Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
15 July 2026
Independence Referendum
I will not be overly effusive about the Secretary of State or the Minister, because that might not be helpful for them in the next few days; when there was a previous change of Prime Minister, as soon as Anna Soubry stood up and said that I had done a good job at the Scotland Office, I knew I was do…
Commons
Oral Questions
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
9 July 2026
Agri-tech Sector
I encourage the Secretary of State to visit the Roslin Institute, just outside Edinburgh. It is most famous, of course, for the cloning of Dolly the sheep, and it is one of the world’s leading agri-tech centres. Although it is in Scotland, it is extremely important that it is regarded as a UK asset,…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
9 July 2026
NATO Summit
I recognise the Foreign Secretary’s personal commitment to Sudan, and I am very pleased that she is shining a spotlight on El Obeid. However, although I recognise how difficult it is to work closely with our Gulf allies on the situation in Iran while at the same time having to condemn them for their…
Commons
Westminster Hall
7 July 2026
5 contributions
UK Aid Policy: Global Funding Trends
I beg to move,
That this House has considered UK aid policy in the context of global funding trends.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Efford. I refer to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. I also thank the Backbench Business Committee for granting this vi…
I absolutely do. I will come on to the most effective way in which limited resources can be used, and that is clearly one of them.
We need to have honesty in this debate and acknowledge that reductions and changes in funding have consequences. We must have that honest dialogue and move away from th…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
7 July 2026
Carlisle-Settle Railway: 150th Anniversary
I commend the hon. Lady for raising the issue: the Carlisle-Settle railway line is so important, and Carlisle is a great railway town with such a strong tradition. Does she agree that the points that she makes about the campaign for the Carlisle-Settle line are also applicable to the Borders railway…
Commons
Westminster Hall
22 June 2026
2 contributions
Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Newborn Screening Test
Order. I do not intend to apply a time limit to contributions. Members will note that the clocks in Westminster Hall are not functioning. If someone speaks for longer than might be reasonable, I will call them to order. I call Ed Argar, who I am sure will not do that.
Our final Back-Bench contribution will be from Chris Vince.
Commons
Ministerial Statement
21 May 2026
Middle East
While the trade agreement with the GCC is obviously welcome, why does the Minister think it is possible to reach a trade agreement with the GCC but not to influence its members to play a more positive role in resolving the issues in Yemen, Sudan and elsewhere? They have a key role to play in these d…
Commons
Oral Questions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
21 April 2026
Gulf Conflict
Has the Foreign Secretary made any assessment of what impact the conflict is having on the horrendous humanitarian situation in Yemen? Given Iran’s continued support for the Houthis, does she believe that in discussions to end the conflict there will be some opportunity to make a positive impact on …
Commons
Debate
20 April 2026
Security Vetting
Is the Prime Minister really saying that in the appointment of Peter Mandelson, he did not himself consider that there might be issues with his vetting process, given his track record? Is it not even more incredible that he then did not query whether there had been any issues with that vetting proce…
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
15 April 2026
Child Poverty
Obviously I do not agree with the Secretary of State’s analysis, but I think we can agree that child poverty and the other challenges that face real people in Scotland should be the focus of this Scottish Parliament election campaign, and not independence, for which, incredibly, the Reform UK candid…
Commons
Westminster Hall
23 March 2026
3 contributions
Puberty Blockers Clinical Trial
Order. I remind Members that they should bob if they wish to be called. As the debate is heavily subscribed, I am afraid that I will have to impose a two-minute speech limit from the start, and even that will not guarantee that everyone will be called.
Thank you, Mr Smith, for keeping to time, which I am sure Rebecca Paul will do as well.
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
18 March 2026
Fuel Duty
Does my right hon. Friend agree that in large rural constituencies such as mine, it is not just about constituents having to pay additional fuel duty at the pump, because they also pay it through everything they buy? Everything has to be transported into these rural areas, and there are services tha…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
12 March 2026
Business of the House
I would like to associate myself with the earlier remarks about the Dunblane tragedy.
Could the Leader of the House arrange for a statement on Government support for egg production in the UK, which is a vital part of the food chain? My constituency has some of the UK’s largest egg producers, such a…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
12 March 2026
2 contributions
Hospitality Sector
7. What steps his Department is taking to support the hospitality sector.
Energy costs are obviously a huge issue for hospitality businesses in a large rural constituency such as Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale, but they are also an issue for hospitality business customers, because generally people travel to those businesses using their cars. Will the Minister and…
Commons
Westminster Hall
12 March 2026
3 contributions
Marriage Regulations
I beg to move,
That this House has considered the potential merits of modernising marriage regulations.
It is a great pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Christopher. The gateway to my constituency, and indeed Scotland, is the historical village of Gretna Green. For centuries, Gretna Gr…
I agree. The hon. Lady will be aware that many humanists come to Scotland, and indeed to Gretna Green, to get married for that very reason. That issue needs to be addressed in the context of modernising marriage regulations.
Dumfries and Galloway council, one of the three councils in my Dumfriesshi…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
11 March 2026
Royal Mail: Universal Service Obligation
I had the opportunity to meet senior management at Royal Mail yesterday, after constituents in Symington and Thankerton in the Clydesdale area of my constituency received no mail at all for more than 10 days. I want to return to the issue of postal voting in the Scottish elections and other election…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
10 March 2026
Digital ID: Public Consultation
My long experience is that the Scottish Government are quite prepared to ignore consultations, especially on the views of my constituents. Will the Minister set out how this system will work if the Scottish Government do not co-operate in it and instead use it to try to take forward their independen…
Commons
Oral Questions
Treasury
10 March 2026
Topical Questions
T2. I am the Member of Parliament for one of the largest rural constituencies in the United Kingdom, so the rise in the cost of heating oil is obviously a major concern for me. I welcome the opportunity to meet the Financial Secretary, and I hope that liquefied petroleum gas can also be on the agend…
Commons
Proceedings
5 March 2026
Business of the House
As the MP for Gretna Green, the wedding capital of Europe, I particularly welcome next week’s debate on modernising marriage laws. I encourage all colleagues to take part in that.
The last few days have marked the 25th anniversary of the 2001 foot and mouth disease outbreak. That had devastating ef…
Commons
Oral Questions
5 March 2026
Devolved Administrations
Does the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster share my profound disappointment that once again the Scottish National party is seeking to frame the Scottish elections as being about a divisive independence referendum, rather than about devolved powers, on which its record is so woeful?
Commons
Debate
4 March 2026
3 contributions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
I thank the Chair of the International Development Committee for her opening remarks, and I echo the sentiments of the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon). Does she agree that it was extremely disappointing that the previous Government, and indeed this Government, did not follow the recommendat…
Let me begin with a very specific request to the Minister, which I hope he will be able to grant. My request is for a continuing commitment to Abercrombie House in East Kilbride as the FCDO’s second headquarters. The Government scrapped plans to build a new headquarters in Glasgow, and have so far c…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
3 March 2026
Sudan: Humanitarian Situation
I hope that the Foreign Secretary will read the evidence from Samaritan’s Purse to the International Development Committee last week, which reiterated the issues on sexual violence. We also heard that in refugee camps, many people have to be naked because they have had no option but to sell their cl…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
2 March 2026
Middle East
The Houthis in Yemen have declared their support for Iran but have so far taken no pre-emptive action. Given that the UK has previously been willing to take action against the Houthis, would we be willing to do so again if they become involved?
Commons
Ministerial Statement
25 February 2026
Post Office Green Paper
I have a particular interest in this matter, because the world’s oldest post office is in Sanquhar, in my constituency, which has operated continuously since 1712, despite some scares in recent years. The Minister would be very welcome to visit it. I urge him to get some urgency into the discussion …
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
25 February 2026
Relations with Scottish Government
I begin by paying tribute to the former Scottish Cabinet Secretary Jeane Freeman, who sadly passed away this month. I dealt extensively with Jeane in the implementation of the Scotland Act 2016 and always found her very professional and personable. I also hope that the Secretary of State’s visit to …