Commons
Ministerial Statement
25 February 2026
Post Office Green Paper
I thank the Minister for advance sight of his statement, and—I do not often say these words—I warmly welcome the decision that he has announced. It seems that the Government have abandoned the risk, posed by their earlier proposals, that they would shutter thousands of local post offices, especially…
Commons
Debate
23 February 2026
3 contributions
Industry and Exports (Financial Assistance) Bill
This is a short Bill, but it involves potentially raising and spending a huge amount of public money, so in the interests of thorough scrutiny, I will speak to Opposition amendments 3 and 4 to clause 2, concerning the use of public finance for exports that may ultimately be re-exported to sanctioned…
The hon. Member makes a very important point, and I know that the House will be eager to hear how enthusiastic the Minister is about all the amendments that have been tabled. I am sure we will shortly hear whether he supports them, or why he does not and why he will urge his colleagues to vote again…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
9 February 2026
UK-India Free Trade Agreement
Soggy poppadoms, buses, a lot of whisky, pottery, bricks, some Galloway cheddar and even an aircraft carrier promoting whisky—those are some of the colourful items mentioned in this debate, which brings to life the impact across all our constituencies of this UK-India comprehensive economic and trad…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
29 January 2026
Business of the House
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill that we sent to the other place is being scrutinised extensively, and it has been reported this morning that the Parliament Act 1911 may be invoked to force the Bill through to become an Act. Given that it is a private Member’s Bill and was not in the Lab…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
29 January 2026
2 contributions
Topical Questions
Yet again, the Business Secretary is not here for his departmental questions. This time, he is in China, trying to sort out the mess that is British steel strategy. He is burning through £2 million a day of taxpayers’ money keeping the Scunthorpe furnace going, the Chinese owners are asking for £1 b…
Madam Deputy Speaker, you can see why the Business Secretary needs to be here to answer questions, because I did not hear an answer to my question. I will try a different topic, which is also really important to our constituents. Sixteen million of them got their Royal Mail parcels and letters late …
Commons
Debate
28 January 2026
10 contributions
Youth Unemployment
This has been an excellent and engaging debate, in which I think everyone has recognised that this is an important issue to which we should be dedicating time. Indeed, it is a crisis, because youth unemployment is rising faster here in the UK than anywhere else in the G7.
We have had some fantastic…
My right hon. Friend makes an excellent point.
My right hon. Friend the Member for Herne Bay and Sandwich (Sir Roger Gale) spoke extremely eloquently about the importance of the Dog and Duck in his constituency and about how terrible it is for the local community that it has closed because of all t…
+8 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
26 January 2026
Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill
I think it is unprecedented at such an event for only one Government Back Bencher to speak, and the hon. Member for Liverpool Walton (Dan Carden) very bravely spoke against the deal. It is very important that the sovereignty of these islands remains British. That was highlighted in the Labour manife…
Commons
Proceedings
19 January 2026
Business Rates: Retail, Hospitality and Leisure
The problem is that the November Red Book stated:
“The high street will benefit from permanently lower business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure”.
Businesses up and down the land think that was entirely misleading. We have had briefings to the newspapers that there will be a change, but t…
Commons
Westminster Hall
19 January 2026
Sale of Fireworks
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Jardine. I start by offering my gratitude to Robert and Helen, the two petitioners who—forgive the phrase—lit the fuse for these petitions to get the number of signatures they did, and enabled this debate today. I also commend my hon. Friend the …
Commons
Westminster Hall
12 January 2026
4 contributions
Call for General Election
Thank you, Sir Edward, for allowing me to speak on behalf of the 1,892 people in my constituency who have signed this petition. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (John Lamont) for expounding why this is an important debate. I am in my fifth Parliament now, and …
That is probably 4 million people who have, in that length of time, signed the petition. I encourage the hon. Member to dream on.
Why have we seen the robust signing of these petitions over the past two years? It boils down to the fundamental principle of our democracy, which is based around people…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
5 January 2026
2 contributions
Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief
Worcestershire’s farmers have had to endure 14 months of sleepless nights over this policy before this partial U-turn. The Minister has hinted, at the Dispatch Box today, that he appreciates he will also have to U-turn on business property rates, because of the transitional relief coming off too qui…
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Earlier the Minister said that agricultural property relief was not available under Margaret Thatcher. In fact, it was Margaret Thatcher’s Government who brought it in under the Inheritance Tax Act 1984, and it was subsequently increased to 100% under John …
Commons
Oral Questions
Home Department
5 January 2026
Migrants: Safe and Legal Routes
While the Home Secretary thinks about the safe and legal routes, my constituents are concerned about the unsafe and illegal routes. Will the Home Secretary update the House on how many gangs have been smashed in the first 18 months of this Government?
Commons
Ministerial Statement
17 December 2025
UK-EU Common Understanding Negotiations
Could the Minister just spell out for the House’s benefit how much taxpayers’ money he has signed up to spending next year and in every year of this Parliament? On where Members of Parliament can read about value for money, which line item of the Budget has this money come out of?
Commons
Debate
16 December 2025
Finance (No. 2) Bill
My hon. Friend is making a fantastic speech, with some very colourful analogies, but if I may be prosaic, is it not the case that the Office for Budget Responsibility has not scored a single impact on growth in the overall Budget?
Commons
Debate
15 December 2025
2 contributions
Industry and Exports (Financial Assistance) Bill
I am delighted to respond on behalf of the Conservatives, who have always championed British businesses. We believe very much in the ingenuity of our entrepreneurs, the skill of our engineers and the global reputation of our exporters. The Bill amends Acts dating from 1982 and 1991, and we believe t…
I would like to pick up on some of the points made in today’s interesting debate and to reiterate that, as Conservatives, we have always stood shoulder to shoulder with Britain’s businesses and great exporters. In my opening remarks, I asked some questions of the Minister, and I look forward to hear…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
11 December 2025
2 contributions
Small and Medium-sized Businesses
Last month in Business and Trade questions, I asked the Secretary of State to show some backbone and stand up to the Chancellor and say, “No more business taxes”. But he did not: far from permanently lower business rates, small and medium-sized businesses on our high streets are experiencing enormou…
I did not hear an answer to my question. To add insult to injury to the retail and hospitality businesses on our high streets, the letter that has gone out from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government about the change in business rates gives completely different information from th…
Commons
Debate
10 December 2025
2 contributions
Conduct of the Chancellor of the Exchequer
I am the former Chair of that Committee, Madam Deputy Speaker, but I appreciate the chance to make a couple of additional points.
My right hon. Friend the Member for Central Devon (Sir Mel Stride) set out an extensive case. In the speech I made right after the Budget, I mentioned that shenanigans h…
I would love to, but I am going to try to really race through what I have to say.
There is a track record here of saying one thing and then doing another. What we see is a revealed preference from our Chancellor for tax hikes. She was unable to deliver the welfare reforms she sought, and she has be…
Commons
Debate
8 December 2025
Child Poverty Strategy
Last year, the Secretary of State, her Front-Bench colleagues and pretty much everyone behind her voted against lifting the two-child benefit cap—[Hon. Members: “No, we didn’t.”] Those who rebelled had the Whip withdrawn. What would she say to those rebels now? What has changed since that vote last …
Commons
Proceedings
3 December 2025
OBR: Resignation of Chair
I welcome the fact that the Minister has just confirmed a leak inquiry is under way at the Treasury, and I will be paying close attention to that inquiry. Richard Hughes was an outstanding public servant, and he was truly independent. Will the Minister confirm that the person the Chancellor nominate…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
1 December 2025
Office for Budget Responsibility Forecasts
The leak of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s economic and financial forecasts on Wednesday was obviously shocking, and it has rightly come up with a swift and complete report on how that happened. The partial information and the leaks from the Treasury over the many months in the run-up to the…
Commons
Proceedings
27 November 2025
4 contributions
Budget Resolutions
I liked the introduction to the shadow Chancellor’s speech. Would a better film analogy perhaps be “The Nightmare Before Christmas”?
It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Rochdale (Paul Waugh). I will be picking up on some of the points he made later in my remarks, but I will start by characterising the whole Budget in the way that we heard from the Leader of the Opposition, which is that this was the “Nightmare Before C…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
24 November 2025
Critical Minerals Strategy
I thank the Minister for advance sight of his statement. Critical minerals are vital to our national security. In submarines, missiles, jet fighters and radar, we need critical minerals for our national defence. Critical minerals in electric vehicles and wind turbines are also vital for clean energy…
Commons
Proceedings
19 November 2025
Flooding: Monmouthshire
On behalf of residents in flood-prone West Worcestershire who approached Storm Claudia with trepidation, I convey our sympathies to people in Monmouthshire. Experiencing a flood like that is one of the most terrible things that can happen a community. Could I ask the Minister to ask the Minister for…
Commons
Debate
17 November 2025
Budget: Press Briefings
The speculation was inflamed by the Chancellor herself giving a speech at the press conference. Surely one of the most damaging pieces of speculation in the media was that there might be an exit tax on wealthy people fleeing the country. That has only just been ruled out, but many, many people have …
Commons
Oral Questions
Home Department
17 November 2025
Neighbourhood Police Officers
One thing that neighbourhood policing can tackle effectively is the way in which TikTok is being used to distribute spice-laced vapes to our young people. Will the Minister comment on that?