Commons
Ministerial Statement
2 September 2025
Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse
The Minister will be well aware that many of the victims of this disgraceful, despicable type of activity were originally taken from broken homes and put into the care of a local authority, and then groomed ruthlessly. Social workers turned a blind eye. Managers told social workers to turn a blind e…
Commons
Oral Questions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
2 September 2025
Gaza: Ceasefire
The remaining hostages in Gaza—those who are still alive—are being starved, persecuted and prevented from getting any form of medical aid. When the Foreign Secretary visits the region, will he force the International Red Cross to seek the hostages and ensure that they are given the medical attention…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
1 September 2025
Borders and Asylum
The Home Secretary has spoken about tweaks to the rules and regulations, and potentially to interpretation of the law. The problem with that, of course, is that our courts will also interpret the law, and may go against what the Home Secretary wants to do. Will she set out what changes to the law sh…
Commons
Debate
22 July 2025
3 contributions
Sir David Amess Summer Adjournment
I beg to move,
That this House has considered matters to be raised before the forthcoming adjournment.
I should say, for the benefit of new Members, that this is quite rightly called the Sir David Amess debate, because this was his debate. I remember a poor Minister having to respond to him after …
I will not, because many Members want to get in.
The justification for these “tough choices” is the need to address a £260 million funding gap, yet this is not the right area in which to be cutting vital support. For years, Sadiq Khan has told us how much better London would be with a Labour mayor …
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
21 July 2025
Middle East
Last week, I hosted Keith and Aviva Siegel, both of whom were hostages and were released. The previous week, I met families of hostages who all pleaded with all of us to get the hostages released. The hostages have now been in captivity for 654 days, without any access by the International Red Cross…
Commons
Proceedings
10 July 2025
Business of the House
I thank the Leader of the House for announcing the business in the Chamber. If she could also look forward to the September sitting and give us dates early, it would help us to plan debates in the Chamber.
In addition to the business that the Leader of the House has announced, we will have the foll…
Commons
Proceedings
10 July 2025
UK-France Nuclear Partnership
I understand that the ink may not yet be dry on this agreement, so clearly the Minister can answer only on what she is aware of at the moment. However, she mentioned the use of a committee to make decisions. Who will chair that committee? What will its membership be? How will decisions be made if th…
Commons
Oral Questions
10 July 2025
Topical Questions
T3. It is a constant complaint from my businesses in Harrow that if they are not on the Government-approved list they almost cannot get a Government contract. What action will the Minister take to ensure that new firms, including new small and medium-sized enterprises, can actually get contracts and…
Commons
Proceedings
9 July 2025
Trial by Jury: Proposed Restrictions
The Minister rightly points to the comparative inefficiency between Crown courts and magistrates courts. The clear issue is that we need new technology to be introduced to Crown courts, so that people who are on trial and victims are served faster, quicker and more expediently. The reality is that m…
Commons
Proceedings
7 July 2025
Actions of Iranian Regime: UK Response
The Israeli and United States military action has destroyed three of the facilities and, of course, killed some of the scientists and IRGC operatives who have been involved in the nuclear programme. However, it is suggested that the Iranians removed their nuclear material to another site before that…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
3 July 2025
Business of the House
Unfortunately, the Leader of the House was not able to announce the business beyond Tuesday of the week after next, so I cannot announce what the business in the Chamber will be on Thursday 17 July. Indeed, she also did not announce what will happen in the final week before recess, and we are due to…
Commons
Proceedings
2 July 2025
British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty
The Minister rightly says that the base on Diego Garcia is vital for our national security, and we all agree on that. The key issue is what notification has to be given to the Mauritius Government for the base to be used for operational purposes.
Commons
Ministerial Statement
26 June 2025
Business of the House
Following the successful seven-year experiment on estimates day debates, the Chairs of the Procedure and Liaison Committees, the hon. Members for Lancaster and Wyre (Cat Smith) and for Hackney South and Shoreditch (Dame Meg Hillier), met me yesterday, and we agreed that we would bring forward propos…
Commons
Proceedings
25 June 2025
Nuclear-certified Aircraft Procurement
Clearly, the aim is to enhance what NATO has as a defensive structure, so will the Minister confirm that this is not a substitute for any of our other NATO allies withdrawing aircraft from service, and that we are adding to the potential cover against threat in case we are attacked?
Commons
Ministerial Statement
23 June 2025
Middle East
It is good news that, reportedly, the Home Secretary has finally decided to proscribe the treacherous terrorist group Palestine Action. Given that she has done that at great speed after the recent attack, and given that the IRGC has conducted or attempted attacks on this country multiple times, will…
Commons
Proceedings
19 June 2025
2 contributions
Business of the House
I thank the Leader of the House for announcing the business for next week, including the estimates day debates. I hope she will use her good offices to ensure that there are no Government statements on that day and that you, Mr Speaker, will have a very high bar for urgent questions.
We have three debates on each day, and I hope that we will be able to get a good debate on each of those subjects. On Thursday 3 July, there will be a debate on a motion on financial redress for 1950s women impacted by the Department for Work and Pensions’ maladministration of the state pension, fol…
Commons
Oral Questions
Health and Social Care
17 June 2025
Topical Questions
The Secretary of State may well be aware of the greater awareness among young people of nicotine pouches. That seems to be a gap in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill currently going through Parliament. Will he commit to look at this issue to ensure that it is covered and that we bar this alongside other fo…
Commons
Debate
16 June 2025
Air India Plane Crash
Around 30% of my constituents emanate from Gujarat originally. On Saturday, we came together in one of the Hindu temples with the interfaith council, and people of all religions and none expressed their condolences. At that temple, 20 people have lost relatives. Last night, we attended another vigil…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
16 June 2025
Iran-Israel Conflict
We knew that Iran had the ballistic missiles to hit Europe, let alone Israel or other parts of the middle east. Last week, the IAEA reported that Iran was within a whisker of producing atomic weapons. In the absence of diplomatic efforts and the failure to introduce the snapback mechanism, Israel ha…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
16 June 2025
Child Sexual Exploitation: Casey Report
The hon. Member for Sheffield South East (Mr Betts) and I are the sole remaining Members of the House who served on the Communities and Local Government Committee when we conducted the inquiries into Rotherham, in both November 2014 and March 2015. We heard from the victims then about the terrible a…
Commons
Oral Questions
Education
16 June 2025
2 contributions
Employer National Insurance Contributions: School Redundancies
2. What estimate she has made of the potential impact of increases in employer national insurance contributions on the number of redundancies in schools.
May I update the Minister, who seems to be very complacent on this issue? In Harrow, where I have been out to see many of our schools, since we passed the resignation date, vacancies are not being filled and many staff feel threatened with being made redundant from our schools. That is not good for …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
12 June 2025
Gibraltar
It is clearly in the best interests of Spain and Gibraltar for there to be a free flow of individuals backwards and forwards across the border. For UK citizens who fly into Spain or Gibraltar and hire a car to cross the border into Gibraltar or Spain, what checks will there be at the border? Clarity…
Commons
Proceedings
12 June 2025
Business of the House
A third of my constituents emanate from Gujarat, so my thoughts and prayers are with the families and relatives who are obviously concerned about the plight of the 242 passengers on that flight. I understand that the plane came down in a residential area, so the people who live there will also be af…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
10 June 2025
Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories
The two Israeli Ministers that the Minister has announced are being sanctioned are no friends of the Israeli people or the Palestinians. I have no truck with them and nor should any of us. The reality is, though, is that there are two aspects to the situation. There is Hamas’s continued control of G…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
5 June 2025
Free School Meals
Many of the schools in my constituency have been unable to take up the offer of breakfast clubs because, frankly, they do not have the facilities—either to provide breakfast in the first place or for the children to eat in, which is a real challenge. I want to ask the Minister about one specific iss…