John Whittingdale signs Holocaust Educational Trust Book of Commitment
This week John Whittingdale signed the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment, in doing so pledging [his/her] commitment to Holocaust Memorial Day and honouring those who were murdered during the Holocaust as well as paying tribute to the extraordinary Holocaust survivors who work tirelessly to educate young people today. This year we are marking 75 years […]
Article for the Telegraph on the future of the BBC
In the election post-mortems, the BBC and Channel Four are again under heavy fire from all the parties. Many at the Corporation will argue that the fact that no side is happy is evidence that they largely succeeded in maintaining the balance. I have never believed that the BBC is biased in favour of a […]
NFU stand
John Whittingdale visited the NFU stand at the Conservative Party Conference and met NFU Deputy President and Essex Farmer, Guy Smith. John said: “Agriculture is still a major contributor to our local economy and I have regular meetings with the Maldon and Dengie NFU. I was therefore delighted to see Guy at the Conference. We […]
Wear it Pink for Breast Cancer
John Whittingdale supported the Wear It Pink campaign organised by Breast Cancer Care and Breast Cancer Now charities in Parliament. Wear It Pink Day is Friday, 18th September. John said: “I have been contacted by a number of constituents asking me to support this excellent campaign. Sadly, in our area, an average of 346 women […]
OSCE meeting
The Organization for the Security and Co-operation in Europe has three ‘general committees’ on Political Affairs and Security; Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and the Environment; and Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions. John Whittingdale serves on the Political Affairs Committee. Watch the video of his recent contribution to debate here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8fJm41TzpA
Tiger Trade
Tigers, leopards, snow leopards, clouded leopards, lions and jaguars are being killed to meet demand for their parts and products, mostly from Chinese consumers. This demand is being sustained and stimulated by government policies – particularly in China – which continues to allow legal trade in big cat products and the commercial breeding of tigers […]
IPU UK France meeting
A delegation of UK parliamentarians from both Houses led by the BGIPU Chair, Rt Hon John Whittingdale OBE MP, visited Paris on 26-27 June to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) with members of the French IPU Group. This visit recognised the significant role played by both parliaments in the founding of […]
Guide Dogs event
John Whittingdale MP supported a campaign to tackle discrimination against guide dog owners at an event in Parliament organised by the charity Guide Dogs. John is pictured with June and her dog Shannon, and Robert and his dog, Tud, from Chelmsford. On Wednesday, 19 June, more than a hundred guide dog owners from across the […]
130th anniversary of the IPU
The Chair and Executive Committee of the BGIPU invited members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords to attend a diplomatic reception in Speaker’s House on 25 June 2019 to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). Members of the Diplomatic Corps and key stakeholders in UK Parliament were also […]
Media Freedom
Globally, threats to journalists are the highest they have been in ten years and according to Freedom House, a mere 13% of the global population have access to a free press. As highlighted in a recent House of Lords Library Briefing, UNESCO says every day serves as a reminder that “in dozens of countries around […]