Commons
Westminster Hall
3 March 2026
2 contributions
Small Charity Sector
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Roger. I thank the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Sir Iain Duncan Smith) for leading the debate. We should do more to ensure the long-term sustainability of the charity sector.
I declare an interest as chair of the all-party p…
The Minister is right to recognise the importance of volunteers, and we all recognise that—we meet them every day of our lives—but charities also employ people and pay their wages, so there is an economic advantage to having them as well. Does she recognise that?
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 March 2026
North Middlesex Hospital Accident and Emergency Services: Cancer Patients
I commend the hon. Lady on securing the debate. She is right to illustrate this important issue at her local hospital, which is replicated wherever we might be the United Kingdom. Indeed, people back home are waiting 12 hours for admission or discharge. Those who attend A&E should be treated wit…
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 March 2026
3 contributions
Community Cohesion
It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Murrison, and to have the opportunity to be here. I thank the hon. Member for Rugby (John Slinger) for allowing us to discuss the important issue of community. I may be giving the hon. Gentleman a big head, but may I say what a joy he brings in…
My hon. Friend and colleague has summed that up incredibly well. That is exactly how I feel about where we are, and the community that we are trying to build for our children and grandchildren. I have six grandchildren, and I want to build a future for them—I want to build a future for every grandch…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
2 March 2026
Small Religious Organisations: Safeguarding
First, I commend the hon. Gentleman on bringing forward this debate. He spoke on this issue some time ago, and made a very good case. I support him in the case that he is putting forward, and I want to give him an illustration. A 2013 report by the Northern Ireland Assembly revealed that small, unaf…
Commons
Debate
2 March 2026
3 contributions
Representation of the People Bill
The UN’s definition of an adult is somebody who is 18 years of age. Restrictions on social media are being introduced to ensure that those aged 16 and above will be protected. I genuinely and sincerely ask the Minister, when it comes to reducing the voting age to 16, have the Government considered t…
Will the Secretary of State give way?
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
2 March 2026
Middle East
I thank the Prime Minister for his statement. Ayatollah Khamenei and his regime have denied religious minorities their freedom of religious belief for years—Christians, Sunnis, Shia’s and Baha’is. They killed 30,000 protesters in January 2026. Girls are abused and victimised regularly. Today the aya…
Commons
Westminster Hall
2 March 2026
2 contributions
Power to Cancel Local Elections
Will the right hon. Member give way?
Honourable would be enough for me. Does the right hon. Member agree that the elections are not just bureaucratic processes? They are how communities hold leaders to account, set local priorities and influence decisions that affect their everyday lives. If anybody tries to stop an election, it will b…
Commons
Debate
26 February 2026
St David’s Day and Welsh Affairs
I commend the hon. Lady on securing this debate; she is right to praise St David’s day, and everyone is here for that purpose. While we can be Welsh, Northern Irish, Scottish or English, what brings us together is this great United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and our Gaelic cousin…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
26 February 2026
Maccabi Tel Aviv Fan Ban
I first of all thank the Chair of the Committee for the report. Sport is always a method of bringing people together, but on this occasion it failed miserably as a result of the conduct of certain police elements that distorted the occasion of a Maccabi Tel Aviv football match. What did the Committe…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
26 February 2026
Gibraltar Treaty
I thank the Minister for his statement and for his strong words. I am reminded of a wee saying that my mother used to use when I was young: once bitten, twice shy. With that in mind, I must ask the Minister a question. As a nation, Northern Ireland finds itself a slave to European diktats, with our …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
26 February 2026
Business of the House
During the recess last week, I had the opportunity to visit Iraq as chair of the all-party parliamentary group for international freedom of religion or belief, and I wish to take this opportunity to again raise the continuing plight of Yazidi families. More than a decade after the atrocities committ…
Commons
Oral Questions
Church Commissioners
26 February 2026
Church Attendance: Christmas 2025
I thank the hon. Lady for her response. Trends seem to indicate that among the young people of Generation Z, attendance at churches is growing, which is good news. We all know that the greatest story ever told is the birth of the Lord Jesus on 25 December, and the fact that he was crucified and died…
Commons
Oral Questions
26 February 2026
Short-term Lets
I thank the Minister very much for her answer. Indeed, I am always impressed with her answers. Those that she has given us this morning are equal to what she always gives to me and others in this House.—[Hon. Members: “Ah!”]
Back home in Northern Ireland, we have the same problem with short-term le…
Commons
Westminster Hall
26 February 2026
2 contributions
Eating Disorders Awareness Week
It is, as always, a special pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Vaz. You always seem to do the Thursday afternoon debates and, by and large, I seem to be here too—but that is by the way. Some might say, “Well, where else would you find him?” But there we are.
It is a real pleasure to follow …
Of course. I do not think I need to do the introduction again; I will leave it at that.
I want to tell a story—the hon. Member for Bath already knows it—about one of my constituents. I was elected in 2010, and in 2012 two of my constituents, a mum and a dad, came to see me about their daughter. The…
Commons
Westminster Hall
26 February 2026
4 contributions
Independent Faith Schools: VAT
I beg to move,
That this House has considered the impact of VAT on independent faith schools.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Alec. I hope that this debate will go well. I welcome the Minister to her place and look forward to engaging with her. I have given her a copy of my spe…
This debate is quite clearly on VAT on independent faith-based schools, but I do support that principle and have voted accordingly in the Chamber, as has been recorded. I am today putting forward the case for independent faith-based schools and asking for them to be considered differently, but I acc…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Proceedings
25 February 2026
2 contributions
Bayeux Tapestry Exhibition
I congratulate the hon. Lady. The only subject that I excelled in at school was history, but I am sure that the hon. Lady exceeded me by far. She has a love of history, as do I after all these years. Does she agree that seeing the Bayeux tapestry, that incredible piece of history, will be an inspira…
It wasn’t far away!
Commons
Debate
25 February 2026
2 contributions
Ukraine
I commend everyone who has spoken. Four years ago, the Russians entered Bucha. They murdered and raped. They packed 200 civilians—men, women and children—into a basement, and then they killed them all. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that those murderers—those Russian scoundrels and thugs who killed, …
I thank the Minister for his response, and for his words of encouragement for us MPs, and for those outside who are watching. Earlier, I referred to Bucha, where the war crimes were unbelievable. I am very keen to ensure accountability and justice in the process, as we all are. What are the UK Gover…
Commons
Oral Questions
25 February 2026
Electronic Travel Authorisation: Dual Nationals
I thank the Minister for his answers. As always, these problems have resulted because of a realisation that the small print does not really work. Many of my constituents take flights from Dublin because they can be more cost-effective, but the need to have a British passport can be incredibly cost-p…
Commons
Oral Questions
25 February 2026
Diego Garcia and British Indian Ocean Territory
I thank the Minister for his answers. If he were a goalkeeper, he would be exhausted at this stage. Maybe he has kept the ball out of the net—we will see how that goes.
The Minister will forgive me for being a bit obtuse, but it was my understanding that the leasing of the base at massive cost to t…
Commons
Westminster Hall
25 February 2026
UK-German Relations
It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Twigg—it is the third time today. I thank the hon. Member for Preston (Sir Mark Hendrick) for setting the scene incredibly well. I am also pleased to see the Minister in his place. He has, if I may say so, been a very busy boy today in the C…
Commons
Westminster Hall
25 February 2026
Energy Developers Levy
I commend the hon. Lady for bringing this debate forward. I spoke to her beforehand; she is certainly making a name for herself in this place for being assiduous and hard working. Does she agree that the consumer cannot afford greater cost-of-living increases through energy prices and that any levy …
Commons
Westminster Hall
25 February 2026
2 contributions
Minister for Men and Boys
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Twigg. I want to say a big thank you to the hon. Member for Hinckley and Bosworth (Dr Evans) for setting the scene incredibly well. He and I are often in debates together. This time, he leads and I follow; it is usually the other way round. I thank …
Everybody has referred to role models. Young boys look towards a man for a better role model, but we should recognise that a mother can also be a role model in the way she shapes us. When I was a wee boy, I was privileged to have a number of ladies from Ballywalter to guide me. Sometimes the ladies …
Commons
Westminster Hall
25 February 2026
Diesel Vehicles: Defeat Devices
I commend the hon. Member for Ealing Central and Acton (Dr Huq) for bringing us this debate. She is right to say that this does not just happen in England; it happens across all of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Vehicles registered in Northern Ireland in 2015 were among th…
Commons
Westminster Hall
25 February 2026
Student Loan Repayment Plans
It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. I thank the hon. Member for Ilford South (Jas Athwal) for setting the scene. Two minutes—my goodness! How can I get everything into two minutes?
I think of the many graduates who work at Asda— a job they land because there are no full-…
Commons
Debate
24 February 2026
2 contributions
Army Reservists: Employment Rights
I commend my right hon. Friend for initiating the debate. I met the Forces Pension Society guys on Monday. I did not know that he had actually secured an Adjournment debate on this matter, but when I showed them what he wanted to say, they were incredibly interested, and wanted to put on record thei…
I commend the hon. and gallant Lady. We understand that she has a personal intention to try to make things better. Whenever I met the pension people on Monday, they said that many part-time soldiers are not aware of their rights and the fact that they might be able to claim. Are the Government, and …