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The Times •

‘I owe a debt to Britain’: the Labour candidate who fled the Taliban

The last time there was a new Labour government, Roh Yakobi was a child in Afghanistan, listening to news of Princess Diana’s death on BBC Persian radio. A year later the Taliban had massacred his people, his father had gone into hiding, and Yakobi would later be tortured.

Now, having come to Britain aged 16, he is standing to be a Labour MP to repay the debt he feels towards the country who took him in.
The Yorkshire Post •

David Blunkett: 'If you're not learning something new every day, then you're not really living.'

For more than 50 years Labour veteran David Blunkett has been involved in some sort of politics.

From being at one time the youngest councillor in the country, balancing planning committees with studying at the University of Sheffield, to now taking his seat in the House of Lords, he has seen almost every facet of how the United Kingdom is run.

But it was not the route to the corridors of power that many of the country’s statesmen have taken.

Dehenna Davison: 'I thought Churchill was a Labour PM, studying politics was one of the best decisions I ever made'

When Dehenna Davison chose to study politics as an A-Level, it was not because of some deep-seated love for robust debate or a wish to be a parliamentarian making speeches in the House of Commons.

In fact, growing up on a council estate in Sheffield, the 27-year-old - one of the youngest MPs to be elected for the first time at 2019’s General Election - Ms Davison’s family rarely discussed politics, and she thought Winston Churchill had been a Labour Prime Minister.
The Yorkshire Post •

Caroline Flint: 'Covid has proven manufacturing in this country can be revived'

From playing a central role in the industrial revolution to Sheffield’s proud heritage in steel-making, to 19th century wool mills or in more recent years the energy sector, Yorkshire’s position in the manufacturing industry has been integral to the country’s success.

And it is a strong base in manufacturing which must be revived for the economy to survive the devastating recession caused by coronavirus.
The Yorkshire Post •

Bradford-born Lord Greaves: We rebuilt the Lib Dems with grassroots campaigning before, we can do it again now

It is difficult to find anyone with more liberal blood running through their veins that Tony Greaves.

The Bradford-born peer has been involved in the movement for 60 years, since long before the modern Liberal Democrat Party - of which he remains a member - was conceived.

And it is by looking back at those days of grassroots of liberalism and community campaigning that the modern day Lib Dems can start to build a movement again, according to the veteran activist.
The Yorkshire Post •

'We need a first minister for Yorkshire' - Meet the punk singer vying to be the first mayor of West Yorkshire

When West Yorkshire elects its first metro mayor next year following the signing of a £1.8bn devolution deal with the Government, voters will likely see familiar names on the ballot.

Already putting themselves forward are MPs and council leaders, with business figures also likely to be key contenders.

But for 30-year-old punk singer Rio Goldhammer, from Bradford, the time has come for someone outside the political sphere to shake things up.
The Yorkshire Post •

Students returning to Sheffield is coronavirus fear which is 'keeping public health officials awake at night'

Directors of public health have been thrust into the limelight as the pandemic presented the “big one” that all in the sector were waiting for, one of Yorkshire's top officials has revealed.

Sheffield City Council's Greg Fell joked "even my kids want to be a public health specialist at the moment", but he said the strain placed on him and his team - as well as equivalents around the country - had been immense with no prospect of their work slowing down in the coming months.
The Yorkshire Post •

Meet the Leeds professor at the forefront of advising the government on coronavirus

Meet the Leeds professor at the forefront of advising the government on coronavirus

With a drive to get back to the office and restart the economy on the cards, the way in which coronavirus spreads - and, crucially, how to prevent that - will be at the forefront of the consciousness of scientific experts advising the government.

But following a role at the University of Leeds looking at the role of air disinfection for tuberculosis, she said she discovered the “human face of engineering” where
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