Commons
Oral Questions
16 March 2026
Strait of Hormuz
The strait of Hormuz is a narrow body of water, but so is the Red sea. The Houthis have previously set ballistic missiles and drones on commercial ships and caused a lot of damage and disruption, which again has an impact on the global economy. Thus far in the current conflict, the Houthis have been…
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
16 March 2026
2 contributions
Topical Questions
On a point of order, Mr Speaker.
It is. May I thank you for your comments, Mr Speaker?
The next Defence questions will be on 10 May. We are all aware of the recess, but our armed forces personnel will be in harm’s way during that period—many of them are my constituents, and they are all represented across the House. May I look to …
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
16 March 2026
Middle East: UK Armed Forces Personnel
I have constituents at RAF Akrotiri who have been deployed out of RAF Cosford in my constituency, and I have already had correspondence from concerned constituents and their families. The Iranian regime has a very potent chemical and biological weapons programme. I have asked the Defence Secretary t…
Commons
Oral Questions
11 March 2026
Royal Mail: Universal Service Obligation
I met the Minister some weeks ago and suggested that he might have to come back to the House if Royal Mail had not improved its services. May I thank you, Mr Speaker, for granting this urgent question and the Westminster Hall debate next week, which was secured by another Member?
I raised this issu…
Commons
Debate
9 March 2026
Middle East: Defence
I have only been in the House for 21 years, but whenever we talk about defence and when our armed forces are in harm’s way, I have to say that a blame game on either side is not going to save a single life. While we all want to see de-escalation, the Government, I hope, will have learned lessons in …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
2 March 2026
Middle East
When British children are being bombed in Dubai, and the British military are being attacked in Cyprus, Qatar and Bahrain, why does it seem like the Prime Minister—I hope he will forgive me—is frozen with indecision, entangled in his own legalise, and fretting about his Back Benchers? He is looking …
Commons
Debate
12 February 2026
Rural Mobile Connectivity
I am grateful to the hon. Lady, a fellow Shropshire MP, for giving way. Part of my constituency used to be her constituency, and she will know that there are lots of small rural businesses that rely on connectivity, not just broadband but cellular connectivity and being able to take and make telepho…
Commons
Debate
12 February 2026
LGBT+ History Month
The Minister will no doubt want to pay tribute to the late Lord Etherton and the excellent work he did in his 2023 review, in which there were 49 recommendations. What progress are the Government making on those recommendations? I have received permission from the right hon. Member for Islington Sou…
Commons
Oral Questions
12 February 2026
Lord Mandelson: Government Response to Humble Address Motion
Public confidence in this process is absolutely vital. Although the Intelligence and Security Committee is fiercely independent, is it not a matter of fact that it is dominated by Labour peers and Labour MPs, and that the Chair is appointed by a Labour Prime Minister? On a point of detail on the Cab…
Commons
Oral Questions
Transport
12 February 2026
Rail Transport and Economic Growth
I am always the reserve; it is the story of my life. I was always on the reserve bench, but I am delighted to be called.
On a serious point, Great British Railways and the Office of Rail and Road will potentially have a conflict of interest when deciding on open access agreements, such as the appli…
Commons
Debate
11 February 2026
4 contributions
Police Grant Report
As the Policing Minister knows, West Mercia police—which covers Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire—is a very good force in many ways. However, is she aware that West Mercia is about to see the first fall in police numbers in over a decade, with approximately 20 frontline police officers li…
The Minister is being very generous with her time, as she always is. I hope that she will also be generous in her reply. AI is already playing a part in policing, and I would hope that everybody who wants crime reduced supports that, but as far as I am concerned, that support comes with caveats. The…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
11 February 2026
Short-term Let Accommodation (Data Sharing Requirements)
On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I raised a previous point of order regarding the Royal Mail and postal delivery services, and I mention that because I recently wrote to some constituents about that very point of order. However, that letter, which was sent first class from the House of Commons, took…
Commons
Oral Questions
9 February 2026
Jimmy Lai: Prison Sentence
I do not know whether the Minister has read Confucius, the Chinese philosopher of 2,500 years ago, and his “Silver Rule”, which talks about mercy and compassion. While all of us in this House will continue to campaign for Jimmy Lai’s release, can the Minister at least confirm whether there is consul…
Commons
Oral Questions
Home Department
9 February 2026
Domestic Violence: Victim Support
How the police respond to domestic violence incidents at the first instance oftentimes is critical for the criminal justice process, but also for interpreting events on the ground. I know the Minister—who in my view does a very good job, by the way—likes to look at best practice from across the worl…
Commons
Westminster Hall
9 February 2026
Russian Influence on UK Politics and Democracy
I am sure everybody is aware, but I remind colleagues that if they are to mention another Member of Parliament, that Member has to be notified in advance. With respect to the House of Lords and peers, Members should refrain from direct criticism. I do not think I have heard that yet, and I have take…
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 February 2026
3 contributions
Postal Services: Rural Areas
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for South Shropshire (Stuart Anderson) on securing this timely and much-needed debate. I had a 10-minute speech, but I think that has gone by the wayside with the three-minute limit.
What we have heard today is the strength of our constituency parliamentary …
I am glad that the Government are committed to that, but I am not sure that Royal Mail is, and that is the problem. Ofcom fines are clearly not working, because Royal Mails keeps repeating the same mistakes. I hope the Minister will note this moment in time—this debate—because I am very concerned by…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
3 February 2026
Iran
Thankfully, Iranian influence is in decline in the south Caucasus and central Asia, but one country in which it seems to be in the ascendancy is Georgia. Does the Minister share my concern about allegations that there are up to 13,000 Iranian companies registered in Georgia, with 700 registered to o…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
29 January 2026
Prison Capacity: Annual Statement
A Crown court judge in Shropshire recently referenced the county’s “shoplifting epidemic”. Page 6 of the Minister’s statement says that
“more credible punishments outside prison…include a presumption to suspend short custodial sentences for less serious offenders—because we know these do not work.”…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
29 January 2026
Women’s State Pension Age Communication: PHSO Report
The Secretary of State is a fellow west midlands Member of Parliament, and he will know Shropshire very well. Many WASPI women born in the 1950s from my constituency will be very disappointed by today’s announcement. He talks about miscommunication and maladministration but, of course, says little a…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
29 January 2026
Business of the House
Over the past month, more than 35,000 men, women and children have been shot dead—murdered—in Iran. Overnight, the French Government backed a move to put the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on the EU’s terrorist list. The majority of those shot have been shot by operatives of the IRGC. The Governm…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
29 January 2026
Topical Questions
While I always enjoy the soliloquies of the Minister of State, it might be an opportunity for the Minister who has responsibility for Royal Mail and postal services to answer this question, given that I wrote to his office about the catastrophic failure of the letter delivery service throughout Shro…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
29 January 2026
Encouraging Exports
With reference to what the Minister said earlier about trade and investment envoys, I remind him that I was a trade and investment envoy to Georgia and Armenia some years ago. The problem is that the trade and investment envoys are now pretty much all Labour, whereas previously, under all Prime Mini…
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
28 January 2026
Engagements
Q14. The UK’s nuclear deterrent has kept this country safe for over five decades. As the Deputy Prime Minister will know, it is operationally independent, but it still relies on US defence supply chains. Given the shaking of traditional alliances, could the Deputy Prime Minister reassure the House a…
Commons
Oral Questions
Women and Equalities
28 January 2026
Children in Poverty
Of course, poverty of aspiration contributes to inequalities. As the Minister will know, over 100,000 children in this country are in looked-after care, in secure homes, children’s homes and foster care. Every single one of those children has a skill, an ability, something to contribute to society. …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
26 January 2026
Police Reform White Paper
We all want to see more effective and efficient policing, but I am not quite sure whether this White Paper will deliver it. Clearly, the devil will be in the detail. The Home Secretary will know that West Mercia police, covering Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire, is a high-performing poli…