On Saturday 27 June 2009, I told the monthly meeting of Darlington Labour Party that I would be standing down as Member of Parliament at the next general election. 

It has been my privilege to have served as Darlington ’s MP since 1992.  In those 17 years I have been proud to work alongside countless local people and organisations in trying to make life better for the people of the town.  I would like to thank them – and in particular local Labour Party members – for all their help and support.  I could not have asked for more.  Without the support of people in Darlington I would not have had the chance to serve in a Labour government.  I will always be grateful for that. 

I decided to make this announcement now, before the summer, so that Darlington Labour Party has ample time to choose a new candidate for the next election.  It is not a decision I have taken lightly.  It is one I have been considering for a long time.  I left frontline ministerial politics, and have not wished to return, because I wanted to have a different way of life.  I have never regretted doing so.  Standing down as an MP, in my early 50s, gives me the opportunity to have the right balance between my work life and my family life with time to pursue other interests outside of politics. 

In the meantime I will continue to work hard for the local community and for a Labour victory at the next election. 

The move towards global and immediate action on climate change has been agreed as part of the Copenhagen Accord, following two weeks of intensive negotiations and two years of talks.

The Accord – agreed by major developed and developing country leaders and backed by a large majority of countries – reinforces the need for strong domestic action on climate change across the world, as the UK is itself doing through its Low Carbon Transition Plan.

The Accord agreed at Copenhagen represents the start of a new chapter on climate change, even if it does not provide everything we wanted.

The Accord includes:

- international backing for an overall limit of 2 degrees on global warming;

- agreement that all countries, developing as well as developed countries, need to take action on climate change;

- and the provision of immediate and longer term financial help to those countries most at risk of climate change.

For the first time, the new Copenhagen Accord will also:

- List what each and every country is doing to tackle climate change – including economy-wide commitments to cut emissions by developed countries and actions by developing countries.

- Introduce real scrutiny and transparency to ensure emission targets are put into effect, with mandatory reporting every two years for developing countries.

- Provide billion of immediate short term funding from developed countries over the next three years to kick start emission reduction measures and help the poorest countries adapt to the impacts of climate change.

- Commit developed countries to work to provide long term financing of 0 billion a year by 2020, a figure first put forward by Prime Minister Gordon Brown in June of this year.

What happens next?

Alan Milburn MP called on the Government and the road haulage industry to make the campaign for seatbelts in all heavy goods vehicles a priority for the New Year.

In a Parliamentary debate secured on this issue, Alan Milburn pressed for action to close the current legal loophole and ensure that road hauliers fit seatbelts in all their vehicles. His constituent Peter Williams was tragically killed aged 23 when the 1995 Calor Gas lorry he was driving crashed. The lorry was not fitted with seatbelts. Since then Mr Milburn has been working closely with the Williams family to urge lorry-owners to fit seatbelts.

For more information on this campaign, click here