News Guardian Articles - Alan Campbell MP for Tynemouth

In the Bleak Midwinter

“In the Bleak Midwinter” – Christina Rosetti’s poem set to the music of Gustav Holst – is the nation’s favourite carol – and mine. It is hard, however, to remember a midwinter as bleak as this. Our country already had one of the highest death rates from COVID 19 and…

Respect our shopworkers

There are many unsung heroines and heroes of this pandemic, including the people who have kept our country moving, kept us supplied and kept our communities safe. On that list are the army of shopworkers who have kept us fed, managed the shortages and managed social distancing. With more online…

Carers Rights Day

Carers have always been important for our society and our health service, giving their time and energy selflessly for other people. This pandemic has made their role and the challenge they face even greater. Carers UK estimate that the current crisis has meant an additional 4.5 million people taking on…

Good news in troubled times

President Elect Biden’s victory will have profound implications for politics around the world including here in Britain. It can only help that a Biden administration intends to rejoin the WHO and rejoin the international fight against coronavirus. It will help that the new President will rejoin the Paris Accord, make…

We will remember them

The British Legion Poppy Appeal was launched last week and, like everything else, it has had to adapt to the Covid crisis. There’ll be fewer volunteers doing face to face collections and whilst supermarkets and other outlets may still take part, most donations will probably be made online. Wearing a…

Covid Inquiry – Not if, when

I am increasingly being asked whether or not there should be a public inquiry into the handling of the COVID19 pandemic. I have consistently agreed there should. Ministers convene inquiries and they are rare. They look at what has happened, why it happened and who was to blame. Crucially its…

Test and trace not yet fit for purpose

When one of my constituents needed a COVID test for her daughter, she had to go to Blyth to get one. Unable to drive and unable to a use taxi or bus, she walked. Whitley Bay to Blyth is 13 miles, there and back. That vividly illustrates the problems which…

Internal Market Bill

On the same day the Home Secretary castigated law breakers as a threat to all, her Government introduced a Bill which by their own admission breaks the law. The Internal Market Bill would allow the Government to unilaterally alter the Northern Ireland Protocol, part of the Withdrawal Agreement. It is…

Fisheries Bill

The Commons returned this week with the dawning realisation that the deadline for a Brexit deal is looming. First item of business was the Fisheries Bill which creates a framework for the UK fishing industry once we have left the Common Fisheries Policy. There’s actually a lot of agreement about…

Exam result fiasco

With some of the best schools in the country we’ve become used to local students getting good A level results, This year’s results came as something of a shock. the COVID-19 pandemic had created exceptional circumstances with schools closing and summer exams cancelled. Grades were to be determined by a…

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