It is an honour to represent Washington and Sunderland West constituency as your Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons.

Alongside our Labour Councillors, I work hard to ensure that everyone in our area has access to the support and help they need.

Whether it is helping constituents when the benefits system has let them down; supporting local businesses or backing local campaigns, like the campaign against a gasification plant being built in Hillthorn Park, I always act with the best interests of everyone in Washington and Sunderland West in mind.

The Labour Party has not been in government since 2010. Since then, we’ve seen successive Conservative Governments devastate the economy, our region and household incomes.

This has only been made worse by poor choices from the Tories who have overseen the mismanagement of the Brexit deal, consistently acted against the interest of the country throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, and now during the devastating and spiralling cost of living crisis, are unable to get a grip on the economy and are unwilling to help those who most need it.

I will continue to hold this Conservative Government to account, to protect and improve your livelihoods and our local communities, trying to ensure nobody is left behind.

Labour’s priorities will be the priorities of the British people: that starts with economic growth to provide the security our country needs to then rebuild Britain, so that it is the best country to grow up in, and the best to grow old in.