Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 July 2026
State of Climate and Nature
I really welcome the statement and all the commitment that the Government are giving to nature. I know that the 30 by 30 plan is focused just on land, with the justification being that 40% of our waters are marine protected areas, but the Joint Nature Conservation Committee has said that less than 1…
Commons
Debate
6 July 2026
2 contributions
National Security (State Threats) Bill
I rise to welcome Lords amendments 1 to 6 and to support the progress being made regarding the implications of this Bill on the vital work of the humanitarian sector. I place on record my thanks to Baroness Northover, Lord Alton, Lord Anderson, Baroness Helic and Baroness D’Souza for all their work …
Can the Minister give some assurance that, in the guidance, we will be able to see that in black and white, so that the defence is laid out for all to see?
Commons
Debate
1 July 2026
Packaging Manufacturers: Extended Producer Responsibility
I am very grateful that you have granted tonight’s debate, Madam Deputy Speaker, and that we have so much time to discuss this important issue.
Packaging extended producer responsibility, which I will call EPR, is a policy that genuinely has a laudable goal: the move towards a circular economy, in …
Commons
Westminster Hall
1 June 2026
Child Sexual Offender Data
I thank the hon. Member for the reasoned caveats that he lays out, but in the case of Rotherham, the gangs that were grooming and abusing young children in my constituency were predominantly of Pakistani heritage. That mattered because, had we recognised it early on, we might have been able to disru…
Commons
Debate
1 June 2026
Health Bill
Specifically on the single patient record, the explanatory notes say that it will
“allow patient information to be shared with patients and their relevant health and social care providers (such as GPs, hospital doctors, social care workers and others involved in their direct care)”.
By my maths, t…
Commons
Oral Questions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
21 April 2026
Gulf Conflict
Lebanon’s humanitarian flash fund secured less than a third of the money that was required. Some 20% of the Lebanese population is currently displaced, and 40,000 housing units have been destroyed. Lebanon is on the brink of economic collapse and social tensions are rising. I thank the Foreign Secre…
Commons
Debate
20 April 2026
Security Vetting
There are 61 conflicts raging around the world, and I have never known international diplomatic relationships to be more fractured. The FCDO is pushing through 40% cuts of aid and 25% cuts of staff, all under the watch of the permanent secretary, so can I ask the Prime Minister what risk assessment …
Commons
Debate
25 March 2026
Victims and Courts Bill
I welcome this Bill and this Government’s laser focus on supporting victims and survivors, which has been lacking in our courts system for a very long time. I hear what the Minister says about court transcripts. It is incredibly important for the victims and survivors I know to have a physical copy …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
19 March 2026
International Development
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I hope that my voice will last—the Foreign Secretary might get off lightly.
This was meant to be a statement about the 40% cuts that the Government are bringing forward. Instead, the Foreign Secretary spoke at length about the policy and direction shifts that she is…
Commons
Debate
4 March 2026
9 contributions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
I thank the Backbench Business Committee for granting a debate on this topic, which takes place at such a crucial time for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. I also take this opportunity to thank FCDO staff for their ongoing efforts to support British nationals caught up in the confli…
I thank the hon. Member for his kind words and for expressing that sentiment. Of course, faith communities do so much internationally, because it is the right thing to do, but they should be complementing what Governments are doing. At the moment, we know the scale of the cuts, but we do not know th…
+7 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
3 March 2026
West Bank: Illegal Settlements
The rapid growth in Israeli settlements in recent months has been fuelled by settler violence, which not only goes unpunished, but receives tacit support from the Israeli Government. The UK Government continue to avoid responding to the International Court of Justice’s 2024 advisory opinion condemni…
Commons
Westminster Hall
24 February 2026
5 contributions
Gaza Healthcare System
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Jeremy. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Dr Opher) for securing this much-needed debate.
I will focus on one specific aspect of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza where the UK can really make a difference: medical transfers to the wes…
The Minister referenced the aid that—
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
2 February 2026
Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill
As chair of the all-party parliamentary group for the ocean, I am delighted to see the Bill’s swift passage through Parliament, and I look forward to its full ratification, but I have some specific questions for the Minister. Can she outline the timeline for the next steps to ensure ratification? Sp…
Commons
Oral Questions
20 January 2026
Topical Questions
Given the scale of the planned FCDO budget reductions and significant staffing cuts, what assessment has been made of which policy areas will be deprioritised as a result of those measures? What redundancy mitigation steps are being taken in line with the 2016 civil service protocols and how those c…
Commons
Proceedings
19 January 2026
2 contributions
Proposed Chinese Embassy
(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs if she will make a statement on representations made to Five Eyes partners on the potential risks posed by the proximity of sensitive cabling infrastructure to the site of the proposed new Chinese emba…
I hear what the Minister has said, but I am not reassured and neither are our partners. We have now had interventions from the Dutch Government, the Swiss Parliament, and the Swedish Parliament, and we have had two interventions from the White House on the risks posed to UK infrastructure by the cab…
Commons
Proceedings
13 January 2026
Chinese Embassy
Multiple Government agencies and Departments have raised concerns about this mega-embassy. Our international partners have raised concerns about it, and every security briefing I have identifies China as a hostile state to the UK. I am in no doubt that this mega-embassy should not be allowed to go a…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
9 December 2025
Grooming Gangs: Independent Inquiry
As you know, Madam Deputy Speaker, I have spent 13 years researching this most evil of crimes. I do not know how or where to start, but let me boil it down to a couple of things. First, I still have no idea why those who were paid to protect children did not do that, so I hope the inquiry finds that…
Commons
Oral Questions
2 December 2025
Sudan: Ceasefire
The conflict has now reached 14 of the 18 states of Sudan, and let me be frank: the humanitarian support has been paltry. Two weeks ago, I raised in this Chamber compelling evidence that the RSF will take Tawila before Christmas. What plans are being made for the evacuation of civilians and humanita…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
18 November 2025
Gaza and Sudan
This morning, Members received a private briefing on Sudan, at which one of the academics stated:
“El Fasher is a slaughter house. Our low estimate is 60,000 people have been killed there in the last three weeks.”
That would make it the biggest atrocity crime since the 1990s. These are civilians, …
Commons
Debate
17 November 2025
Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill
I welcome this Bill. As chair of the Channel Islands all-party group, I was interested that the Minister tabled an amendment that covered just the Isle of Man. Before the Bill goes to the other place, could her officials please consult the Channel Islands one last time to make sure that they do not …
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 November 2025
3 contributions
Official Development Assistance Reductions
It is always a pleasure to serve under your guidance, Sir Desmond. I thank the hon. Member for West Dorset (Edward Morello) for his powerful and accurate speech, with which I associate myself.
Recent reductions have meant that UK ODA has dropped from the legally enshrined 0.7% to 0.5%, and it is no…
You have lots of time.
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
28 October 2025
Topical Questions
Members might not be aware that the FCDO has given notice to the Insolvency Service that 1,885 jobs are at risk due to the 25% reduction in the workforce that follows the ODA cuts. This is a massive drop in staff numbers and it is bound to have a real impact, particularly on smaller departments such…
Commons
Debate
27 October 2025
Victims and Courts Bill
I rise to speak to new clause 1 in my name. It would ensure the implementation of recommendation 18 from the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse. Survivors of child sexual abuse have been let down for years by a national compensation scheme. Too often their applications are delayed or denied…
Commons
Debate
16 October 2025
2 contributions
Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill
I am really proud to be standing here today, because it is an historic day for ocean conservation. Let us make no mistake: the world’s oceans are under significant threat. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that if global warming reaches 1.5°, 70% of coral reefs will die. If tem…
I thank my hon. Friend and colleague. He is absolutely right, and that is why today is so historic: this is the UK taking that leadership role and hopefully corralling some of the other countries that are more reticent to do the right thing.
The International Development Committee and the all-party…