My first year in LA

Back on the treadmill, Brexit and diaries about nuclear warheads

When you hear "LA," your mind jets off to the sunny shores and star-studded streets of Los Angeles. Well, I packed away my surfboard and held onto my flat cap because there's a new LA - Leeds Area. Nestled in the heart of West Yorkshire, this LA dazzles with Hollywood's glitz and deserves its place as the emerging cultural capital of the North.

As I approach a year of living in LA, here are six reasons I moved to my very own Northern Powerhouse—where the tea flows as freely as the banter and the welcome is warm as Yorkshire pudding right out of the oven.

Welcome to LA. It’s reet good.

1. Scenic and Connected: Beyond the "pure, bracing ventilation" described by Emily Brontë, LA offers a vibrant lifestyle with easy access to three urban centres. You're always within a 45-minute journey from Leeds and Manchester, and London is just a train ride away—at two hours and 17 minutes for under £40 on a good day. Whether commuting or returning from a night out, convenient Uber services ensure you're never stranded. LA also has some of the best cycle routes in the UK, if you like that sort of thing.

2. Cultural Hub: In 2025, Bradford will proudly wear the title of City of Culture. I can’t wait to see the city transform, with exciting new developments like the revamp of the beloved National Media Museum—a favourite of my children. For more details, visit Bradford 2025. And if you’ve not visited the Hepworth Wakefield, you really should.

3. Architectural Marvel: Forget Venice, Halifax offers the neo-classical splendour of the Piece Hall. This architectural gem recently hosted Grammy-nominated music producer Erik “Blu2th” Griggs. He loved it so much he wanted to return. After finishing at the Sydney Opera House in May, Air plays this Halifax palace in June. Can’t wait. Find out more here - The Piece Hall.

4. Exclusive Social Scene: The iconic Groucho Club is set to open its northern branch in LA at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in 2026. Groucho Bretton promises to be a legendary social and cultural venue. I've already checked—it's a £13 Uber ride from my home. If the Groucho doesn’t appeal, Leeds has excellent bars, and Manchester has fabulous pubs.

5. Art in Nature: LA boasts the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, which spans 500 acres and features works from renowned artists like Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, and Ai Weiwei. It's a cultural feast set in Yorkshire's natural beauty.

6. Vibrant Music Scene: LA's music scene is thriving, with an incredible lineup of DJs and live music venues that energise a night out. Last month, for example, I started my evening in a Leeds Bar where this legendary DJ was playing and ended it with a live band at Hebden Trades Club.

What are the Downsides?

There are few, but there is one. I hesitate to mention the local pastime—moaning. I'm not talking your standard grumble over a cuppa. Up here, some (not all) residents have elevated complaining to an art form. You've got folks with a legitimate beef, and then there's the others, turning whinging into the West Yorkshire Olympics.

I joined a few Facebook groups—Mirfield and Dewsbury Matters—run by someone called "Vulture Images." This character could start a riot over a misplaced bin. If you’re considering moving to LA, avoid getting news from these drama dens.

On the political flip side, I had a chinwag with the boss of Hebden Trades Club, who spent a solid hour explaining why it's an independent socialist club and why they’re not too keen on the "disappointing" Keir Starmer. By the time we called it a night, I was convinced Keir would win back the Red Wall only if the Hebden Head Honcho was disappointed with him.

---

Has grief ever disrupted your fitness?

I’d genuinely like to know whether this is a common occurrence.

This month, I’m reflecting on the challenges that have shaped my journey towards wellness. The path has been far from smooth, marked by personal losses that tested my resilience.

In 2017, I embarked on a mission to improve my health, achieving significant milestones like shedding weight and putting type two diabetes into remission. My programme sustained me for five years until 2022, a year of absolute misery.

In that fateful year, we grieved the loss of my dad. Yet, the most significant challenge lay ahead in early 2023, when my stepfather succumbed to illness after I had spent four months helping care for him with my sister and brother-in-law. The emotional toll of these losses was profound, leaving us grappling with grief.

I refused to let despair dictate the daily grind. Still, in the summer of 2023, the diagnosis of prostate cancer added another layer of complexity to life, casting a shadow over my fitness routine. I’ll put it bluntly: after prostate treatment, lifting weights and riding bikes had to stop for a while! The weight piled on. After getting the all-clear, celebrating the fact that I was still alive lasted longer than I anticipated, and I ballooned further.

Dusted this down from the shelf. Like visiting an old friend.

Armed with the lessons learned from past adversities, I’ve put a hard stop to slack behaviour and reclaimed my old routine. I’m back to a rules-based approach to life. Daily weigh-ins, low-carb food choices and a steps target are back. I’ve reinstated the rule to take all 51 stairs to my House of Lords office. I applied a Libre 2 continuous glucose monitor to the data collection, and I’m measuring ketones.

Nearly three weeks in, I’m 5kgs lighter, and my blood sugar management is exceptional. I’ve drunk alcohol on two days out of the last 20, though when I did, it was too much!

If I manage to maintain focus, I’ll share a few recipes in the weeks ahead. I’m keeping it pretty simple this month: lots of eggs, steak, fish, berries, cauliflower and broccoli. Today, I’m making a bumper batch of guacamole. I’m trying to get into ketosis, and I found that cream and MCT oil help me avoid carb cravings. The cream will have to go soon though!

---

Reading

Tim’s book was highly recommended to me. When my kids are older, they may read it, if only to understand why their country has become the laughingstock of the world. Without wanting to spoil the plot, it’s mainly down to the personal ambition of Boris Johnson.

Writing

I was asked to write a diary for the House Magazine. It’s been a while since I’ve written political stuff and it was fun. The link is here but for ease, I reproduce it below:

Here we are again, engaging in a Kafkaesque tango with the Ministry of Defence (MOD). During Oral Questions in the House of Lords, I seized my 90 seconds in the spotlight to champion our nuclear test veterans, whose scepticism towards the MOD’s transparency remains unassuaged. The crux of the dispute centres on what the state knew about the medical checks conducted on these veterans during the late-50s nuclear test programme.

This month, the department’s approach has been akin to a magician’s sleight of hand. While grandly announcing the release of 150 documents from the enigmatically named Merlin computer system at the Atomic Weapons Establishment in Aldermaston, the government is concurrently, and somewhat clandestinely, attempting to reclassify thousands of documents within the national archives. Could these files contain the evidence needed by the veterans to substantiate claims of medical injuries? A growing chorus of veterans, lawyers, and former defence ministers seem to think so.

In a novel approach to my question, I aimed to aid the department – and, indeed, current and future ministers. To maintain public trust in the new £20bn warhead programme, we must address the seeds of mistrust sown by our first warhead programme concerning the nuclear test veterans’ medical records. Implicit in my question was a call to all peers: support the independent nuclear deterrent as the new Trident system takes shape. It’ll be far simpler if we can resolve the veterans’ issues first. I tossed out an olive branch; one can only hope it was spotted.

After undergoing cancer treatment last year, my weight has ballooned, prompting me to act this week to get back on track. I’ve banned tuna melt toasties at the Bishops’ Bar in the Lords. It’s a funny name for a bar, particularly as I’ve never actually spotted a bishop in there. One of my new rules is always opting for the stairs over the lift. The journey to my new office involves climbing 51 steps – a feat that initially left me breathless. I share this office with Lord Dave Watts, nearly 20 years my senior, who kindly offered to procure an oxygen mask for me after our first ascent together.

Later, on the last couple of hours of local elections in West Yorkshire, I found myself door-knocking – slightly rusty but thoroughly invigorated by the enthusiasm of young campaigners. To show my appreciation, I phoned Gordon Brown and had him thank everyone for all that they do via speakerphone. The youngsters seemed delighted – or perhaps they were humouring a whimsical old Lord.

I was out canvassing with the effervescent local MP for Batley and Spen, Kim Leadbeater. Observing the reaction to Kim and the candidates in the mayoral race underscored how the charisma and personality of our representatives are increasingly swaying voting intentions. Gone are the days when academics pondered a mere two per cent incumbency advantage; Kim’s reception suggests this effect has substantially intensified. I ponder whether the spate of Conservative retirements might similarly bolster Labour’s chances at the upcoming general election.

---

As for the mayoral results, waiting for them on Saturday afternoon was more gripping than an episode of Football Focus. Sadiq Khan’s performance was reminiscent of West Bromwich Albion – a 2-0 lead that always leaves you fretting about a 3-2 defeat.

Meanwhile, the West Midlands delivered a result as startling as Aston Villa snatching a last-minute victory against Manchester City. What a dramatic climax to our local election season, capped off by Sandwell – the borough I once represented as an MP – sealing the deal for new West Midlands mayor, Richard Parker. It was, indeed, Sandwell wot won it!

Defeated mayor Andy Street delivered a speech that will surely be studied as a model in speech-writing courses for years to come. Short, respectful, and dignified it left me thinking that Mr Street would make an excellent addition to parliament, whether in the Commons or the Lords.