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  • The principle that no one should be disadvantaged by the circumstances of their birth is central to the beliefs of the Left and many others would consider it an essential part of living in a just country. The last Labour Government did much to improve the right of those with disabilities not to be discriminated…

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  • This morning was the annual economic forum of the Gatwick Diamond Initiative (GDI). The Gatwick Diamond, for those unfamiliar , is the sub-region around Gatwick Airport heading North towards Croydon, South towards Brighton and extending outwards West and East…like a diamond. Creative naming, huh? The Gatwick Diamond is one of the UK’s most productive sub-regions…

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  • On Thursday, we learnt the scale of Conservative’s poor judgement. At great cost, both in money and—with Brexit negotiation’s looming—time, the Conservatives have found that they have gambled with the country’s future and lost again. Instead we’re faced with a coalition of chaos, with the Tories getting into bed with a party with extremist links…

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  • Today I attended my last meeting of the Local Government Association’s Culture, Tourism and Sport Board, the body tasked with putting the views of councils across to central government and other major national bodies (such as Sports England, the Football Association and the Arts Council) on issues related culture, tourism, media and sport. While I…

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  • Tomorrow is the General Election, the one Theresa May said she wouldn’t call and then did. We were told it was necessary so she could deliver on Brexit, something she said was a bad idea and then changed her mind. Over the campaign we’ve seen Theresa May avoid contact with the public, avoid debate with…

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  • This election is about public services. It’s about whether we have the number of police we need to protect us, it’s about whether the NHS will be there when we need it, it’s about whether our young people will get the education necessary for Britain to compete in the global economy. None of that is…

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  • We do not yet know what has happened in Manchester, or why. All we do know is once again we are faced with a tragic loss of life, made worse by the age of those who lost their lives. Outside the Town Hall the flag will fly at half-mast and, in line with the agreement…

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  • The United Kingdom is a Parliamentary Democracy. Our Parliament has been called the Mother of Parliaments because our model of democracy has been exported the world over, arguably it’s our most significant export. Amongst the most important differences of our system’s greatest rival, the Presidential Model, is that we don’t vote for Prime Ministers, they…

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  • With the state of the roads and parking in Crawley, it’s unsurprising that when we discuss West Sussex County Council and Highways the focus is on the impact of the Conservatives’ cuts on the growing numbers of potholes, uneven pavements and their unwillingness to take responsibility, as the Highways Authority, for our local parking problems.…

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  • After years’ of warnings the Government is finally waking up to the fact there’s a crisis in Adult Social Care. Let’s be clear what Adult Social Care is: it’s the support available for you and your loved ones as you get older or if, by some unfortunate incident, you’re no longer able to care for…

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