It was a pleasure to appear on BBC Politics Midlands today as the Deputy Leader of the Birmingham Conservative Group to discuss three important issues currently affecting our region and the country: proposals for further devolution, improving maternity care, and the use of new-build homes for asylum accommodation.
Although the subjects were very different, they all came back to the same principle: people want governments and public services that deliver practical results, not simply headline slogans.
Devolution must deliver real benefits
There is broad support for giving local areas greater control over the decisions that affect them as devolution can be a positive force when it brings meaningful powers, accountability and investment closer to local communities.
However, devolution should not become an exercise in political branding.
Recent proposals surrounding a so-called “Number 10 of the North” could center around a new £500m political capital rather than using these funds to directly improve people’s everyday lives.
If such substantial public funding is available- most likley through more taxes-, it should be directed towards the things that matter most to residents such as better transport, stronger infrastructure, improved skills and creating the conditions for businesses to grow.
When asked on Andy Burnham’s legacy? Costing the nation £5m in an unnecessary byelection so he can pursue his political dreams, leaving Manchester’s welfare bill higher than when he came in, and months of Labour political infighting, trying to hold power, Labour MP’s fighting for posts for themselves and admitting they didnt have a strategy when they took over in 2024, and dont seem to have one now. Clearly not serving the families who sent them to serve.
The West Midlands has enormous potential, but it must not be overlooked as attention focuses elsewhere. Our region deserves the same ambition, investment and opportunity.
As I said during the programme:
“People don’t travel to work on political slogans. They travel on roads, buses and trams. If there’s half a billion pounds available, spend it improving transport across the Midlands instead of building another political headquarters.”
Safe maternity care must always come first
The publication of the Baroness Amos review raises serious concerns about maternity services that deserve careful attention.
Every mother should receive safe, high-quality care regardless of where she lives or the colour of her skin. Families rightly expect not only high standards of care, but also openness, honesty and accountability when things go wrong.
One of the real tragedies is how- championed by previous Conservative MP Theo Clarke- how much unnecessary hardship and suffering sits begin this the report. One of the strongest lessons is how public services often become worse when organisations become defensive or reluctant to acknowledge mistakes, and how repeated lessons learnt enquiries are not implemented.
Significantly Theo Clarke during the Maternity Commissioner debate said:
“The NHS currently spends more on payouts for medical negligence than on the entire frontline maternity service budget. That money should be going towards safer frontline care, not litigation.”
This start statistic highlights how broken the system. This is quite simply wrong and needs to change.
Fixing the asylum system properly
We also discussed how 21 newly built houses in Stoke Heath were being used by the Home Office to house asylum seekers.
At a time when many local families are struggling to get onto the housing ladder or find suitable housing, and as council house waiting lists stretch on, this is morally wrong and acts as a powerful magnet for those on the other side of the English Channel seeking to come over.
Local people- and Councils- must have meaningful consultation and transparency with the Home Office before decisions affecting their communities are made.
As we saw in Sutton Coldfield- right on the border with my ward of Wylde Green, Home Office changes were imposed upon Councils and residents without their engagement.
Further, simply moving asylum accommodation between hotels, HMOs, dispersed housing and now new-build developments does not solve the underlying problem. It merely shifts the pressures from one community to another.
The long-term answer must be a properly functioning asylum system that processes claims far more quickly, removes those with no right to remain promptly, and reduces illegal Channel crossings so that temporary accommodation becomes the exception rather than the norm.
As I concluded during the discussion:
“The answer isn’t forever shifting the problem between hotels, HMOs or now new-build properties. We need to fix the system so we don’t need any of them.”
Another U-turn no matter how you dress it up, with the first and only family moved in now being rehoused. Community and Councillors steamrolled with the scheme now on hold.
Competence over slogans
Although these topics covered very different policy areas, they all highlighted the same underlying issue.
Whether discussing devolution, our NHS or the asylum system, people want competent government that delivers practical outcomes. They expect public money to be spent wisely, public services to be accountable, and communities to be listened to.
Across every level of government, openness, transparency and effective leadership matter. Public confidence is built not through announcements or political slogans, but by delivering real improvements that make everyday life better for the people we serve.
Thank you to the BBC Politics Midlands team for making me so welcome, and for the opportunity to take part in an important discussion on these issues.
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