Tag Archives: gordon birtwistle

End of term report for Lib Dem MPs’ Class of 2010

By Helen Duffett | Published 16th July 2011 - 10:51 am

As the House of Commons rises this Tuesday, the BBC’s Gavin Stamp gives new MPs of all parties his end-of-term report.

Here’s what he has to say about the new Lib Dem intake:

New entrants were small in number but still accounted for almost one in six of the Parliamentary party.

No new MPs made it into the ranks of ministers or were asked to head up a series of backbench committees designed to help the party retain an independent voice on issues outside the coalition.

However, Gordon Birtwhistle and Duncan Hames became parliamentary private secretaries, the latter also finding time to

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Posted in Parliament | Also tagged duncan hames, higher education, ian swales, julian huppert, simon wright, stephen gilbert, stephen lloyd, tessa munt, tuition fees, universities | 2 Comments

Tim Farron writes… Join the Lib Dems YES! to Fairer Votes campaign

By Tim Farron MP | Published 18th March 2011 - 12:23 pm

This morning I launched the Liberal Democrats’ Yes! To Fairer Votes campaign in Manchester.

Over 100 local members and supporters came along to hear speeches from Simon Hughes, John Leech, Gordon Birtwistle and Floella Benjamin about how monumentally essential it is that we win this Fairer Votes referendum.

As Nick Clegg has already argued, this is “a battle between reformers and conservatives” and this is our chance, our one opportunity for genuine electoral reform.

By winning this referendum …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged #LibDemYES, av referendum, floella benjamin, john leech, simon hughes, tim farron | 6 Comments

Lib Dem Erin Harvey wins Parliamentary Researcher of the Year

By Helen Duffett | Published 21st February 2011 - 4:53 pm

Photo credit: Paul Heartfield, Federation of Small Businesses.

Erin Harvey, researcher to Liberal Democrat MP Gordon Birtwistle, scooped three prizes at last week’s Dods Parliamentary Researcher of the Year Awards.

From ePolitix.com:

Erin Harvey, the Liberal Democrat researcher who previously worked for Susan Kramer before joining the Burnley MP Gordon Birtwistle in May, stole the show where she won three of the seven awards; Liberal Democrat Researcher of the Year, the Federation

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Posted in News, Parliament | Also tagged burnley, erin harvey, susan kramer | 5 Comments

The Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Private Secretaries

By Mark Pack | Published 2nd October 2010 - 11:10 am

The appointments of various LibDem MPs to be PPS to ministers have been rather low-profile, so in case you have missed any here is the complete list:

Gordon Birtwistle – PPS to Danny Alexander
Mike Crockart – PPS to Michael Moore
Duncan Hames – PPS to Sarah Teather
Jo Swinson – PPS to Vince Cable
Jenny Willott – PPS to Chris Huhne

and in addition Norman Lamb as Chief Parliamentary and Political Adviser to Nick Clegg is also his PPS.

Posted in News, Parliament | Also tagged duncan hames, jenny willott, jo swinson, mike crockart, norman lamb | 10 Comments

LibLink: Gordon Birtwistle featured in Diary of the Week

By NewsHound | Published 4th June 2010 - 7:52 pm

Total Politics has picked Burnley Liberal Democrat MP Gordon Birtwistle for its diary of the week:

I am just beginning now, to find my feet in this strange place (and to find my way around). To say the first couple of weeks have been overwhelming has been an understatement! I did not think that when I was eventually successfully elected, it would be as part of a party in government.

You can read Gordon’s diary in full here.

Posted in News | 1 Comment

Gordon Birtwistle MP’s maiden speech

By Gordon Birtwistle MP | Published 29th May 2010 - 1:00 pm

Back when Cix was the main way of talking to other Lib Dems online, a tradition emerged of posting Lib Dem MPs’ maiden speeches so that people could read them and respond – a tradition LDV would like to continue. The first new Lib Dem MP to speak in the 2010 Parliament was Gordon Birtwhistle.

Gordon Birtwistle (Burnley) (LD): I am grateful for the opportunity to make my maiden speech so early in the new Parliament. I pay tribute to those who made their maiden speeches before me—the hon. Members for Beckenham (Bob Stewart), for Bolton South East (Yasmin Qureshi), …

Posted in Parliament | Also tagged burnley, kitty ussher, maiden, padiham, royal blackburn hospital, stalybridge | 6 Comments

Kitty Ussher: unrepentant over expenses

By Mark Pack | Published 20th March 2010 - 12:50 pm

By way of introduction, a sample of what Kitty Ussher (Labour MP for Burnley) had done:

Kitty Ussher used allowances for £20,000 house make-over
The records reveal that Miss Ussher, the MP for Burnley, contacted the Commons fees office within 12 months of being elected, with a detailed programme of work for the property she had already lived in for five years.

Kitty Ussher sacked from government over her claims
Move comes in the face of evidence that Treasury minister ‘flipped’ her homes to avoid paying capital gains tax.

So, when interviewed by Channel 4, what did she say?

Q. Is there anything you …

Posted in Opposition watch | Also tagged burnley, kitty ussher, mps expenses | 2 Comments

The LDV Saturday caption competition – the “mine’s a large one” edition

By The Voice | Published 6th February 2010 - 3:15 pm

There’s no prize at stake – just the opportunity to prove you’re wittier than any other LDV reader …

Here’s Nick Clegg on a recent visit to cheer on Burnley Lib Dems and their candidate Gordon Birtwistle, as they attempt to unseat Labour and stop the BNP. (With thanks to Hywel Morgan for the picture). What do you think they might be saying to each other, or thinking about each other?

The winner of our most recent caption competition, the ‘never work with children’ edition just six weeks ago (ahem) …

Posted in Caption Comp | Also tagged burnley, nick clegg | 14 Comments

If Lib Dems take Burnley it will “send shockwaves” around Labour

By Stephen Tall | Published 18th January 2010 - 8:25 pm

Alex Finnegan at the Mandate blog has identified Burnley as one of the key seats to watch at this year’s general election, with the Lib Dems tipped to take the challenge to Labour in one of its heartland seats:

With former Government Minister Kitty Usher standing down because of her expenses’ claims, Burnley is the sort of seat the Liberal Democrats need to gain from Labour in order to do well. The Lib Dem candidate, Gordon Birtwistle, is the current leader of Burnley Council and has strong local roots and the Liberal Democrats have performed well in recent local elections.

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Posted in News | Also tagged alex finnegan, burnley, mandate | 10 Comments

Burnley Lib Dems call for Kitty Ussher to quit and trigger by-election

By The Voice | Published 18th June 2009 - 11:08 am

Fresh from their amazing showing in the local and European elections, Burnley Lib Dems have urged local MP Kitty Ussher – who today quit the government over her expenses claims – to let voters have their say on who should now represent them. Here’s the press release issued this morning:

“Burnley Labour MP Kitty Ussher should stand down now and allow the people of Burnley to have their say on her replacement” says Burnley’s Liberal Democrat Council Leader and Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Councillor Gordon Birtwistle following the further twist in the story of the MP’s expenses.

Posted in News | Also tagged burnley, kitty ussher, mps expenses | 3 Comments

Daily View 2×2: 18 June 2009

By Alex Foster | Published 18th June 2009 - 8:00 am

Welcome to Daily View. Happy birthday to Delia Smith CBE. Today is also Autistic Pride Day.

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And it’s good news for Burnley Liberal Democrats as sub-editors across the spectrum studiously avoid the headline “The Fall of the House of Ussher“

Miss Ussher said that she was leaving the Government “with the greatest regret” but would remain as MP for Burnley until the coming election, when she will stand down from Parliament “for family reasons”.

Burnley PPC Gordon Birtwhistle, who has steered the party through taking outright control of the borough council last year, and gaining five of the six …

Posted in Daily View | Also tagged autism, costigan quist, delia smith, digital britain, iran, jonathan wallace, kitty ussher | 1 Comment

Attempt by Tories, Labour and BNP to oust Lib Dem fails by one vote

By Mark Pack | Published 14th May 2009 - 10:16 pm

News just in from Burnley where the local Liberal Democrats have put out this press release:

COUNCIL DRAMA: BNP, TORIES AND LABOUR IN UNHOLY ALLIANCE

Councillors from the BNP, Tories and Labour parties tonight joined together to try to unseat Coun Gordon Birtwistle as leader of Burnley Council – but failed after one opposition councillor abstained.

There was tension in the chamber as the votes were counted, with the four BNP, six Tory and eleven of the twelve Labour councillors voting against Coun Birtwistle. But for the abstention of a single senior Labour councillor, the vote could have seen the Council without a …

Posted in Opposition watch | Also tagged burnley council | 9 Comments

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