Commons
Oral Questions
Work and Pensions
29 June 2026
2 contributions
Supporting British Pensioners
14. What recent steps he has taken to support British pensioners.
I thank the Minister for his reply, but he will know that my borough of Havering has the second largest number of older people in the entirety of Greater London. Nearly a quarter of my constituents are within that age bracket, and they are losing out. I know that the Government’s policy on the winte…
Commons
Proceedings
25 June 2026
Sudan
There is a consensus across the House that the horrific occurrences in Sudan are worthy of global attention and action well beyond what has been done so far. We spend a lot of time talking about Gaza in this Chamber, but very little time talking about Sudan, which is a far greater humanitarian crisi…
Commons
Westminster Hall
24 June 2026
2 contributions
Animal Shelters: Regulation of Euthanasia
I beg to move,
That this House has considered the regulation of the use of euthanasia in dog and animal shelters.
It is a pleasure once again to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Furniss. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to raise an issue that is of deep concern to animal welfare organisati…
The hon. Member is, of course, absolutely correct. The laws in this area are completely inadequate, and as I will go on to say later, this is something that people across the British Isles care deeply about. We are a nation of animal lovers, and there is no greater animal lover than the hon. Member.…
Commons
Oral Questions
Treasury
23 June 2026
2 contributions
Loan Charge
2. What steps she has taken to support people adversely affected by the loan charge.
The Minister will be aware that tens of thousands of people continue to suffer because of the loan charge scandal, and that successive Governments, both Labour and Conservative, have failed those people. They have dithered, delayed and ignored reviews, causing confusion, worsening the financial harm…
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
3 June 2026
Engagements
Q7. I wonder if the Prime Minister has had the chance to study the election results in Havering: zero Labour councillors were elected in Romford, zero Conservative councillors were elected across Havering for the first time since 1964 and it is the first Reform UK London borough. That shows people’s…
Commons
Oral Questions
22 April 2026
2 contributions
Defence Sector
2. What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the defence sector in Wales on the UK’s defence capabilities.
The Minister will be aware of the excellent potential of the defence sector in Wales. However, she will also be aware that the United Kingdom, under this Government, is woefully unprepared and uniquely vulnerable to global and geopolitical threats. What steps is she taking to ensure that her Departm…
Commons
Proceedings
26 March 2026
3 contributions
Points of Order
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I am sure you will agree that the disclosure of the Mandelson files is of national importance and in the public interest, so can you please confirm that all the Mandelson files—including those restricted by the police—will be released to the Intelligence an…
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker.
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
26 March 2026
Business of the House
This week, I was shocked to hear about the unacceptable living conditions that my constituents are enduring at Haynes Park Court in Hornchurch. Leaseholders and tenants paying substantial service charges report rat infestations, black mould, damp and water leaks, alongside concerns about antisocial …
Commons
Debate
26 March 2026
Local Government Reorganisation
My hon. Friend the Member for Harwich and North Essex (Sir Bernard Jenkin) is absolutely right: Essex has existed since before the Norman conquest, and during those years, everything from the River Lea to the North sea was part of the great county of Essex. Yet today, the people of Havering and my c…
Commons
Oral Questions
19 March 2026
Business of the House
I have absolutely no doubt that the Leader of the House will have joined all of us in celebrating St Patrick’s day on Tuesday 17 March. I thank you, Mr Speaker, for hosting a St Patrick’s day celebration in Speaker’s House. However, why are the Ulster banner and the cross of St Patrick not flown fro…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
12 March 2026
Business of the House
Every year, for St George’s day, my local scouts in Romford have a parade and a service at a local church; in fact, there are two parades in Havering, as this also happens in Hornchurch. This year, however, the police have withdrawn support as they are not prepared to marshal the very short parade o…
Commons
Debate
11 March 2026
2 contributions
Commonwealth Day 2026
rose —
I commend my hon. Friend for his initiative in having this debate and for his work as co-chairman of the all-party parliamentary group for the Commonwealth. Does he agree that the Commonwealth’s wider members—our overseas territories, the Crown dependencies, the external territories of Australia and…
Commons
Proceedings
5 March 2026
Business of the House
In 1986, when President Ronald Reagan contacted Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to ask that Royal Air Force bases in the UK be used to attack the Gaddafi regime in Libya, she said yes. This Prime Minister has said no to the same request from the current President, refusing the use of the Chagos isl…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
2 March 2026
Middle East
I hope the Prime Minister agrees that current events show how vital military infrastructure is in the middle eastern region of the world. However, at the very moment when Diego Garcia is relied on as a critical asset, the Prime Minister proposes to transfer sovereignty to Mauritius and to lease back…
Commons
Oral Questions
Education
2 March 2026
Topical Questions
Does the Secretary of State agree that we should prioritise the promotion of British heritage in schools? If so, will she bring in a policy to ensure that every school flies the Union Jack outside its premises, and that a different pupil gets the chance to raise the national flag every morning?
Commons
Westminster Hall
2 March 2026
2 contributions
Power to Cancel Local Elections
Cancelling elections is always wrong, unless there is an extreme situation that necessitates postponement of an election. I cannot think of many examples in recent years in which that was necessary. I remember when Margaret Thatcher abolished the Greater London Council. She extended its term by one …
I am glad the hon. Gentleman has sympathy with me, because local identity matters. Giving a council a name that everyone feels represented by is very important, so I hope that will become a reality. Middlesex Heritage is campaigning strongly for this. Even I get requests to raise this issue, althoug…
Commons
Oral Questions
25 February 2026
Diego Garcia and British Indian Ocean Territory
I think we are getting to the crux of this issue. The Minister was in the Foreign Office when the negotiations were taking place. He should know that the Île du Coin in the Peros Banhos atoll, where Misley Mandarin, the first minister appointed by the Chagossian people, is currently situated, is now…
Commons
Proceedings
12 February 2026
Business of the House
Further to the question from the right hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Sir John Hayes), I know that the Leader of the House will fully appreciate that he is a member of His Majesty’s Government. In 2022, guidance issued under the last Conservative Administration established “UK Gover…
Commons
Oral Questions
Transport
12 February 2026
2 contributions
Commuter Safety
3. What steps she is taking with public transport providers to help improve the safety of commuters.
The Secretary of State is only too well aware of the dither, delay and ineptitude of the Mayor of London and Transport for London over the Gallows Corner A127-A12 junction. It should have been completed last year, but the works will apparently be going on not only until the spring of this year, but …
Commons
Oral Questions
5 February 2026
Business of the House
Last week I visited Gina and Vincenzo, the owners of a fantastic local Italian restaurant in Hornchurch, whose much-loved business is struggling under the weight of extortionate business rates. They used to pay £2,200 a year, but are now having to pay around £6,800; however, according to the calcula…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
29 January 2026
Business of the House
The Leader of the House will be aware that, on Monday, I joined my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Fareham and Waterlooville (Suella Braverman) at a huge rally in support of our brave British veterans, a magnificent occasion organised by my hon. Friend the Member for Clacton (Nigel Fara…
Commons
Debate
28 January 2026
7 contributions
British Indian Ocean Territory
I am very pleased to follow my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Sir Iain Duncan Smith). I only wish that, when he was the leader of the Conservative party, he had gone on to become Prime Minister, because then we would not be sitting here debating this issue today. The …
I will not give way at this stage.
As I think all Members on both sides of the House will know, few issues have consumed so much of the 25 years of my parliamentary life as the British Indian Ocean Territory, the Chagos islands and, more importantly, the Chagossian people. For more than two decades…
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
26 January 2026
Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill
When the historians write about this period of British history, those who have engineered this betrayal of British sovereignty over the King’s islands, along with the complete betrayal of the loyal British-Chagossian people, will not come out of it too well. I ask the Minister, even at this late sta…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
22 January 2026
Local Government Reorganisation
I agree with the right hon. Member for Chorley (Sir Lindsay Hoyle), who has said that these elections should go ahead. Indeed, democracy delayed is democracy denied. In the past, when there has been a delay to local elections, I cannot remember it ever being for longer than one year. When Margaret T…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
22 January 2026
Business of the House
The Leader of the House will remember that nearly a decade ago, on 17 November 2016, I asked a question on the subject of the resettlement and subsequent self-determination of the Chagos islanders. The then Minister, Sir Alan Duncan, shamefully said:
“we do not consider that the right of self-deter…