Our European Team

Arlene McCarthy MEP

About Arlene

Arlene was elected to the European Parliament in 1994 and has been Labour MEP for the North West region since 1999.

Arlene is Vice Chair of the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee and will continue to be an active member of the committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection.

She was the first Labour woman MEP to Chair the European Parliament's Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee. As Chair she delivered several important new EU laws to end rip-off mobile phone charges; protect vulnerable consumers and the elderly from rogue traders and scams; secured a new EU law to ban toxic toy imports; secured an EU wide ban on the cruel trade in cat and dog fur in the EU.

Arlene is a children's rights campaigner leading on campaigns to combat internet child abuse and to introduce an EU-wide missing children hotline.

Arlene is a graduate of the Police Parliamentary Scheme. Working with Greater Manchester Police's Armed Crime Unit she introduced a major reform to EU law on gun control to tackle the illeagal supply of convertible weapons to the UK.

Arlene is an active supporter of football in the community, and recently secured additional funding for the Premier League and Football Foundation's Kickz project.

Arlene's Priorities for Gorse Hill

Since 2000 our region has benefited from over £2 billion in EU-backed regeneration investment funds which have supported the development of our public transport networks, airports, roads, tourism and our economic infrastructure and helped to train thousands of people for jobs in our towns, cities, rural areas and our key industrial centres such as Trafford Park. From 2007 to 2013 we are on track to receive another £1 billion of EU-backed investment.

Europe does more than assist us in the regeneration of our region. As a regional Euro MP and Vice Chair of the European Parliament’s Economic & Monetary Affairs Committee it’s my job to ensure we help create opportunities for our businesses to operate across the 27 EU Member States and protect our consumers when they travel, live, work or study anywhere in the EU.

Following the European Elections in June 2009, the two North West Labour Euro MPs divided the region geographically to allocate the areas where they would take the lead as Labour MEP. Arlene is lead Labour MEP for Gorse Hill Ward as part of Greater Manchester.

Brian Simpson MEP

About Brian

Brian was first elected to the European Parliament in June 1989 and is presently the Chair of the Parliament's Transport and Tourism Committee.

He comes from Golborne near Wigan and has been representing his home region, the North West of England, in the Parliament for 18 years. Brian was the spokesperson for the Socialist Group on Transport before being made Chair of the Committee in 2009. He is also a Member of the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, where he acts as Labour Party Spokesman; and the European Parliament’s delegation for relations with Australia and New Zealand.

Brian's Website

www.briansimpsonmep.co.uk