Labour MEP for Yorkshire & Humber
Parliaments across Europe, including the House of Commons, have been debating whether to recognise Palestine officially as a state. The European Parliament had a similar debate last month, led by my Labour colleague Richard Howitt, and this week will take a final vote on the matter. A message from Parliament in support of recognising Palestinian […]
There are reports today that some proposed environmental measures put forward by the last Commission might be dropped — particularly those intended to combat air pollution and waste. At this stage, we should take these reports with a pinch of salt. This is an unofficial leak regarding an official announcement which isn’t due till next […]
Paola Buonadonna at British Influence has posted a useful guide on how to challenge bias on BBC, ITV and Sky News. The point of complaining is not to gripe or let off steam. Complaints by people interested in a fair and accurate representation of European issues can affect the tone of the broadcast debate. The […]
I wrote my first article for the UK European Movement since becoming Vice Chair, on the subject of balancing pragmatism and idealism about the European Union. The EU today might appear to be less about inspirational idealism, and more about nitty-gritty pragmatism. And pragmatism is important. But when we focus exclusively on self-interested arguments, we […]
A leaflet about the two Labour MEPs for Yorkshire & Humber.
Question The International Skating Union (ISU) threatens to ban its athletes for life if they participate in speed skating events that are not authorised by the federation. In various other sports, international federations similarly restrict the economic opportunities of European athletes. Aside from the specificities of the ISU ban, how does the Commission view the […]
Question A preliminary study of the CORDIS database for the FP7 programme has shown that many projects with Israeli coordinators had no other partner, no EU partner, or only Israeli partners. Could the Commission clarify how many FP7 projects have Israeli coordinators and how many projects are Israel-only? Answer According to the statistics available on […]
It’s been four years since Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall kicked off his now famous ‘Fish Fight‘ campaign against the wasteful practice of discarding fish at sea. With the backing of nearly a million Brits and thanks to a firm position of Labour’s MEPs in the European Parliament, the reformed Common Fisheries Policy was finalised last year, hailed […]
Question The Commission will be aware that, earlier this year, Mr Bernie Ecclestone settled a court case, in which he stood accused of bribery, by paying a settlement of GBP 60 million to the court, without the issue of his guilt or innocence being settled. Has the Commission considered whether such a procedure is contrary […]
