputy Prime Minister has announced reforms in Parliament that will bring the system back from the brink of total collapse and regain the trust of both victims and the public.
To better support victims the Government will invest £550 million over the next three years into specialist services to offer practical and emotional support to victims and witnesses, such as counselling and advice attending court.
This multi-year package – the largest ever provided – means charities and service providers will have the financial certainty they need to plan for the future, keep pace with rising costs, and protect capacity to continue delivering essential support.
Commenting on the announcement, Stephen Morgan MP for Portsmouth South said:
“It is unacceptable that victims of some of the most serious offences are having to wait years before being provided with justice.
“Families across Portsmouth have shared the pain and frustration felt from delays in their trials. In many cases, these are people who just want to be able to finally move on with their lives.
“Justice should not seem out of reach to those who rightly deserve it, but years of underinvestment from the previous Government has resulted in a sever courts backlog that is preventing any kind of resolution for so many people.
“The Deputy Prime Minister’s reforms will finally put this right, ensuring that victims are at the heart of our court system.”
Announcing these reforms, Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy said:
“I am calling time on the courts emergency that has left victims of the most serious crimes waiting years for justice and pushed the justice system to the brink of collapse.
“For many victims, justice delayed is often justice denied. Some give up on the process, while others have no confidence justice will be served if they report a crime, and perpetrators never held to account.
“The system we inherited has led to a Crown Court backlog due to hit 100,000 outstanding cases by 2028. Behind each of those cases is a victim who has been forced to put their life on hold while they wait desperately for justice.
“This simply cannot go on – we must be bold. I will set out a fast and fair justice plan that gives victims and survivors the swift justice they deserve.”
“This response will form part of the Government’s commitment to safer streets by reducing the court backlog, speeding up hearings for victims, and rebuilding public confidence in the criminal justice system.”
The post Government puts victims in Portsmouth first with court modernisation reforms appeared first on Stephen Morgan MP.
Following South Western trains returning to public ownership, Amanda Martin, Member of Parliament for Portsmouth North has today voted for the next step in the Government’s plan to build a simpler, more unified railway that delivers reliable, safe and better value journeys.
The Railways Bill will establish a new publicly owned company, Great British Railways (GBR), bringing together 17 different organisations to eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy and duplication.
As part of the Bill, a new Great British Railways app and website will put tickets to Britain’s reformed railway in the palm of passengers’ hands. Passengers will be able to book directly, without booking fees, and will also benefit from the expansion of Pay As You Go trials across the country.
This follows the announcement that rail fares will be frozen for the first time in 30 years, saving commuters on the most expensive routes more than £300 a year.
To mark this new chapter, the Government have also released the GBR branding which will come to feature on trains and at stations across the entire network.
Amanda Martin MP said: “This is very welcome news for residents of Portsmouth North. Through establishing Great British Railways, the Government is taking another major step towards a rail network which works for all of us.”
“Our new GBR app will make tickets easier to buy and ensure passengers get the best value every time. Thanks to the Government’s fare freeze, tickets will be more affordable for passengers too.”
Great British Railways will run and manage the tracks and trains used by passengers every day: ending years of fragmentation, driving up standards for passengers, and making journeys easier and better value for money.
The post Amanda Martin MP Celebrates Landmark Bill to Establish Great British Railways appeared first on Amanda Martin MP.
The spread of AI deepfake video technology poses real risks for fraud, exploitation, scamming and major disruption of our democratic process.
After being the target of a deepfake attack I’m now leading a cross-party group of MPs & Peers to stop identity theft via AI deepfakes being used to disrupt democratic elections.
The post November Newsletter appeared first on Mohammad Yasin MP.
This Budget is about making fair choices for the British people.
We’re stabilising the economy and doubling down on driving growth.
We’re supporting our high streets and tackling the cost of living.
We’re building a stronger, fairer country – one where child poverty falls and living standards rise.
After years of decline, there is a lot of work to do. But this government is committed to making the right choices for our country.

The post Budget 2025: Reaction from Liz appeared first on Liz Kendall.

As we head into the colder part of the year, I’m partnering up with local charities Ace of Clubs and Glass Door London to donate sleeping bags to rough sleepers in Clapham & Brixton Hill. You can bring any unneeded sleeping bags to my constituency office on Monday-Wednesday from 11am-5pm until the 19th December. If you don’t have a sleeping bag, you could also consider donating directly to Ace of Clubs.
There were 144 people sleeping rough in October-December 2024 in Lambeth. Whilst this number is decreasing, we sadly know that too many people will find themselves out on the streets come winter. Last year, London had 27 days where sub-zero temperatures triggered emergency weather protocols.
It is cold enough sleeping on the streets on any night of the year and nobody should be in this situation. I am thrilled that our Mayor has pledged to eliminate rough sleeping in our city by 2030. We must keep working to tackle the root causes of rough sleeping and homelessness: from improving renters’ rights to scrapping the Vagrancy Act and building the genuinely affordable housing we badly need.
Lambeth saw a slight decline in rough sleeping last year but the number of people spending the night on London’s streets went up. Rough sleepers need our help right now. A sleeping bag can be a lifeline, offering warmth and protection from the elements.
If you have a sleeping bag you no longer need, which is still in useable condition, please consider donating it. Just bring your sleeping bag to my office and we will make sure it reaches someone who really needs it!
To donate a sleeping bag to Ace of Clubs, just bring it to Bell’s constituency office on Monday-Wednesday from 11am-5pm.
The post Donate Sleeping Bags for Rough Sleepers appeared first on Bell Ribeiro-Addy.
Kickstarting economic growth. That was the number one mission of the Labour Party ahead of the last General Election. There has been some progress. The UK had the highest growth in the G7 at the start of 2025, but it has not been all plain sailing. Tariffs and the need to raise revenue to fix
The post Growth on the Ground in Banbury appeared first on Sean Woodcock, MP for Banbury.
Local beauty businesses and students showcased their contribution at a special event in Westminster.
Nesil Caliskan, Member of Parliament for Barking, helped local beauty businesses “take over Parliament” to celebrate this year’s British Beauty Week. Hairdressers, nail salons and beauty academy students – all from Barking and Dagenham – were invited to Parliament by the MP for a special reception and tour.
British Beauty Week is promoted by the British Beauty Council every year to celebrate the contribution of beauty businesses to our economy and high streets.
The theme of this year’s Beauty Week is the future of beauty, highlighting the industry’s innovation and sustainability. The UK beauty industry contributes over £31 billion to the economy each year and supports more than 85,000 jobs in London.

Commenting on the takeover, Nesil Caliskan, Member of Parliament for Barking said: “I invited local beauty businesses and students to takeover Parliament to celebrate their contribution, let them know how important they are for our community, and how much this government values them.
“They employ hundreds of local people, bring life to our high streets, and help people feel great every day. They are vital for our local economy, and today’s takeover proved the future of beauty is undoubtedly in Barking and Dagenham.”
Victoria Brownlie, Chief of Policy & Sustainability at the British Beauty Council, who was at the event, said: “The hair and beauty industry provides so much to so many and events like this help those working in the industry to feel seen, recognised and appreciated, just as they deserve to. Their social, cultural and economic contribution cements them as serious businesses, not just fluffy stuff that girls do, and we’re so grateful to Nesil for shining a light on this during British Beauty Week.”

Erica Brobbey, from Empress Hair and Beauty, a business in Barking, said: “It was an honour to join fellow beauty professionals in Parliament and proudly represent Barking and Dagenham’s thriving beauty community. Meeting other business owners and speaking with Victoria from the British Beauty Council was truly inspiring. The event highlighted the real impact our industry has, not just economically, but in the confidence and wellbeing it brings to people every day.
“I’m proud to be part of a community that continues to empower others and contribute so positively to the local economy. Events like this show that the future of beauty is bright, and it’s happening right here in Barking and Dagenham.”
Sure Start was life-changing for so many people in Bassetlaw, transforming the lives of children by putting in place family support in the earliest years of life. Sure Start, introduced by the last Labour government, helped level the playing field for children from lower income families, with research showing that children who attended a Sure Start centre were much more likely to perform better at school.
The previous Government cut community services, scrapping Sure Start, leaving a gaping hole in family services. When they left government, one in four families with children under five couldn’t access local children’s centres, rising to one in three lower income families. Speaking to local families in Bassetlaw, I hear time and again an ask for more support around SEND, youth services, and early development.
I welcome the news that the Government are building on the proud legacy of Sure Start, and reviving family services by rolling out 1,000 ‘Best Start Family Hubs’ by April 2026, including here in Bassetlaw.
Best Start Family Hubs will be a one stop shop for parents needing support, including on difficulty breastfeeding, housing issues or children’s early development, and other services such as:
The post Giving Children in Bassetlaw the Best Start in Life appeared first on Jo White MP.
It was great to call into Neighbourhood Watch in Pelsall again and catch up with Edwin and Andrew.
We discussed a range of local issues across the Rushall, Shelfield, Pelsall, and Brownhills Neighbourhood Watch area. Our focus was on how we can work together as one community to address these challenges.
It was also fantastic to hear about Project Phoenix – a pilot community-run initiative launched by Walsall Council! This project is dedicated to building a stronger community right across our Borough, and I’m really keen to see the positive impact it will have.
An abridged version of this article ran in The Times on 3rd February 2025
In 2007, in the pages of this newspaper, I argued that Britain should seize the moment and move Heathrow to the Thames Estuary, freeing up the congested west London site for much-needed housing while creating a world-leading transport hub fit for the 21st century. It was an ambitious plan—perhaps too ambitious for a nation that has lost its appetite for grand infrastructure. Seventeen years later, what do we have? The same tired debates, the same dithering, and now, a third runway proposal that represents the absolute minimum of what could be done. It is not a vision; it is a concession to stagnation.
Throughout history, Britain built infrastructure that transformed cities and continents. The Victorians laid thousands of miles of railways across India and Africa. British engineers built the world’s first underground railway in London, the great docks of Hong Kong, and the vast shipping hubs that made global trade possible. Ours was once a nation that saw scale and complexity as challenges to be overcome, not reasons to prevaricate. Today, while China constructs floating airports in Hong Kong and Dalian, we are still arguing over a few extra miles of tarmac at an aging airport hemmed in by suburban sprawl.
The case for expanding Heathrow is undeniable. The airport operates at near capacity, with any disruption causing delays that ripple across the global aviation network. Additional capacity is needed. But the third runway is not a bold leap forward—it is an unimaginative compromise. The design is a relic of a bygone era when Britain was still willing to approve large infrastructure projects but had already begun its slow descent into cautious incrementalism. Surely for a solution we should be looking beyond the immediate horizon, daring to create something transformative.
Compare this to the grand infrastructure ambitions of Asia. Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok, which replaced the legendary but perilous Kai Tak airport in the 1990s, was built on reclaimed land. It was a marvel of engineering (mostly British), completed in just six years. Now, China is taking the concept even further: Dalian is constructing a floating airport, pushing the boundaries of what is possible. This is a country that doesn’t simply accept geographic limitations—it overcomes them. Britain, meanwhile, is paralysed by protest groups, endless consultations, and political hand-wringing.
A floating airport in the Thames Estuary—an idea proposed and swiftly dismissed—would have been a statement of ambition. London could have had its own Chek Lap Kok, a world-class hub unencumbered by the constraints of Heathrow’s location. Instead, we are left with a piecemeal expansion of an outdated site, in a project that will take decades and still leave Britain trailing behind.
The environmental argument against expansion is often cited as a reason for delay, but it is a red herring. Modern aviation is rapidly advancing towards lower emissions and greater efficiency. If the concern is air pollution and carbon footprints, the answer is not to stifle airport expansion but to embrace new technology, support cleaner aviation fuels, and invest in modern air traffic management. Britain should be leading these efforts, not using environmental concerns as an excuse for stagnation.
The economic cost of our hesitation is immense. Aviation is a key driver of trade, tourism, and investment. Heathrow’s constraints mean we lose out to European rivals, with airlines shifting long-haul routes to Paris, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt. The third runway, even if built, will do little to reclaim lost ground. By the time it is operational—assuming it even survives the judicial challenges that will inevitably come—other nations will have long since surpassed us.
What Britain needs is a fundamental shift in mindset. We must stop viewing major infrastructure projects as necessary evils to be endured and start treating them as national priorities. This requires reforming our planning laws, streamlining approval processes, and fostering a political culture that celebrates engineering excellence rather than recoiling from it.
The third runway at Heathrow is not the answer—it is a symptom of our decline. Instead of an afterthought tacked onto an aging airport, we should be considering radical alternatives: offshore airports, high-speed rail integration to regional hubs, and a renewed commitment to infrastructure that places Britain at the forefront of global connectivity. We were once a nation that built the world’s most advanced transport networks, that pioneered engineering breakthroughs others only dreamed of. We can be that nation again—but only if we stop settling for mediocrity and start daring to think bigger.
The world is not waiting for Britain to catch up. While we squabble over a single new runway, China is building entire new airports on water. The contrast is stark, and the lesson is clear: boldness breeds success, hesitation ensures decline. If Britain truly wishes to remain a global player, we must abandon the timid incrementalism of the third runway and embrace the kind of audacity that once made us great.
Kit Malthouse 1st February 2025
Christmas is a very special time. It's when we come together with friends and family to take stock, and give thanks for what we have.
Some years – in the best of times, this is cause for celebration.
Other years – it's more complicated if we're missing loved ones,
affected by illness, or facing money worries, homelessness, or loneliness.
Sometimes – let’s be honest, for many reasons, Christmas can just be about getting through it, and that's ok!
Because regardless of the year that’s been, or the circumstances you find yourself in, Christmas offers everyone a precious gift – hope.
Last week I was sworn in as the MP for South Shields for the fifth time, and each time it strikes me how incredibly honoured I feel that you have put your faith in me as the first female MP to represent you in Parliament. It was a truly historic night as the UK elected […]
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