Commons
Westminster Hall
6 July 2026
Ceramics Industry
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Murrison. I congratulate my constituency neighbour, the hon. Member for Lichfield (Dave Robertson), on securing this debate. As one of probably a few Members of Parliament who have worked in the ceramics industry, this is not just about jobs for …
Commons
Proceedings
29 June 2026
Prisoner Early Release
The Minister has heard quite clearly from Members on both sides of the House the real concern about what was said at the Dispatch Box about those who had committed the most serious and heinous crimes not actually being released under this scheme. That is where the biggest dispute is in relation to t…
Commons
Proceedings
15 June 2026
Defence Investment Plan
I think we all very much welcomed the amazing work done by Lord Robertson, along with his team, including General Barrons and Fi Hill. How many of their 62 recommendations are the Government still committed to?
Commons
Ministerial Statement
4 June 2026
Children’s Social Care: Enduring Relationships Strategy
I thank the Minister for the work he has done. It was a pleasure to work with him when I was at the Department for Education, and it is great to see the development of his findings and the effort that has been put into them.
The Minister raised the important issue of kinship care and the extra supp…
Commons
Oral Questions
13 April 2026
Pride in Place: Community Spaces
In the Staffordshire county council area we have amazing community spaces, but they would benefit from additional investment, and Pride in Place would have been a great way to allocate it. Sadly, none of the local authorities in that county council area is eligible for Pride in Place, and the result…
Commons
Oral Questions
23 March 2026
Child Exploitation
With the Government’s plans to regionalise police forces and the potential scrapping of Staffordshire constabulary, many involved in the care of vulnerable young people fear that there will be less focus on protecting children as fewer senior police officers will be working with local authorities to…
Commons
Debate
17 March 2026
5 contributions
Ministerial Salaries (Amendment) Bill
What a pleasure it is to speak in this debate. Speaking in a debate where there is no time limit attached to the speeches made is a rarity and an opportunity that we should all relish and take advantage of.
I must confess that when I saw the title of this Bill, the radical in me was excited. I thou…
I completely agree with the hon. Gentleman. There is a disconnect between all the priorities and all the issues around the world and our wanting to pass legislation to create more ministerial offices.
I also understand and appreciate the challenges that the Prime Minister will face. I am sympatheti…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
17 March 2026
Meningitis Outbreak
I thank the Secretary of State for his statement. Obviously, we are rapidly approaching the time when, right across the country, university students will be dispersing and heading away from halls of residence and their campuses. What actions is the Secretary of State taking—working not just with uni…
Commons
Oral Questions
17 March 2026
Bailiffs
I very much associate myself with the Minister’s words on the sad loss. She touched on the important issue of the vital role that court bailiffs play. Many small businesses are struggling to recover money because of a lack of court bailiffs. What actions are the Government looking to take to increas…
Commons
Oral Questions
16 March 2026
GP Contract
In this country, we have an immense wealth of talented young people who would love to train to be doctors, but over many decades we have not recruited enough. I appreciate that this is not just an issue for the Department of Health and that it spans the Department for Education and the Treasury, but…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
12 March 2026
2 contributions
Hospitality Sector
13. What steps his Department is taking to support the hospitality sector.
I am deeply concerned, as I am sure the Minister is, about the rising rate of youth unemployment, which is currently standing at 15%. One of the key employers of young people is the hospitality sector, as well as the retail sector. When I speak to businesses in my constituency of Stone, Great Wyrley…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
11 March 2026
Protest Policing
I very much welcome the Home Secretary’s decision. Iran has a track record of hostile activity in the United Kingdom. We have so many Iranians who have had to flee their home country for safety here in the UK, yet we still see charities effectively operating as proxies for the terrible regime in Teh…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
10 March 2026
Digital ID: Public Consultation
Before I purchase something at the supermarket, I want to know what the price is. The Minister seems to be lacking clarity on how much this is going to cost. Can he give that clarity?
Commons
Debate
2 March 2026
5 contributions
Representation of the People Bill
There was much in what the Secretary of State said at the start of his opening remarks—about the threats to our democracy, and the challenges that we face—that I very much agree with. However, I worry that the Bill does not go in quite the right direction to deal with those threats, and with the cha…
The hon. Gentleman makes a valuable point; this concern could easily be addressed.
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Home Department
9 February 2026
2 contributions
Martha Giles
10. If she will have discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of the opening of papers relating to the murder of Martha Giles in 1959.
I know that the Minister is a deeply compassionate lady. On 12 February 1959, Martha Giles was brutally murdered leaving her work at New Cross hospital in Wolverhampton. She left behind five children. Only one of those children, Mrs Edwards, is still alive today, and she desperately seeks answers. I…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
29 January 2026
Business of the House
I congratulate the Government on one of their policies: the launch of a UK town of culture. Often, the Government find themselves having to pull their business. I hope that when they are next in that position, they can organise a debate on the UK town of culture. Stone town council is putting in a b…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
22 January 2026
Local Government Reorganisation
I was very interested to hear what the Secretary of State said. I represent a two-tier local authority area, and I live in a two-tier local authority area, yet I seem to pay considerably less council tax than people living in neighbouring local authority areas that are Labour-controlled and single-t…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
22 January 2026
Business of the House
Like so many Members of this House, I am blessed with the amazing canals criss-crossing my constituency that are maintained by the Canal & River Trust. Sadly, two bridges in the villages of Brewood and Penkridge have collapsed, and local residents cannot use them or access them, which is causing…
Commons
Westminster Hall
21 January 2026
3 contributions
Animal Welfare Strategy for England
It is a great pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Lewell. I congratulate the hon. Member for South Derbyshire (Samantha Niblett) on securing the debate.
There is much in the animal welfare strategy on which I think we can agree. I welcome the moves to ban puppy farming and introduce a clo…
I thank the hon. Member for highlighting that. I think it shows that, across parties, we want to see something done about this matter. I would certainly support the Labour Government making moves to address it.
Another area of great concern to me is non-stun slaughter. I am not going to go through …
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Proceedings
19 January 2026
Iran: Protests
Many of us will have read the reports in The Sunday Times yesterday detailing how IRGC forces burnt alive and machine-gunned down so many, and that this is not happening in just one town or one city, but right across Iran. We have very few levers in this country to make a difference, but one of them…
Commons
Proceedings
19 January 2026
Business Rates: Retail, Hospitality and Leisure
Some of my publicans are facing a threefold increase in rates. They have seen the speculation that the Treasury has briefed out to the newspapers, but they are still waiting. They do not have long to wait before they have to pay these increased bills, though, so can the Minister give some indication…
Commons
Debate
14 January 2026
West Midlands Police
The Home Secretary is right to talk about the need for the information to be out there and for openness. In the light of that, can she clarify whether any Government officials talked to Maccabi Tel Aviv as a club or through either of the embassies to discuss the decision by the club to say that away…
Commons
Debate
13 January 2026
2 contributions
Finance (No. 2) Bill
The hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central (Gareth Snell) raised the important point that the OBR says that these measures will drive money towards the black market, potentially not benefiting the taxpayer and the Treasury as much as the Minister says. Will she explain what she will do to avoid the …
In Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Central specifically, 5,500 people are employed by bet365. It is not just a significant employer; it is the most significant employer. What actions or interventions is the Treasury looking at taking to try to offset some of the potential job losses that these poli…
Commons
Debate
5 January 2026
Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief
I cannot adequately put into words the fear, concern and stress that farmers in my constituency and right across the country have felt as a result of the policy announced at the Government’s first Budget. That same fear is now being felt in rural pubs up and down the country due to the changes to bu…
Commons
Oral Questions
16 December 2025
Victim Support: Funding
Building on the question from the hon. Member for Macclesfield (Tim Roca), police and crime commissioners were able to act as a strong independent voice for commissioners. In what has been outlined so far, there is not really a voice for victims in local areas. What will the Secretary of State do to…