Commons
Debate
2 September 2025
2 contributions
Speciality Steel UK: Insolvency
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker—
I congratulate the Minister on saving Britain’s real engineering from years of financial engineering which was not in the best interests of this country and was more in the interests of the self-enrichment of the people behind it. The question for us today, though, is what steps the Government will …
Commons
Petition
21 July 2025
Parking Enforcement at Castle Bromwich Infant School
I rise to present a petition on behalf of residents of the Castle Bromwich ward in my constituency. It calls for Solihull metropolitan borough council to take action on the increasing number of parking violations in the area of Castle Bromwich infant and nursery school, where over the last 12 months…
Commons
Proceedings
17 July 2025
Strategy for Elections
I welcome the measures to take out dark money from our politics, but they will mean nothing unless we move forward aggressively to ban cryptocurrency donations in British politics. They are used for money laundering and to disguise dark money. They have no role in British politics. Will the Minister…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
17 July 2025
Topical Questions
The Business and Trade Committee’s inquiry on small business is still open for evidence from Members from across the House. On Tuesday, we took evidence from the chief executive of Ofgem, who made it perfectly clear that a complete collapse of regulation in the years after covid led to thousands of …
Commons
Debate
9 July 2025
7 contributions
Birmingham Pub Bombings
Fifty-one years ago, on 21 November 1974, two bombs exploded in the heart of Birmingham, at the Mulberry Bush and the Tavern in the Town. Twenty-one lives were lost and 220 people were injured. Families were destroyed, futures were stolen, and scars were left that never healed.
In those two pubs, t…
I am grateful to the hon. and learned Member for that intervention, and for his support for my call. He knows as well as I do that time after time, at every turn, the families were met with barriers, bureaucracy and broken promises. They were told that they could not get legal aid. They were told th…
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
8 July 2025
Post Office Horizon Inquiry: Volume 1
On behalf of our Committee, I welcome this report from Sir Wyn Williams. As Jo Hamilton has said, it unmasks the full horror of what was done to the sub-postmasters, including the truth that at least 13 suicides resulted from what the Post Office did to innocent people. Sir Wyn Williams echoes almos…
Commons
Petition
1 July 2025
Traffic calming measures on the slip road off Water Orton Road
I rise to present this petition on behalf of the residents of Water Orton Road, in Castle Bromwich in my constituency. It calls on Solihull council finally to take action to tackle the out-of-control speeding on the slip road off the Water Orton Road. Although Solihull council’s intention to tackle …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
23 June 2025
UK Modern Industrial Strategy
I congratulate my right hon. Friend on the biggest remaking of the relationship between the public and private sectors for a generation. The business community in this country will be stronger and better for the measures that he has announced today. Business will welcome in particular the huge inves…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
12 June 2025
11 contributions
Industrial Strategy
I rise to commend to the House the seventh report of our Select Committee and the combined brilliance of Committee members in setting out a plan, a blueprint and a framework for scrutiny of the industrial strategy, which is still to come.
Our report starts with a note of optimism, because the truth…
The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. This report is an awful lot stronger for the raft of amendments that he brought forward, and for the thought and devotion he put into Committee hearings and the interrogation of our witnesses. He is absolutely right because, ultimately, we as a country will no…
+9 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
12 June 2025
Topical Questions
I very much welcome yesterday’s investment in UK energy abundance, but as our Committee pointed out on Friday, the success of the industrial strategy will depend on a plan to cut industrial energy costs now. When the industrial strategy is published, will the Secretary of State reassure us that ther…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
11 June 2025
Spending Review 2025
This spending review is good for Britain’s business, because it invests in the things that British business needs: it invests in skills, infrastructure and innovation, cuts red tape and supports small firms. Can the Chancellor clarify that this spending review will also open a new era of energy abun…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
4 June 2025
Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories
The barbarism of Benjamin Netanyahu’s Government against the Palestinian people is beyond belief. We should not be negotiating trade deals with the Israeli Government, we should not have trade envoys on the ground, and we should not delay recognition of the state of Palestine. The Business and Trade…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
4 June 2025
Regional Growth
I congratulate my right hon. Friend on an announcement that will make a huge difference to delivering the industrial strategy for this country—something that the Business and Trade Committee will report on later this week. I particularly commend him for the £2.4 billion for the east Birmingham tram,…
Commons
Proceedings
2 June 2025
Petition
I rise to present a petition on behalf of the residents living on Hurstcroft Road and Eddish Road. They have had to endure years of inconsiderate parkers blocking their drives and, in some instances, directing their abuse and frustrations at residents. This is grossly unfair to my constituents. My c…
Commons
Debate
2 June 2025
Strategic Defence Review
I welcome the calm assurance that my right hon. Friend has brought to the House. Our country is safer and stronger for the decisions that he has announced today. But if we are to be more prosperous, too, we will need clear objectives for the spending that he has announced to drive more jobs, more in…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
22 May 2025
10 contributions
UK-EU Summit: Policy Priorities
I rise to speak to the House today on behalf of the Business and Trade Committee on our sixth report—a road map for the EU reset. I hope you will forgive me, Madam Deputy Speaker, for using this moment to share my profound thanks to the members of the Committee, who are both diligent and hard-workin…
My hon. Friend made that point repeatedly during the Committee’s deliberations. What has been especially welcome is how she consistently brings the perspective of local businesses in her Dudley constituency —the home of the industrial revolution, as we all know. She is right that, subject to consult…
+8 more contributions in this session
Commons
Petition
21 May 2025
Traffic calming measures around The Oval School in Garretts Green
I rise to present a petition on behalf of residents of the Garretts Green ward in Birmingham, calling for traffic-calming measures around the Oval school in Garretts Green. It was suggested by Miss Thomas, pastoral lead at the Oval school. It has the full support of the school’s children and parents…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
20 May 2025
UK-EU Summit
This deal is good for business and good for Britain. I congratulate the Prime Minister on embracing a good half of the Select Committee’s recommendations, which—if I might say so—were agreed on a cross-party basis. While some in this House are proposing trade barriers, the Prime Minister is building…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
8 May 2025
Trade Negotiations
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for helping to ensure that this moment was possible. Let me add my congratulations to my right hon. Friend and to His Majesty’s ambassador in Washington, Lord Mandelson, for getting this deal done. It would appear tonight that a small, common-sense retreat on duties and agricu…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
1 May 2025
Business of the House
Can we have a debate in Government time about how Ministers can back our brilliant mayor Richard Parker in creating a mayoral development corporation in east Birmingham to build the east Birmingham tram? Under the last Government, Birmingham lost £1 billion in support and was left as Britain’s capit…
Commons
Proceedings
1 May 2025
Energy Prices: Energy-intensive Industries
My hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central (Gareth Snell) is an enormous champion of the ceramics industry, and he is right to bring this question to the House today, but this issue is wider than simply the ceramics sector. Tata Steel has told our Committee that energy prices are the singl…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
1 May 2025
Trade: US Tariffs
Today the Select Committee writes to the Secretary of State to supply our response to his consultation on how we should respond to American tariffs. We have heard widespread consensus that there should not be retaliatory tariffs and that the approach the Government are pursuing is right, but we have…