The Tory-led Government may have closed down regional development agencies, but co-operation between universities, councils, industry and other regional partners still continues.    Despite the difficulties caused by the loss of EMDA (East Midlands Development Agency) as well as its …

It’s been variously described as “Asia’s Switzerland,” “the most beautiful prison in the world,” and “the oldest unresolved international conflict in the world.” It is the disputed region of Jammu Kashmir.

It is one of the most militarised areas in …

This week I hosted an event in the European Parliament to mark Childhood Cancer Awareness Day. Every year around 1,500 children are diagnosed with cancer in the UK, and around 15,000 across the whole EU. Most are brain tumours or …

Of all the casework I have taken up as MEP, no single issue has been as long-running, as problematic or as intractable as that affecting a Derbyshire couple – Paul and Andrea Hodgkinson, and their plans to start a new …

Not a day goes by without further job losses being reported, and the 7,300 posts cut by pharmaceutical giant Astrazeneca today is a tragic blow for the hardworking people they employ. But it’s not just those that lose their jobs …

I want food labels to be simple and honest about what is inside them. This is not always as easy as it sounds, but today was a victory for consumers as the European Parliament supported my objection to a new …

On Saturday I was a speaker at the East Midlands Young Labour Conference in Leicester and was delighted to see the enthusiasm and calibre of Labour’s new generation.

Discussing issues like Britain’s role in the world in the coming years, …

As the rotating Presidency of the European Union fell to Denmark earlier this month, Danish ministers have been speaking to MEPs in their various Committees to set out their agenda for the next six months.

Today, I was pleased to …

The European Union is nothing if it is not based on the strong, shared values which make us European – values such as democracy, solidarity, respect for our fundamental rights, and the rule of law.

That is why any country …

We have achieved a great deal in fighting cervical cancer over recent years. I am proud to have been a long-time campaigner for comprehensive screening programmes and vaccinations against the HPV virus which can lead to cervical cancer, and I …