PARLIAMENTARY CAREER

In 2005 I was elected to the House of Commons for Stoke-on-Trent South following the retirement of George Stevenson. I held the seat with a majority of 8,681 and made my maiden speech on 19 May 2005. I was re-elected in 2010 and again in 2015.

I served as PPS in both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's governments and as a Shadow Minister for Ed Miliband. After Jeremy Corbyn was elected as Leader of the Labour Party in 2015, I was asked to join his team of shadow ministers but I declined.

During the election campaign for the 2017 general election all I heard on the doorsteps of Stoke South was "...we like you Rob but we can't risk having Corbyn as Prime Minister..." It therefore came as no surprise when I was defeated in June 2017, losing by just 663 votes.

Shadow Justice Minister

In 2010, the then Labour leader Ed Miliband asked me to be a Shadow Justice Minister, a role I held for three years.

During my time as a Shadow Minister I led for the opposition on Youth Justice, Victims of Crime, Defamation law and civil law issues including Coroners’ Courts.  In this role I represented HM Opposition at all levels ranging from the frontbench to national policy conferences. I liaised with third parties such as the Royal British Legion in a successful bid to retain the office of the Chief Coroner which had been under threat. I also worked alongside a wide-range of charities and lobby groups championing victims of crime.

HM Treasury

Financial Reporting

Advisory Board

I was the Parliamentary representative on this independent body advising HM Treasury on financial reporting and standards. Drawing on my financial and taxation experience I provided input to the workings of this advisory group.

House of Commons

Finance & Services Commission

As a member of the Commission I performed a financial oversight and scrutiny role for the House of Commons looking at all income and expenditure streams. In effect the House of Commons is a billion pound turnover business requiring detailed planning and advice. I helped to set policy direction for senior officers of the House and gave advice to the main Commission on matters of finance and House provided services.

Armed Forces

Parliamentary Scheme (“AFPS”)

As a member of the AFPS I visited UK troops in theatre in Iraq and in Northern Ireland. I joined training exercises in the Falkland Islands including aboard HMS York stationed in the South Atlantic. 

I also attended various UK defence establishments meeting senior officers to discuss operational planning, command and control. These experiences gave me a better understanding of a number of issues including that of the role of logistics in supporting both peacetime operations and those undertaken in a combat environment.

Convenor of the Catholic Legislators Network/

Co-Chair Holy See Parliamentary Group

In this role I brought together members of both Houses of Parliament and all political parties. In addition to internal policy discussions I ensured Members and Peers regularly met NGOs, such as CAFOD (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development). In conjunction with the Holy See Parliamentary Group I met Ambassadors to and from the Vatican and Holy See Secretaries of State.

Chair of the British-Spain Parliamentary Group

As Chair of the Parliamentary Group I sought to strengthen relationships between the UK and Spanish businesses and organisations including Telefonica, Iberdrola, the LSE (London School of Economics) in Madrid, Banc Sabadell and the British Chamber of Commerce in Spain, forging a strong working relationship with the then Ambassador, Federico Trillo-Figueroa. 

All-Party Parliamentary Dog Welfare Group

I founded the All-Party Group to give a voice to the very many small and medium sized charities in the dog welfare sector which lacked a voice within Westminster and with Ministers. Since I ceased to be an MP the Group has continued with my work and was a driving force behind “Lucy’s Law” banning kitten and puppy farming. In recognition of my work the British Veterinary Association made me an Honorary Associate Member.

Munitions Workers Memorial Campaign

I identified a lack of recognition for munitions workers from both World Wars and brought together parliamentarians, defence businesses and other interested parties to explore possible means of recognition.

Many notable successes included arranging for the first ever group of these veterans to join the Cenotaph Parade on Armistice Sunday.

Parliamentary Friends of Colombia

As chair of the Parliamentary group I led on raising the profile of human rights abuses in Colombia. I held regular meetings with the Colombian Ambassador to the UK, Foreign Office Ministers and Officials, as well as delegates from Colombia and from human rights organisations. I visited Bogota and the Putumayo Department in Colombia to see and hear for myself what was happening.

To assist my work I learnt Colombian Spanish.

All-Party Childhood and Adult Obesity Group

I was the chair of the All-Party Childhood and Adult Obesity group for around a year. I led discussions in Parliament and with businesses and organisations with an interest in this area. Notably I held discussions with McCain Foods to discuss their product creation and manufacturing processes and visited their manufacturing sites to gain a better understanding of their business.

Constituency Casework

As an accessible, approachable constituency MP I provided advocacy, help, and support for more than 20,000 people during my period of office. The nature of the advocacy work was highly varied. I worked with both individuals and groups of often many hundreds of concerned local residents in public meetings. I also liaised with local, national and international organisations and businesses.