Commons
Oral Questions
Solicitor General
9 July 2026
2 contributions
Violence against Women and Girls: Prosecution Rates
8. What steps she is taking to help increase prosecution rates in cases of violence against women and children.
The fact that so many colleagues have raised these questions again today is a clear indication of how serious the issue of low and slow prosecution rates is. If the primary purpose of custodial sentences is public protection, does the Minister understand why victims in my constituency clearly feel d…
Commons
Debate
9 July 2026
2 contributions
Israeli Settlements: Trade Ban
Will the hon. Lady give way?
I am grateful to the hon. Lady; I did give her advance notice that because of the rescheduling of the debate, I would seek to intervene on her. As she knows, I visited the area a year ago, and the whole situation is unacceptable; in fact, the Foreign Secretary has already referred to the current cir…
Commons
Proceedings
8 July 2026
Maritime and Coastguard Agency
As the Minister knows, my west Cornwall and Isles of Scilly constituency has almost 150 miles of coastline. In an earlier answer, he said that the model has to change, but it does not need to be trashed. He referred to the fact that the remuneration arrangements for CROs are bespoke, but so are the …
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
6 July 2026
2 contributions
Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems
5. What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of readiness of UK defences to respond to remotely piloted aircraft systems.
The Government’s plans for drones have been referred to a number of times already today, and I welcome the important emphasis on uncrewed systems. As the Minister is aware, the air station at Predannack—or Pradnick, as we call it locally—in west Cornwall is one of a number of important locations for…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
2 July 2026
2 contributions
Hospitality Sector
10. What steps he is taking to support the hospitality sector.
As welcome as that is, and I am not crying wolf, the hospitality sector faces a very high risk of substantial business failure in the next 12 months as a result of the tax burdens that it has to face simply for attempting to survive, rather than a tax burden to help it succeed—in other words, shifti…
Commons
Westminster Hall
1 July 2026
3 contributions
Fishing Industry: Government Support
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Alec. I congratulate the hon. Member for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East (Seamus Logan) on securing the debate and making a strong case on behalf of his region in Scotland. He focused on the fishing and coastal growth fund, which is £360 mill…
Briefly, as I do not want to test Sir Alec’s patience.
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
30 June 2026
National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation
Like others, I welcome this report. The Secretary of State referred to Dr Bill Kirkup, who resigned from the Amos review as an adviser because he felt that it was skirting around certain birthing ideologies and caesarean targets. The Secretary of State said that “staff shortages can have a dangerous…
Commons
Oral Questions
Cabinet Office
25 June 2026
2 contributions
Natural Disasters: Community Resilience
4. What steps he is taking through national policy to help improve the resilience of communities affected by natural disasters.
Nearly six months ago, my west Cornwall and Isles of Scilly constituency bore the brunt of Storm Goretti, which caused death and destruction across the area. Will Ministers work with local MPs in Cornwall and on the Isles of Scilly to review resilience plans to improve co-ordination on the resilienc…
Commons
Westminster Hall
25 June 2026
HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE
It is a pleasure to follow my hon. Friend. I declare an interest as the former chief executive of a registered provider, the Cornwall Community Land Trust. I am now a volunteer on its board. I have therefore worked in the sector for some time.
First, I congratulate my hon. Friend and his Committee …
Commons
Oral Questions
24 June 2026
2 contributions
Topical Questions
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
I have given Ministers advance notice of this question. Will they do more to better co-ordinate support across Government for women and child victims? The abuser of my constituent Caroline Eshghi was granted a lenient sentence because the abuse occurred before 2005, and my constituent Tina Nash, who…
Commons
Oral Questions
24 June 2026
2 contributions
Discrimination against Trans People
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
I have given Ministers advance notice of this question. Will they do more to better co-ordinate support across Government for women and child victims? The abuser of my constituent Caroline Eshghi was granted a lenient sentence because the abuse occurred before 2005, and my constituent Tina Nash, who…
Commons
Oral Questions
Culture, Media and Sport
18 June 2026
2 contributions
Exchange of Cultural Artefacts: Greece
1. What recent discussions she has had with her Greek counterpart on mutual exchanges of cultural artefacts.
There is an opportunity for another victory for the United Kingdom if we can find a way of co-operating. Clinging on to half of the Parthenon sculptures while assuring ourselves that we own them, when they were obtained in, at best, highly dubious circumstances two centuries ago, is not a great look…
Commons
Oral Questions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
16 June 2026
West Bank: Settler Activity
The Secretary of State says she is looking at options and that she wishes to work in partnership in the international sphere. She must accept that the UK has significant history and responsibility in this region. Does she not listen to the words of her Back Benchers? It is incumbent on her to take a…
Commons
Westminster Hall
8 June 2026
Progression of Bills through Parliament
The hon. Gentleman is making an excellent speech. He will be aware of early-day motion 2709, which I tabled in January. It is about the role of the House of Lords in scrutinising legislation, and the importance of ensuring that they are there purely to scrutinise and provide sober second thought on …
Commons
Oral Questions
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
4 June 2026
Food Welfare Labelling
Of course, it is not only Labour Members who are concerned about this issue, so I hope the Minister would be prepared to meet a cross-party group of MPs. The problem we face in this country is not just the use of the Union Jack; there is a high risk that we are sucking in imports that do not meet th…
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 June 2026
Seasonal Hospitality Businesses in Coastal Areas
The hon. Gentleman is making a powerful point and an excellent speech. In west Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in my constituency, the situation is just as troubling. Indeed, it is an existential crisis. Does he agree that unless we address the current rate of VAT and/or the business rates that bur…
Commons
Debate
1 June 2026
Coastal Communities: Government Support
On the point of geographic inequalities, as my constituency is in west Cornwall and on the Isles of Scilly, it is impossible to call on emergency services from the north, the west or the south. The consequence of that geographical reality is that it is much more expensive and challenging to provide …
Commons
Petition
27 April 2026
Penzance Driving Test Centre
I rise to present a petition on the future of the Penzance driving test centre. The metrics used by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency assume homogenised geographic uniformity, but we are at the end of a long thin peninsula. The DVSA offers a postcode search tool, which is irrelevant to areas l…
Commons
Debate
27 April 2026
3 contributions
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for East Thanet (Ms Billington) and in particular her points about parish and town councils. In Cornwall, where we are completely parished and towned in that sense, they are an important vehicle for communication up from the community. They enable communiti…
I am grateful, Madam Deputy Speaker. We are simply giving the example of Cornish devolution as one of the potential products should the Government not reject the opportunity for local authorities to be properly consulted, which is what is on the amendment paper this evening. That is the most importa…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
16 April 2026
7 contributions
Housing Needs: Young People
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Butler, and I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Dunbartonshire (Susan Murray) on her opening remarks.
Other speakers have referred to the issues and difficulties that young people today are experiencing. They are not facing a storm …
The Minister objects. I am sorry but the small business rate relief is still available. The tax loopholes available are still there. Perhaps the Minister can put me right on that, if he wishes.
The right hon. Member for Islington North (Jeremy Corbyn) is right that we need rent controls as well as …
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
16 April 2026
2 contributions
NHS Federated Data Platform
My hon. Friend is making an excellent case. I know that, in a moment, he will come on to the point that this contract is coming to an end. I am sure that it is being reviewed by the Government—the Minister will respond on that issue—but we are encouraging them to bring the contract to a close, for t…
Will the hon. Gentleman give way?
Commons
Debate
15 April 2026
Strategic Defence Review: Funding
I have listened carefully. The Minister knows full well that committing to spend 3% or 3.5% tomorrow does not mean that the Government cannot commit to commissioning that expenditure now. He is aware that the delivery pipeline can often take five to 10 years in any case, and therefore the defence in…
Commons
Debate
13 April 2026
5 contributions
SEND Provision and Reform
I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman, a fellow member of the Health and Social Care Committee, for giving way. Is he not making two contradictory points, however? He says on the one hand that it should be legally enforceable—a point with which I entirely agree, particularly as nearly 99% of tribunal …
Will the hon. Member give way?
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 April 2026
Middle East
First, I should like to associate myself with the remarks of the hon. Member for Truro and Falmouth (Jayne Kirkham) with regard to the Cornish Merlin helicopters from RNAS Culdrose in my constituency. The Prime Minister knows that he has the full support of the House when he says that he wants Leban…
Commons
Debate
23 March 2026
3 contributions
Rail Connections to London: Rural Towns
I will make a very brief intervention, as I want to make sure that the Minister has ample time to respond to the many points that have been raised. I must congratulate the hon. Member for Shrewsbury (Julia Buckley) on securing this debate, and I thank her for telling us about her wonderful constitue…
I am enormously grateful to the hon. Member for making that point about vulnerability. At a number of points where the line is singled out—not just at Dawlish—a fire can have catastrophic consequences for the thousands of people seeking to travel on that day. One of my members of staff attempted to …
+1 more contribution in this session