Commons
Westminster Hall
23 June 2026
2 contributions
Prison Safety
I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this important debate. I agree with her analysis so far. The key point is that we must take some steps and have some initiatives to reduce prison violence. I am sure the Minister is aware that in the last Session I introduced a private Member’s Bill, the Pri…
My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech. On the protection of prison officers, is it not correct that the last coalition Government got rid of almost 25% of prison officers? Every year I ask a question about how many prison officers have left the service, and each year the number increases. We …
Commons
Westminster Hall
13 April 2026
Disclosure and Safeguarding: At-risk Children
It is always a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Mundell. I thank my good and hon. Friend the Member for Sunderland Central (Lewis Atkinson) from the Petitions Committee for the way in which he introduced this important debate. I also pay tribute to my good and hon. Friend the Member for…
Commons
Debate
26 March 2026
Business of the House
As Members across the House will be well aware from their own constituency caseloads, the performance of Capita in administering the civil service pension scheme has been disastrous. May we have a debate in Government time on the decision to award Capita the Synergy contract for shared services acro…
Commons
Westminster Hall
26 March 2026
Prison Officers: Mandatory Body Armour
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Betts, and to follow the right hon. Member for Tatton (Esther McVey). I congratulate the right hon. Member for New Forest East (Sir Julian Lewis) on securing the debate.
Like my hon. Friend the Member for Alloa and Grangemouth (Brian Leishman), …
Commons
Proceedings
24 March 2026
Oil and Gas
I welcome this debate. As we have heard, oil and gas are likely to remain part of our energy mix for years to come, but recent global instability underscores a fundamental point: true energy security comes from reliable domestic and renewable sources, not from continued exposure to volatile internat…
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
16 March 2026
2 contributions
Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Merchant Seafarers
20. What steps he is taking to improve recruitment and retention of merchant seafarers in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
I support the points made by my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool Riverside (Kim Johnson), but I acknowledge that the Government have made substantial progress in addressing the ingrained recruitment and retention crisis they inherited affecting the Royal Fleet Auxiliary—the Royal Navy support sh…
Commons
Oral Questions
24 February 2026
2 contributions
Access to Radiotherapy
2. What steps his Department is taking to tackle inequalities in access to radiotherapy treatment services for cancer patients.
I applaud the ambitions in the cancer plan, but my question was about improving access to advanced therapeutic radiotherapy. Almost half the cancer centres in more urban areas in England have experienced a staff recruitment freeze, and the figure rises to 60% in more rural and deprived areas such as…
Commons
Oral Questions
Transport
12 February 2026
2 contributions
Rail Transport and Economic Growth
7. What steps she is taking to help ensure that the rail transport system supports economic growth.
My east Durham constituency has long suffered from poor rail connectivity, which limits access to job, education and training opportunities, yet published evidence from the Rail Delivery Group and Oxford Economics shows that increasing rail frequency and capacity can boost productivity and attract i…
Commons
Debate
2 February 2026
High Speed Rail (Crewe - Manchester) Bill
Thank you very much, Madam Deputy Speaker, for calling me to speak in what I believe is a really important debate. I am delighted to support the Government’s motions, as we continue to invest in and transform our rail network after decades of hollow promises and mismanagement under the Conservatives…
Commons
Debate
9 December 2025
Railways Bill
I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests and declare an interest as vice-chair of the RMT parliamentary group. I am delighted in particular to follow my hon. Friends the Members for Salford (Rebecca Long Bailey) and for Stourbridge (Cat Eccles). I will make some …
Commons
Proceedings
1 December 2025
2 contributions
Budget Resolutions
I associate myself with the remarks of my right hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster North (Ed Miliband) about the potential of the renewable energy sector. I want to give a shout-out to Power Roll in east Durham, and draw the House’s attention to how important it is that that business is supported …
My hon. Friend is characteristically generous, and I appreciate his warm words. Many MPs representing coalfield constituencies will have cause for celebration. As chair of the coalfields group, I thank my right hon. Friends the Chancellor and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury for taking the time n…
Commons
Oral Questions
Home Department
17 November 2025
Topical Questions
As a lifelong political activist and trade unionist, I value free speech and the right to protest. Having lived through the miners’ strike, I know what it means when the state turns against working people and disregards their rights, so I am deeply concerned that the proposed amendments to the Crime…
Commons
Debate
11 November 2025
BBC Leadership
These are indeed uncertain times for the BBC and for the people who work in it. Does the Secretary of State agree that it is important that we remember that the Reuters Institute’s Digital News Report 2025 found that the BBC remains the most trustworthy news brand in the UK, with 60% of respondents …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
30 October 2025
Infected Blood Compensation Scheme
I thank my right hon. Friend for the content, clarification and tone of his statement. It is clearly an awful situation. I would like to speak up for my constituents in Easington and to seek some clarification regarding those people who contracted hepatitis C. Will the Minister confirm that all in t…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
30 October 2025
Topical Questions
Power Roll in my constituency has pioneered a world-beating, flexible, lightweight solar panel module. The next four weeks are a critical period for the company; a £5 million investment is needed to keep production and jobs in the north-east. Will my hon. and right hon. Friends on the Front Bench wo…
Commons
Debate
21 October 2025
2 contributions
Sentencing Bill
I will try to make my remarks fairly brief—not because I am against short sentences, but because I recognise that there are time pressures. I would like to record my support for three amendments to the Bill in the form of new clauses 2 to 4. I might say that I agreed with virtually everything that m…
I am grateful for that intervention, which I think is quite sensible, and I support the contention. I hope the Minister will respond appropriately when he has the opportunity.
Does the Minister agree that HM Inspectorate of Probation should have the powers outlined in new clause 4? They are just th…
Commons
Oral Questions
16 October 2025
2 contributions
Topical Questions
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
I thank the Secretary of State for her comments. Despite previous reassurances from Reach plc, owner of the Mirror , Daily Record , Express and many regional papers, it has announced redundancies that put 600 journalists’ jobs under threat. Many Members on both sides of the House are concerned about…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
15 October 2025
Pride in Place
Peterlee is the place to be. Interestingly, Peterlee is the only town in the country named after a trade union leader. There will be great celebration of the Labour Government’s £20 million investment from pride in place in Peterlee. I welcome this money, which is going to make a real difference to …
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 October 2025
Child Risk Disclosure Scheme
It is always a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Efford. I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this debate and on making such a powerful and moving speech. I also want to pay a personal tribute to Gemma Chappell and her family for launching the Maya’s law campaign. We have already ac…
Commons
Debate
16 September 2025
Sentencing Bill
I welcome the Bill for many of the reasons already highlighted by the Justice Secretary and many Labour colleagues earlier. My hon. Friend the Member for Hammersmith and Chiswick (Andy Slaughter) made many of the points that I wished to make so, because of the shortage of time, I do not intend to re…
Commons
Oral Questions
Justice
16 September 2025
Prison Safety
Last week in Brighton, the TUC unanimously backed the “Safe Inside” campaign promoted by the Joint Unions in Prisons Alliance calling for urgent action against record-high levels of prison violence and second-hand exposure to psychoactive substances. Does the Secretary of State agree that current co…
Commons
Debate
10 September 2025
Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [Lords]
I declare an interest as a member of the RMT and Unite parliamentary groups, and I refer Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. I thank the RMT for its support in scrutinising the Bill. With thousands of members working in the bus sector across England, it is uniquely p…
Commons
Debate
22 July 2025
Sir David Amess Summer Adjournment
It would be remiss of me not to pay tribute to that exceptional and powerful speech from the right hon. Member for Gainsborough (Sir Edward Leigh); I am sure those in authority will have listened carefully to his remarks.
I will be very brief. I want to pay tribute to Sir David Amess. An issue dear…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
22 July 2025
Orgreave Inquiry
As chair of the coalfields group of Labour MPs, and on behalf of the group, I welcome this statement. It is an historic moment, and I know that Orgreave Truth and Justice campaigners and many more Labour colleagues would have been present had they had a little more notice.
The Minister will know th…
Commons
Westminster Hall
8 July 2025
3 contributions
Alcohol and Cancer
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stuart, and to speak in this important debate. I congratulate my good and hon. Friend the Member for Lancaster and Wyre (Cat Smith) on securing it, and I thank the Backbench Business Committee for granting it. It is always a mistake to start a sp…
A number of positive suggestions have been set out by my hon. Friends during the course of the debate and by some experts in the field, and that includes the suggestion that my hon. Friend made in her intervention. I hope the Minister is considering the benefits and potential of them all.
Will the …
+1 more contribution in this session