Frank's Westminster Blog

The Prime Minister is wrong if my post bag is anything to go by.  Constituents do want a referendum on the EU.   I spoke and voted in the House on Monday in favour of the country having such a referendum.  But why did the leaders of all three parties impose a three line whip in support of the government line?   As part of repairing the damage to politicians’ relationship with voters the government  instituted an e-petition system.  A...

Last week Wirral Council published its anti-poverty strategy.  There couldn’t be a better moment.   Unemployment in Birkenhead now equals 3,724.  The numbers of poor children have also risen.    This is where Wirral’s anti-poverty strategy comes in.  The council’s budget has been cut by the government and the quest is on as to how to use the budget more effectively.   A Liverpool headteacher, who lives in Birkenhead, wrote to me on...

The government has announced a second wave of University Technical Colleges.  Five exist already and 13 more will join those ranks and offer a new kind of education.   I am anxious that when wave three is announced, next year, we will have one of these colleges in Birkenhead.   For most of my time as MP I have been conscious of how we fail many young people by offering school courses which bore them.  I had long talks with Mrs T trying to persuade her to establish a...

One of the first cuts the government made was to abolish the Educational Maintenance Allowance as we have known it. The scheme was massively expanded under the last government as a means of encouraging poor students to stay on in further education.   The first term under the new scheme has now started and the figures show how the cuts are working.   Under the old scheme pupils received £1100 if their parents were on a low income.  Students also received a daily...

I have more news for you on the Boundary Commission’s proposals for Birkenhead. You may remember that two weeks ago the Boundary Commission published potential new seats for the whole of England. The Wirral was obviously affected.   Parliament gave the Commission it's terms of reference. Previous Commissions, when setting constituency boundaries, had to take into account such important matters as local communities and natural boundaries, like rivers and motorways. This time the...