Commons
Debate
5 February 2026
Occupied Palestinian Territories: Genocide Risk Assessment
I am honoured to serve as co-chair of the Britain-Palestine all-party parliamentary group.
We face a stark legal reality: the UK’s duty to prevent genocide is triggered the moment a serious risk becomes evident. The International Court of Justice made that clear in January 2024. Judge Joan Donoghue…
Commons
Oral Questions
5 February 2026
Business of the House
I would like to place on the record my disappointment that today the Government have chosen to make two oral statements, both of which are of huge significance—on Sudan and on the national cancer plan—when so many Members will be absent from the Chamber. As co-chair of the Britain-Palestine all-part…
Commons
Debate
4 February 2026
Lord Mandelson
Given what the hon. Gentleman has said, does he agree that the amendment as drawn would, in effect, just throw a cloak over the very issues that many right hon. and hon. Members of this House want to see dealt with, and that the way to resolve those sensitive issues is simply to engage the Intellige…
Commons
Oral Questions
Justice
3 February 2026
2 contributions
Court Backlog
7. What steps he is taking to tackle the backlogs in the courts.
The Minister was previously asked but did not clarify whether the Ministry of Justice conducted modelling on how much reducing jury trials would actually reduce the backlog. The Bar Council and the Criminal Bar Association have repeatedly asserted that there is no evidence that limiting jury trials …
Commons
Debate
2 February 2026
US Department of Justice Release of Files
This is a disaster, and against the backdrop of the incredible abuse of young women for such a long time, it fills the House will horror.
I must agree with the hon. Member for North Dorset (Simon Hoare); this House would be minded to bring forward legislation and to do so quickly. It would appear t…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
22 January 2026
Business of the House
Yesterday, MPs heard from some of the international non-governmental organisations whose Israeli registration to operate in Palestine will be terminated and which from 1 March will no longer be able to provide critical aid. In Gaza, the suffering and the killings have not stopped. In bitter winter c…
Commons
Oral Questions
Cabinet Office
22 January 2026
Government Insourcing
The Minister will be aware that too many retired civil servants are waiting too long to be paid their pensions and lump sums. Seventy thousand people are still caught up waiting for past discrimination to be addressed under the McCloud remedy, and there are already concerns about Capita’s management…
Commons
Debate
21 January 2026
2 contributions
Northern Ireland Troubles: Legacy and Reconciliation
I welcome the introduction of the remedial order. It is a necessary and overdue step if the Government are to retain the confidence of the people of Northern Ireland that they are serious about justice, accountability and dealing honestly with the legacy of the troubles.
As several hon. and gallant…
I thank the hon. Member for that intervention. There is an obligation on the Government under section 4 of the Human Rights Act: where they have been told by a court that legislation is incompatible with a convention right, they are duty-bound to remove that incompatibility. That is exactly what is …
Commons
Oral Questions
20 January 2026
2 contributions
Gaza and the West Bank: Humanitarian Situation
20. What steps her Department is taking to help improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
I thank the Foreign Secretary for her answer. Yesterday the Prime Minister made a welcome statement on the importance of sovereignty and the international rules-based order, yet within the state of Palestine, 37 international NGOs will no longer be allowed to deliver humanitarian aid, on the say-so …
Commons
Oral Questions
17 December 2025
2 contributions
Modern Industrial Strategy
1. What steps she is taking to support sectors identified in the UK’s modern industrial strategy 2025.
I thank the Secretary of State for her answer. Can I take this opportunity to welcome the passage of the Employment Rights Bill through the Lords? It will deliver the greatest uplift in workers’ rights in a generation.
Less than two weeks ago, I took part in a steel signing ceremony at the new NETA…
Commons
Debate
15 December 2025
Employment Rights Bill
My hon. Friend has set out how sensible the conversations have been thus far, but does she agree with me that they have been totally frustrated by colleagues down the corridor, who have no regard for the mandate that was returned to the Government at the last general election, and that we should sta…
Commons
Westminster Hall
10 December 2025
2 contributions
Kashmir: Self-determination
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Roger. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Bradford East (Imran Hussain) on securing this debate, and on all the work he does with the APPG.
I speak on behalf of many of my constituents in Middlesbrough and Thornaby East, and particularly…
Can my hon. Friend help me with this conundrum? It has been suggested that somebody in a monarchical position in years past has decided to cede a territory to one country or another. Would that not therefore deny the people of that territory the right to self-determination? I am curious; I wonder wh…
Commons
Debate
8 December 2025
5 contributions
Employment Rights Bill
I draw Members’ attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests in relation to support from trade unions, of which I am proud.
I agree with my right hon. Friend the Member for Ashton-under-Lyne (Angela Rayner) that this is a transformational piece of legislation, but it has be…
I wholeheartedly agree with my right hon. Friend. I think that this episode highlights, again, flaws in the upper House, but even with the convention of double insistence, the concession goes too far.
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
2 December 2025
Criminal Court Reform
Given that the Bar Council has said it has seen “no evidence” that removing the right to elect to have a jury trial will significantly reduce the Crown court backlog, and that both the Bar Council and the Criminal Bar Association have said that the real cause of delays is years of underfunding and r…
Commons
Westminster Hall
25 November 2025
3 contributions
Immigration Reforms: Humanitarian Visa Routes
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Edward, and I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (James Naish) for securing this debate, which is important because it speaks to who we are as a country and how we uphold commitments to all people fleeing persecution.
Earlier this mont…
I thank my hon. Friend for her excellent point. Indeed, that is one of the things the Red Cross highlighted. Narrow safe routes alone will not prevent dangerous journeys. The Public and Commercial Services Union report “Welcoming Growth” recommends processing claims within six months, and legal, Eng…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
18 November 2025
Northern Ireland Troubles Bill
I rise to welcome the Bill, particularly its reversal of aspects of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 and its effort to restore human rights compliance and public confidence. It resolves court-identified incompatibilities and makes changes to legacy cases. Alongside …
Commons
Oral Questions
Home Department
17 November 2025
Topical Questions
The Government have tabled an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill that would create sweeping powers to impose conditions on public protests based on cumulative disruption. Can the Minister set out to the House what that amendment means by serious disruption to a community? How will this be dete…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 November 2025
Police Reform
I thank the Minister for her statement. I whole- heartedly agree that the public have not bought into this model, but that does not mean there has not been some excellent work done by PCCs and their staff with great commitment and professionalism. Will she join me in thanking Matt Storey, the Clevel…
Commons
Debate
5 November 2025
4 contributions
Employment Rights Bill
I draw hon. Members’ attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests in relation to support from trade unions, of which I am most proud.
The past four decades of structural decline in the share of the national income going to employees, decades marked by the erosion of trade u…
The concept is pretty simple. Conservative Members are conflating different issues around unfair dismissal and probationary contracts. They are scaremongering. There is nothing in the Bill that prevents the continuation of probation periods. The only thing we are saying is that it would be unfair to…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
3 November 2025
Public Office (Accountability) Bill
I congratulate the Prime Minister and thank him for bringing forward this Bill, which represents an epic struggle by the Hillsborough families, who are to be much admired and praised, but this will extend beyond Hillsborough, as the Prime Minister has said. I thank him on behalf of the families of C…
Commons
Proceedings
30 October 2025
Business of the House
Earlier this week, I was pleased to welcome health practitioners, charities and those with lived experience to the House when the all-party parliamentary group on spinal cord injury published its new report, “From Fragmented to Co-ordinated: Building a National Spinal Cord Injury Strategy”. The APPG…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
30 October 2025
2 contributions
Fair Pay Agreements
10. What assessment he has made of the potential merits of implementing fair pay agreements in a range of business sectors.
I thank the Minister for her response, but with the cost of living pressures continuing, it is clear that delivering increased real incomes and better living standards is our No. 1 priority. Can the Minister say a little more about which further sectors are most ready for fair pay agreements, and wh…
Commons
Oral Questions
Cabinet Office
23 October 2025
2 contributions
Public Procurement: Employment
8. What steps he is taking to increase employment opportunities through public procurement.
With the Government’s welcome commitment to improving terms, conditions and career progression in adult social care, as demonstrated through the planned fair pay agreement and the care workforce pathway, will the Minister confirm that the Government’s response to the public procurement consultation …
Commons
Westminster Hall
22 October 2025
9 contributions
Trade Union Workplace Access
I beg to move,
That this House has considered trade union access to workplaces.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Twigg. I draw hon. Members’ attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests in relation to support from trade unions.
It is important to open wi…
The hon. Gentleman is perfectly right. It may have been compulsory, but it is certainly one of the better decisions that he has ever made.
The problem of trade union access to workplaces is long-standing. Employers have often restricted union representatives from entering their sites, particularly …
+7 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
15 October 2025
Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill
My hon. Friend is making a very powerful point. Will he join me in thanking our hon. Friend the Member for Stockton North (Chris McDonald) and his predecessor, Alex Cunningham, for securing the Alfanar investment in that constituency, and our right hon. Friend the Member for Redcar (Anna Turley) for…