Press & Articles

Labour’s route to power lies in reflecting the communitarian values of its neglected heartlands

21 Sep 2019

Politics Home Labour’s next manifesto needs to be an offer to the whole nation. Britain is deeply divided, but our divisions have been a cause, rather than a symptom, of the EU referendum. Over the past 40 years, the policies of consecutive governments have allowed our economy to be heavily…

Read more →

Hardcore Brexiteers and Remainers shout the loudest but they don’t speak for the country

15 Sep 2019

Sun on Sunday IN 2016 more than 17.4m people voted to leave the European Union. A year later both main parties – Conservatives and Labour – stood on election manifestos promising to respect the public’s wishes by leaving the EU with a deal. Yet two years on, the debate has…

Read more →

Boris Johnson must recognise that the Withdrawal Agreement Bill is a strong basis for a Brexit deal

11 Sep 2019

Politics Home When Theresa May stood on the steps of Downing Street on 21 May 2019, following 6 weeks of cross party talks, and outlined the details of 10 changes she was making to improve her Brexit deal, it should have been a watershed moment. Among the concessions included a…

Read more →

The Lib Dems’ plan to revoke article 50 is as undemocratic as the race to no deal

10 Sep 2019

The Guardian Today the Liberal Democrats have moved from being a party supporting a second referendum on EU membership to one that simply wants parliament to revoke article 50 at the earliest opportunity. This type of polarising behaviour mirrors the no-deal extremists on the other side of the debate and…

Read more →

Purists have played into Johnson’s hands – our options for preventing No Deal are now very limited

29 Aug 2019

Boris Johnson’s Trumpian decision to prorogue Parliament at a time of national emergency is illustrative of an era where ‘strong-arm’ politicians feel able to exploit public disillusionment with mainstream politics by running rings around the democratic processes which form the very foundation of any liberal society. Forget rhetoric about funding…

Read more →

POLITICO — Postcard from Port Talbot

16 Aug 2019

Source: https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/london-playbook/politico-london-playbook-corbyns-move-postcard-from-port-talbot-wollaston-goes-yellow/ Author: Jack Blanchard POSTCARD FROM PORT TALBOT LIFE’S A BEACH: The sands at Aberavon stretch for three miles along the south Wales coast and look magnificent even on a wet and blustery afternoon. It’s hardly a day for sunbathing, but walkers are still out along the prom enjoying the…

Read more →

Nationalism is a divisive and dangerous ideology. Now, more than ever, our United Kingdom needs to stay united

15 Aug 2019

Western Mail Chaos is a social condition that opportunists and nationalists are always quick to exploit. We’ve seen Boris Johnson seize the chance to fulfil his childhood dream, whilst his hard-right colleagues in the cabinet have always seen no-deal as the ideal opportunity to turn our country into a deregulated…

Read more →

The Withdrawal Agreement Bill Is The Only Game In Town – Labour Must Back It

06 Jul 2019

The Guardian Charlatan Boris Johnson looks set to win the Tory leadership on the basis of his declaration that the UK must leave the EU by 31 October, “do or die”. Some claim he’s merely crowd-pleasing and that, in Number 10, he’ll be transformed into a mature statesman. That is…

Read more →

For Fairness Vote Against First Past The Post Elections

02 Jul 2019

The Times Today I have joined MPs and political parties from across the political spectrum in backing a cross-party initiative to change the UK’s voting system. The Good Systems Agreement, brokered by the campaign group Make Votes Matter, calls for a proportional voting system in which seats match votes —…

Read more →

Westminster Must Not Use Brexit And The End Of Wales’s EU Funding As An Opportunity To Short-Change The Poorest Parts Of The UK

18 Jun 2019

As the clock ticks down to Brexit, time is fast running out on the £680million annual funding package Wales receives from the European Union and we are learning more and more about what this means for our area. Just looking around you can’t help but see examples of how European…

Read more →

Statement from Stephen Kinnock MP and David Rees AM on Ford’s decision to close its Bridgend plant

06 Jun 2019

Commenting on the news that Ford has decided to shut down its operations in Bridgend in September 2020, Stephen Kinnock MP for Aberavon and David Rees AM for Aberavon said, “This is a devastating blow for the South Wales economy and for the large number of workers at the plant…

Read more →

Never Again Can We Take Our Democracy For Granted

05 Jun 2019

Video Credit: The Convention Thank you for that kind introduction… It’s a great pleasure and privilege to speak to you all today. And it’s an honour to follow so many esteemed speakers. For far too long we have taken our democracy for granted. We have been complacent, and our complacency…

Read more →

MPs, steel sector leaders and trade unions gather to sign UK Steel Charter

21 May 2019

Yesterday steel MPs, sector leaders and trade union leaders gathered in Parliament to launch the ‘UK Steel Charter’, which calls upon government at every level to consider the impact they could have on wider society when deciding where to buy their steel. Public sector purchasing of British steel not only…

Read more →

The time has come for Port Talbot to have a Business Improvement District. We need to grasp this opportunity with both hands

18 May 2019

Like every other high street across the country, Port Talbot’s town centre has been buffeted by the rise in internet and out of town shopping, drawing shoppers away from the town centre. This, coupled with less money in our pockets and a decline in consumer spending, has meant our high…

Read more →

Tata Steel – ThyssenKrupp Joint Venture Statement

10 May 2019

Aberavon AM David Rees and Stephen Kinnock MP seek urgent meeting with Tata following the suspension of the Joint Venture with Thyssenkrupp AG. Following today’s announcement of the suspension of the joint venture between Tata Steel and Thyssenkrupp AG, David Rees, Assembly Member for Aberavon, and Stephen Kinnock Member of…

Read more →

Local Politicians Raise Concerns With Tata Steel Management Over Possible Trostre Sale

02 May 2019

Local politicians met with Tata Steel on Wednesday 24 April in a bid to get clarity and assurances over mounting speculation that the potential Tata Steel-ThyssenKrupp joint venture will lead to the sale of Tata Steel’s Trostre Plant. The meeting was triggered by media reports that European Union’s competition authorities…

Read more →

Labour’s route to power lies in reflecting the communitarian values of its neglected heartlands

Hardcore Brexiteers and Remainers shout the loudest but they don’t speak for the country

Boris Johnson must recognise that the Withdrawal Agreement Bill is a strong basis for a Brexit deal

The Lib Dems’ plan to revoke article 50 is as undemocratic as the race to no deal

Purists have played into Johnson’s hands – our options for preventing No Deal are now very limited

POLITICO — Postcard from Port Talbot

Nationalism is a divisive and dangerous ideology. Now, more than ever, our United Kingdom needs to stay united

The Withdrawal Agreement Bill Is The Only Game In Town – Labour Must Back It

For Fairness Vote Against First Past The Post Elections

Westminster Must Not Use Brexit And The End Of Wales’s EU Funding As An Opportunity To Short-Change The Poorest Parts Of The UK

Statement from Stephen Kinnock MP and David Rees AM on Ford’s decision to close its Bridgend plant

Never Again Can We Take Our Democracy For Granted

MPs, steel sector leaders and trade unions gather to sign UK Steel Charter

The time has come for Port Talbot to have a Business Improvement District. We need to grasp this opportunity with both hands

Tata Steel – ThyssenKrupp Joint Venture Statement

Local Politicians Raise Concerns With Tata Steel Management Over Possible Trostre Sale

What Critics Of The Norway Model Often Get Wrong

A Stand-Alone Customs Union Would Be A Disaster For The British Economy

Why Common Market 2.0 Beats The Backstop

Division has paralysed our politics – it’s time for compromise

Common Market 2.0 Is The Fastest Route To Brexit