The damage that the Conservative Party has done to our country has been immense.

While the economic shocks from Covid-19 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could not be predicted, Britain is lagging in its recovery compared to our G7 counterparts.

Sunak promised professionalism; his premiership so far is 'a professional car crash'

In another example of the merry-go-round that is Tory government these days, Rishi Sunak, after jumping ship as Chancellor three months ago and personally putting the last nail in the coffin of Boris Johnson’s stint as Prime Minister, has returned to Downing Street as the latest captain of the sleaze and scandal-ridden sinking ship that is this Tory government.

Tories are making life harder for people every day they are in office.

The kamikaze budget will have significant repercussions for household bills, budgets and the future of the country.

Labour will sort out backlog and put patients at core of NHS.



When my constituent Adam (his name has been changed to protect his privacy) asked for an appointment with a doctor, he was made to wait three months. At the consultation he was told he needed a full hip replacement and that he would have to wait another nine months for a surgery date. Six months later, he called the hospital to ask when that date might be. The hospital told him that he would have to wait a further twelve months.

The announcement that Go North East will scale back bus services across the North East is utterly predictable.  When central government fails to provide proper funding for bus services, companies are forced to cut back on vital bus routes because they are unviable to run.  It makes a mockery of levelling up and leaves behind the communities that need public transport the most.

Echo Column: Office closure makes it clear levelling-up rhetoric is hollow.

A child’s access to healthy food should not be quibbled over.



I wish to express my utter and complete condemnation for Vladimir Putin and his administration as it wages an invasion in Ukraine, killing innocent civilians and wounding many more. I have been working closely with colleagues to ensure that the Government offers the best route to asylum for Ukrainian refugees fleeing their homes as their brave soldiers repel the Russian invaders.

But, closer to home, this week I raised the issue of regional food inequality in Parliament.

You can read Sharon's latest Echo column below, or on the Sunderland Echo Website



Inflation is at the highest level that it has been in three decades, food costs are soaring, and fuel bills could increase by another 50% in the next few months. We are in a cost of living crisis.

You can read Sharon's latest Echo column below, or on the Sunderland Echo Website




One hundred and fifty thousand Britons have died of coronavirus,
and this could be as high as 175,000 if the 28-day marker is not used.

You can read Sharon's latest Echo column below or on the Sunderland Echo Website

We must work internationally to stop the spread of Covid-19.

I would like to take the time to express my thanks for the hard work and dedication of our country’s NHS staff, like those working hard at the Nightingale vaccination hub, and the wider scientific community for the vaccination efforts that are saving lives this winter. It is because of these heroes that life has been allowed to return to some sense of normality.