Member of Parliament for South Shields
Shields Gazette 2007
Changes In Government
Today we bid farewell to Tony Blair as Prime Minister and welcome the new tenant of Number Ten, Gordon Brown. Tony Blair's leadership has made Britain stronger, more tolerant, more prosperous and fairer. I think history will look back on Tony’s premiership in a favourable light. His achievements have included his towering presence in the international community, his work on Africa, climate change, his work to win the Olympics for Britain, and the skills and determination he brought to securing peace in Northern Ireland.
Labour under Blair has benefited South Shields as well. School standards are up across the board, new schools have been built throughout the borough and Building Schools for the Future will see every secondary school in the town rebuilt or refurbished - Sure Start is one of our proudest achievements in the borough. Families in South Shields now benefit from extra paid holidays, the Minimum Wage and better workers rights. Our local hospital is recognised as one of the best in the country, waiting times have been slashed and new medical facilities have been invested in. Under this Labour Government lead by Tony Blair, South Shields is a better place - but there is more to do.
This afternoon Gordon Brown took over the office of Prime Minister and he has pledged to justify every day and in every act the trust that has been placed in him as Leader of our country. Gordon is listening to local people, and they are telling him what they want to see, and he knows what the residents of South Shields want to see happen. On Friday I met a lady who said "Tell Mr Brown to do something to help first time buyers get on the property ladder". Gordon has already said he will work on this problem, the Housing Minister will attend Cabinet – new homes need to be available to buy and to rent.
Gordon is a conviction politician - his conviction is that everyone deserves a fair chance in life, that each of us has a responsibility to each other and that when the strong help the weak, it makes us all stronger. These are strong convictions that all Labour MP’s believe in – and I will continue to work with Gordon to ensure that the Labour Party’s convictions are put into place to make our town and our community a better place to live and work.
Education, NHS and employment opportunities will continue to be the focus of Gordon’s Government. In his acceptance speech as Leader of the Labour Party, Gordon Brown said that he wants to make a new start, build upon what has been achieved and as your MP – I want South Shields to be at the heart of these changes.
Today is a new era in British Politics – lets grasp it and with Gordon Brown as Prime Minister – South Shields will move forward.