I’m delighted to have been asked to serve as Labour’s Shadow Policing Minister.

As a former Special Constable I know the good that a well-funded, motivated and accountable Police service can do.

Nothing is more important than keeping our communities safe and I will fight hard to ensure that the police have the resources and powers they need. For seven years they have been shamefully starved of those resources and my message to the Tories is clear: you cannot keep Britain safe on the cheap.”

And with online extremism and cyber security growing in importance for the police and security services, I will bring my experience as Shadow Digital Economy Minister to this role and fight for these vital new arenas of policing to be properly staffed and resourced.

Finally, since my election in May 2015 I have been proud to campaign on issues around Hillsborough and particularly Orgreave and I look forward to taking these further in my new role.