Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
26 November 2025
Engagements
Q7. Consequential to President Trump’s misunderstanding of Putin’s assessment going forward into— [ Interruption. ] Apologies, I have completely lost the thread of my question. What a day to do it! I am going to carry on—I am afraid the Prime Minister is not going to get away that easily.Consequen…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
25 November 2025
2 contributions
G20 and Ukraine
And will you come back?
I thank the Prime Minister for his statement, but if I may, I will caution him. I understand that the reports referred to by the hon. Member for Leeds Central and Headingley (Alex Sobel) are from a single source—an unnamed US official. I think we might be falling into a trap here, which others want …
Commons
Proceedings
24 November 2025
Ministerial Code
The independent adviser on ministerial standards is currently appointed by the Prime Minister, and it is a genuine question for the whole House whether that model is still fit for purpose. If the adviser were incapacitated or ill—it is to be hoped that will not happen to the current one—what would h…
Commons
Proceedings
18 November 2025
Points of Order
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. While I am sure the whole House is grateful to the Foreign Secretary for coming here today and making that important statement, there does seem to be a pattern whereby the Government combine two very, very important subjects, as was pointed out earlier by t…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
18 November 2025
Gaza and Sudan
May I, too, welcome the passing of UN resolution 2803? The Foreign Secretary mentions a two-state solution. Given that the Prime Minister of Israel does not seem particularly keen on a two-state solution, is that not a problem for a permanent and lasting peace in the region?
On Sudan, is it not the…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
18 November 2025
China Espionage: Government Security Response
Is it not clear that the threat from China is becoming deeper, wider and more serious? While I welcome the Security Minister’s statement, it does not have a single deterrent in it, as was highlighted by the shadow Security Minister. I want to be helpful to the Minister. He mentioned the encrypted sy…
Commons
Oral Questions
12 November 2025
UK Research and Innovation: Funding Distribution
The Minister will know that Harper Adams University is a world-leading research institution. He will also be aware of the university’s agritech research centre. May I invite him, on behalf of the vice-chancellor, to visit the university to look at the excellent work on robotics, AI and sustainable f…
Commons
Oral Questions
11 November 2025
Violence against Women and Girls
Across the west midlands, there is currently a backlog of 6,000 Crown court cases, many of which are sexual offence cases. In Shropshire, 759 cases are outstanding at Shrewsbury Crown court. Will the Minister commit to looking at the midlands circuit and seeing whether more rape and serious sexual o…
Commons
Proceedings
5 November 2025
Conflict in Sudan
I have asked this before, and I will ask the Minister again: when will the Government publish their Africa strategy, covering both north Africa and sub-Saharan Africa? I fear that there will be other conflicts like this one, and as the UK, the US and the French have divested politically, economicall…
Commons
Debate
4 November 2025
2 contributions
Supporting High Streets
My hon. Friend will know that cafés, including small cafés, play an important part on the high street and bring people to it. Is he aware that under this Government, mushrooms are up, bacon is up, eggs are up, sausages are up, bread is up, tea is up and milk is up? Therein is a threat to the full En…
I know that, as a London MP, the Minister spends a lot of time reading the Shropshire Star , so I am sure she will be aware of its recent report that, year on year, there has been a 15.5% increase in businesses in severe distress; across the west midlands, year on year, the figure is 11.9%. Does the…
Commons
Oral Questions
4 November 2025
Topical Questions
Since the Chancellor delivered her speech this morning, the FTSE 100 has dropped by over £22 billion—the real £22 billion rather than the fantasy £22 billion black hole. What can the Chancellor say right now to steady the markets so that all our constituents’ pensions are protected?
Commons
Debate
3 November 2025
Huntingdon Train Attack
More generally on knife crime and on magistrates, is there a disconnect between the fact that under the Restriction of Offensive Weapons Act 1959, someone can be given a custodial sentence of 51 weeks, and the presumption under the Sentencing Bill that a 12-month custodial sentence will not be requi…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
29 October 2025
UK-Türkiye Typhoon Export Deal
I welcome today’s statement, of course. It is interesting that the Minister comes to the House with good news, but has to be dragged here when there is less good news. Nevertheless, this is welcome news and a real boost for defence jobs in this country. The Minister mentioned that some of our Eurofi…
Commons
Debate
28 October 2025
5 contributions
China Spying Case
In its inquiry on China from July 2023, the Intelligence and Security Committee, of which I was a member at the time, concluded that China was a threat. The Committee took evidence not from junior security officials, but from the chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, the director general of…
If we have the directors of all the intelligence agencies suggesting that China is a threat, it does not get much better than that. We have great deputy national security advisers, but their line managers—their directors, their bosses—were also clearly stating that China was a national security thre…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
28 October 2025
Topical Questions
British national Jimmy Lai is currently in solitary confinement in a prison in Hong Kong. He has been there for five years. He is 78 years of age, he is in ill health and his trial will come to an end very soon. Ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit, what representations has the For…
Commons
Debate
27 October 2025
Prisoner Release Checks
May I say to the Justice Secretary that referring to the last Government’s record is wearing a bit thin? This Government have been in power for over 12 months, so what he says is not going to wash with the British public. May I also say to him that I think he does his calm better than he does his li…
Commons
Debate
27 October 2025
North Sea Oil and Gas Industry
I say to our colleagues on the Green green Benches that of course climate change exists. We need green investment, green jobs and the green transition, but is there not a fundamental flaw at the heart of the Government’s policy, which is that it is ideologically driven? Have we not learned anything …
Commons
Debate
16 September 2025
2 contributions
Ambassador to the United States
I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for giving way. He will know that members of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament are subject to extremely deep vetting. There is also a double check, which is that Parliament has to give its agreement to the appointments to the Committee, once …
I thank the Chairman of the Select Committee for giving way. I made my own comments earlier about pre-confirmation hearings. Adding on to that, does the right hon. Lady agree that when senior civil servants—whether from the Foreign Office or elsewhere—are asked to come to Select Committees on import…
Commons
Oral Questions
Justice
16 September 2025
Court Backlogs
With your permission, Mr Speaker, I pay tribute to my predecessor, who is mentioned on the face of the Order Paper, who was killed in 1940.
The Justice Secretary keeps referring to the previous Government, and I sort of get that, but I remind him that the new Government have been in post for some 1…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
15 September 2025
Official Secrets Act
The Security Minister mentioned the Official Secrets Act 1911, but he will know that it was updated in 1920 and, indeed, in 1989. As one of the co-authors of the Intelligence and Security Committee’s China report, along with my right hon. Friend the Member for New Forest East (Sir Julian Lewis), I s…
Commons
Oral Questions
Home Department
15 September 2025
Channel Crossings
I congratulate the right hon. Lady on her appointment and I wish her every success. It is in the national interest and the national security interest that this issue is tackled, but her Front-Bench colleagues and the Prime Minister are absolutely wrong to get rid of a deterrent. Notwithstanding all …
Commons
Proceedings
10 September 2025
Russian Drones: Violation of Polish Airspace
Let us be clear: this is no accidental violation of Poland’s—or NATO’s—airspace. As NATO members, one could argue that it is actually a violation of our own airspace. Is it not clear that Russia is testing NATO’s resolve, and that Putin will ruthlessly exploit any real or perceived diplomatic, milit…
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
10 September 2025
Engagements
His Majesty’s Prison Stoke Heath in Shropshire has seen six deaths in custody in less than two years. That is above the national average. Will the Prime Minister join me in calling on the Ministry of Justice to ensure that there are enough resources and that the right governance is in place at Stoke…
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
8 September 2025
Topical Questions
T9. Pensions forfeiture for ex-armed forces personnel is rare—it is usually reserved for cases of serious criminal activity and those with serious criminal convictions—but is it not time that the small number of ex-forces personnel from this country who are shamefully fighting for the Russian Federa…
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
8 September 2025
Defence Sector: Innovation
That is the story of my life—I am always the reserve, but I am always happy to step in. [ Laughter. ]
Boxer, Challenger 3 and now the gun barrel facility are going to be based in my constituency—well, I hope the latter will be in my constituency, but certainly in Shropshire. Will the Secretary of S…