Commons
Ministerial Statement
14 October 2025
Middle East
I very much welcome the Prime Minister’s statement, and we all achingly welcome the longed-for ceasefire in Gaza and the safe return of prisoners and hostages, but does the Prime Minister share my concern that the 20-point plan is without Palestinian input? Will he acknowledge the need for Palestini…
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 October 2025
Postural Tachycardia Syndrome
My constituent has contacted me about his daughter, who lives with PoTS and faces exhausting weekly travel for costly private IV treatment due to the lack of local NHS provision. They have now found support in York, but it is still far from home. Does my hon. Friend agree that the absence of nationa…
Commons
Oral Questions
13 October 2025
Topical Questions
T3. Tory cuts to local authorities cruelly caused lasting damage to many communities. What a contrast to the Government’s Pride in Place programme awards to Park End and Thorntree in Middlesbrough, which will change lives for the better. Does the Secretary of State agree that 100% council tax equa…
Commons
Debate
16 September 2025
Ambassador to the United States
Much has been said about the process, but does the right hon. Gentleman agree that it was clearly never worth the risk to appoint Peter Mandelson? Will he go further than that on the professionalism of the role? We heard from my hon. Friend the Member for Vauxhall and Camberwell Green (Florence Esha…
Commons
Westminster Hall
16 September 2025
3 contributions
Employment Rights: Impact on Businesses
Will the shadow Minister give way?
I wish to intervene, not to have the shadow Minister shape the terms of my intervention. She is talking about the impact of the Employment Rights Bill. How can that be? Has it yet been enacted?
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
15 September 2025
6 contributions
Employment Rights Bill
My right hon. Friend will, without doubt, remember those dark days of covid, when people had to turn up in the workplace, despite being poorly. That contributed to the spread of the pandemic. Does that not illustrate the need to ensure that when people are ill, they can rely on a sickness absence fr…
Will the Secretary of State give way?
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Proceedings
11 September 2025
2 contributions
UK Ambassador to the US: Appointment Process
I am sure I speak for the whole House in sending our best wishes to my hon. Friend the Member for Washington and Gateshead South (Mrs Hodgson) on the appalling fire at her office overnight. We send our very best wishes to her and her staff.
May I thank the Minister for his statement? The Prime Mini…
Clearly the appointment process did not pick up these issues; that is self-evident. Can we have an assurance that there will be an inquiry into why that was not the case and that this House will be kept informed?
Commons
Westminster Hall
10 September 2025
2 contributions
Stockton and Darlington Railway: 200th Anniversary Festival
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Stringer. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor (Alan Strickland) on securing this wonderful debate. I hope, Mr Stringer, that you will indulge a speech that not only celebrates our transport heritage but takes …
This has been a really interesting exploration of our fantastic rail heritage, and we have celebrated many elements of it. Since his and my part of the world was the birthplace of the railway and we see the advances that have been made over 200 years—that fantastic progress showcased at the National…
Commons
Westminster Hall
10 September 2025
3 contributions
Occupied Palestinian Territories: Humanitarian Access
UNRWA has been crippled, staff killed, warehouses targeted and its mandate undermined. Since last July, less than 40% of required food supplies have entered Gaza. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, anti-Islamic US biker gang included, operates only a handful of distribution points where UNRWA once ra…
I wholeheartedly agree with my hon. Friend’s comment. Much more needs to be done. I also support the call for UN peacekeepers. I ask the Government directly: has there been any discussion with the UN Secretary-General on the use of peacekeepers to secure operations? And will demands be made of Presi…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Proceedings
8 September 2025
Palestine Action: Proscription and Protests
Nobody is above the law, yet the Metropolitan police report that a total of 857 people were arrested under section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 at the weekend, the vast majority for simply holding placards stating, “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” Can the Minister confirm whether the…
Commons
Westminster Hall
8 September 2025
4 contributions
Indefinite Leave to Remain
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Pritchard, and I welcome the Minister to his place. I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests relating to support from trade unions.
I welcome the expression of concerns by the Trades Union Congress this week, as…
I am grateful to the hon. Member for his contribution. We have heard speaker after speaker extolling the virtues of and making a positive case for immigration. Of course it is not the immigrant minority who hold our social care services together who are the problem; it is the minority of those with …
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Proceedings
4 September 2025
Business of the House
The passage of the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024 into law is a great achievement of the Government’s first year, and the completion of the Employment Rights Bill will be another. As we get into the business of taking the private rail franchises and their employees back into …
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 September 2025
2 contributions
Duty of Candour for Public Authorities and Legal Representation for Bereaved Families
It is a pleasure to speak in this debate. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool West Derby (Ian Byrne) on securing it.
The Government committed to a Hillsborough law in their first year, and it should be delivered without delay and in full. The case for action is starkly illustrate…
The Minister mentioned getting this right, yet the Government were presented with a fully drafted Bill by a learned counsel. Can she give an indication of where the discrepancies and differentiations are between the Bill that was presented—properly drawn—and the current Government position?
Commons
Ministerial Statement
1 September 2025
Middle East
I thank my right hon. Friend for making it clear that this country has historic responsibilities in the region, and he has been consistent in calling for a ceasefire month after month. That has not happened, so I ask him in all sincerity: what changes does he really expect by simply continuing to re…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
21 July 2025
Middle East
The statement we have from the 25 or 31 partners takes us no further forward. It says:
“We are prepared to take further action to support an immediate ceasefire”.
People want action, not more repetition of, “We call for”, “We demand” and “We urge”. We want action, and this is not action. We have h…
Commons
Debate
9 July 2025
3 contributions
Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill
I rise to speak in support of new clauses 8 and 11, amendment 38 and the Bill more broadly. This informed debate has been conducted respectfully. Throughout the entire process, it has been illuminating to hear from so many Members with such in-depth personal, familial and professional experience. I …
The hon. Member makes a powerful point. We have to raise our heads and look at our brothers and sisters, who are actively and economically engaged in our country, and think about the contribution they make and the payments they make into the Treasury, through tax and national insurance. We must trea…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
8 July 2025
Road and Rail Projects
In my four years as shadow Transport Secretary, the issue of electrification was never far from the top of the agenda, and I very much welcome Secretary of State’s announcement around the trans-Pennine route upgrade. However, may I point out that the north of England is not confined to the conurbati…
Commons
Oral Questions
8 July 2025
Private Contractors: Justice Services
I thank the Minister for that response, and this Government are doing their best to make things work, but Channel 4 has revealed that the contract with Serco was fundamentally failing. In the answer to my written question in June, Serco’s performance was still deemed to be unacceptable, so where are…
Commons
Debate
1 July 2025
Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I would be grateful for your clarification. We have just heard that a pivotal part of the Bill, clause 5, will not be effective, so I ask this: what are we supposed to be voting on tonight? Is it the Bill as drawn, or another Bill? I am confused, and I thin…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
30 June 2025
Welfare Reform
The Bill still leaves over £3.5 billion of cuts falling on disabled people and unpaid carers, with hundreds of thousands of new claimants set to lose thousands of pounds each year. Protections for existing claimants are welcome, but a two-tier system will generate hardship for many and create societ…
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
30 June 2025
Topical Questions
Will the Government raise with the F-35 joint program office or the joint executive steering board the human rights breaches and the possibility of suspending Israel’s access while maintaining supplies to other customers?
Commons
Oral Questions
Work and Pensions
23 June 2025
Personal Independence Payment
Ministers have highlighted that the PIP recipients who are expected to lose payments make up one in 10 of the total PIP caseload. That suggests that the impact of the cuts will be limited, but it still represents 370,000 current recipients, who are expected to lose £4,500 on average. However, those …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
18 June 2025
HS2 Reset
As shadow Transport Secretary for four years, I was wholly supportive of this concept. I just want to correct the hon. Member for Clacton (Nigel Farage), who completely misunderstands its basis. As I am sure the Secretary of State agrees, the purpose was to deliver capacity for the north of England—…
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 June 2025
Disabled People in Poverty
In my constituency, 23,000 people receive universal credit and 11,000 receive PIP. I have asked what impact the changes will have on people going into poverty or being helped into work, and I have had very few answers. Estimates from Health Equity North show that the changes will amount to about £22…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
10 June 2025
Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories
The Minister was absolutely right: our dispute and anger is not with the Israeli people but with their leaders, who use their murderous forces to inflict this annihilation on the Palestinian people. The Minister has said that sanctions are not remedies, and that they are an expression of our opinion…