Seeing some headlines claiming rejoining Erasmus+ programme will “brainwash” young people.
Complete and utter nonsense.
I spent one of the best years of my life in Hannover, met friends I’m still in touch with & improved critical thinking by having my views challenged from different perspectives.
Three stages so far. Still a lot more to walk.
What a wonderful way to enjoy our natural surroundings - and at no cost!
Find out about the Ringway here ⬇️
www.gmringway.org
🥾And tell me what your favourite walk is in the comments below!
Each of the 20 stages which make up the route around Greater Manchester is accessible by public transport - comprising a total of 200 miles through all of the ten boroughs, and supported by a dedicated wayfinder app.
With the days getting longer and warmer, now’s the perfect time to get out and about - enjoying nature, getting fit and away from a screen.
I’ve walked from Walker Fold to Blackrod previously, and from Bury to Bromley Cross.
GREATER MANCHESTER RINGWAY WALK
Many followers will know I’m a passionate advocate for spending time in the great outdoors - whether it’s walking, kayaking, running or trekking.
So I was delighted to walk another leg of the GM Ringway recently with my constituent, Richard.
Our armed forces aren’t simply hanging around, as the Leader of the Opposition claims.
Proud to show my respect for our armed forces personnel, who continue to serve day in, day out on the land, in the air and at sea, keeping the homeland safe.
And now we know Reform UK’s Deputy Leader, Richard Tice, failed to pay £91k in taxes from his property business before routing his profits offshore.
This comes off the back of previous reporting on how he paid almost no corporation tax between 2018-21 despite his company making millions of pounds.
A tiny firm - so small it doesn’t have to publish audited accounts - with £81k in cash made 7 donations totalling £200k to Reform UK.
We now know the firm has had long-term dealings in Iran, including a €145m deal with the Iranian state-owned telecoms company.
Reform have more questions to answer.
This is not normal. We should all be worried.
Voters in the upcoming local elections need to ask themselves one thing: what is it about Farage that attracts criminals and billionaires who are ‘depressed about the state of Britain’ and want to help, until it’s time to pay tax in this country?
This is on brand for Farage and Reform. Whether it’s taking Russian bribes, soliciting murky crypto donations or associating with convicted money launderers, and now banking millions from someone who a US court found was helping criminals clean their dirty money. They should hand back every penny.
But the Telegraph handed him a column where he presents himself as a plucky truth-teller who "cannot cope with lying politicians". This is the same man who admitted in court to falsifying records and looking the other way while criminals used his platform. You couldn't make it up.
So when Reform accepts £4 million from this man, are they sure of where this money actually coming from? A man convicted of running a platform deliberately designed to hide the origins of money is now pouring cash into British politics. Red flag, red flag, red flag.
It gets worse. Delo personally doctored his own company's records to hide the fact that a customer was breaking the rules. He also kept serving customers in Iran - a country under international sanctions. He was fined $10 million and could have gone to prison for five years.
His platform was officially described in court as "in effect a money laundering platform". When Delo was told it was being used to launder the proceeds of a hack, he did nothing. No reports filed. No action taken. In six years, his company never once flagged suspicious activity to authorities.
Ben Delo isn't just a "billionaire expat" with a soft spot for Farage. In 2022 he was found guilty of serious criminal charges in the United States. American prosecutors said he deliberately built a dodgy crypto platform designed to help people hide dirty money. He admitted as much in court.
The Telegraph just gave a convicted criminal a two-page spread to explain why he's pumping £4 million into Reform UK. They tucked his criminal record away in the small print. So as a former financial crime specialist I’ll do their job for them👇
Best part of the job. Out in Hulton talking to voters this week.
Weather has certainly helped!
Fantastic weather for a wonderful scoop of raspberry sorbet ice cream from Milk Maids!
Phil Brickell MP in front of an audience at his SEND roundtable with Cllr John McHugh and Cllr Jackie Schofield present.
Thank you to everyone who attended my SEND roundtable yesterday.
Very much a listening exercise for me as I heard from the experiences of local parents navigating the SEND system.
Wishing everyone a peaceful and reflective Good Friday.
The conviction of Reform's Nathan Gill for taking bribes from Russia is a wake up call - hostile states are seeking to undermine our democracy at every turn.
The Government has already acted, but there's more we can do.
A real pleasure to visit Sacred Heart School, Westhoughton, presenting the British Council International School Award - recognising the school's work adding an international dimension to the curriculum and helping pupils understand their place in the world.
I won’t tolerate the UK being used as a safe haven for dirty money.
Firms can’t shrug their shoulders when their own lax approach to preventing money laundering facilitates these kinds of transactions.
Such abject failures must have consequences.
So I’ll be raising this case with HMT.
That’s why we need far stronger supervision of the regulated sector - it’s far too patchy, often weak and needs expanding.
Plus we need an increase in regulatory action - how can it be that due diligence failed so spectacularly?
Were red flags not identified?
How did Su account for his money?
Our Anti Money Laundering framework is toothless if firms do not undertake proper checks and report suspicions to law enforcement.
Firms looking to make a quick buck hiding behind quotes such as “complied with all applicable legal and regulatory requirements” isn’t acceptable.
🧵Let me get this straight
A Chinese national, with a St Kitts and St Nevis passport, who is also a Cambodian citizen, wanted by the Chinese authorities, used 12 UK companies of which he is the sole shareholder and beneficiary to buy 85 luxury flats in London worth £81m and no red flags were raised.
This has created a more sustainable income and improved quality of life. Farming the land since the 1950s, the family are proud long-term custodians. Great to see lapwings and curlews return. A strong example of farming and nature working together.
On Friday, met Richard and John from Yate Fold Farm on Chorley Old Road with Ann from Environment Bank to discuss how the farm has diversified since 2022. Beef cattle remain, while dairy has been replaced with biodiversity net gain, including wild flowers and shrubland.
