Commons
Oral Questions
Energy Security and Net Zero
7 July 2026
2 contributions
Agrivoltaics
8. What recent assessment he has made of the potential contribution of agrivoltaics to clean energy generation in England.
I commend the Secretary of State and his team for their determination and resolve in the transfer to renewables. In the extraordinary and unprecedented weather that we are having at the moment I can assure the House that some shade would be really welcome in parts of the east of England. Given the o…
Commons
Debate
23 June 2026
Forest City: West Suffolk
On that point about speculative building, I appreciate that the hon. Gentleman is probably not a fan of big, bold projects of this kind, but does he agree that there is a very good example just down the road in Cambridge? The recent sale of Cambridge City airport to Homes England is an exciting init…
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 June 2026
2 contributions
Improving the UK Visa System
As ever, it is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Stuart. I commend the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire (Blake Stephenson) on introducing this important debate. He will not be surprised to hear that I do not agree with everything that he said. The city I represent, Cambridge, has fantast…
The hon. Member is absolutely right. I remember notorious problems with the system based in Croydon from when I was a teenager living there, so the issue goes back 50 or 60 years.
The issue is important because it creates such uncertainty for so many people, with knock-on effects for employment, ho…
Commons
Westminster Hall
10 March 2026
Technology Sovereignty
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Ms Vaz. I congratulate the Chair of the Select Committee, my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West (Dame Chi Onwurah).
I have three quick anecdotal points and then a question for the Minister. Data sovereignty has been part …
Commons
Debate
2 March 2026
2 contributions
Representation of the People Bill
rose —
I congratulate my right hon. Friend on extending the franchise. Has he thought about the 4 million people who live in this country and do not have access to voting? There are 22,000 of those people in Cambridge. This is a complicated issue, but has he given it any consideration? No taxation without …
Commons
Oral Questions
26 February 2026
Topical Questions
T5. In Cambridge, like in many other places, many new homes will be built in the coming years, but we need to build communities, not just houses, and a cultural component is absolutely key to that. Will the Minister tell us what he is doing to ensure that happens?
Commons
Westminster Hall
24 February 2026
EU Membership Referendum: Impact on the UK
It is a pleasure to speak with you in the Chair, Sir Desmond. I commend the hon. Member for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry (Stephen Gethins). There is a thirst to discuss this in the Chamber—apart from the shadow Minister’s side; he looks rather lonely.
Cambridge was one of the most pro-remain areas i…
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
23 February 2026
2 contributions
Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor
5. What recent assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the adequacy of progress on the delivery of the Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor.
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for the work he has been doing on this issue, and I was pleased to see the announcement of the consultation on the development corporation a few weeks ago. What further steps can we expect to be taken along the corridor in the coming months?
Commons
Westminster Hall
23 February 2026
Firearms Licensing
My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech. I want to pay tribute to a stalwart of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, Christopher Graffius, who died in his sleep last week. There were many issues on which we had different views, but he was extremely kind and helpful to me when …
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
11 February 2026
Engagements
Q13. Last week, the Government launched a consultation on establishing a growth development corporation for Cambridge. In the meantime, Peter Freeman, the chairman of the Cambridge Growth Company, is on the record as saying that Cambridge should aim to be“the most liveable city in Europe”.That is a …
Commons
Oral Questions
Cabinet Office
22 January 2026
Emergency Preparedness
The advice from the previous Government was that households should stockpile three day’s-worth of non-perishable food and water. This week, The Guardian has reported that other European countries are looking at creating strategic food reserves. Can the Minister tell us a little more about his thinki…
Commons
Westminster Hall
13 January 2026
Universities: Statutory Duty of Care
My hon. Friend is making a very important speech. A few years ago, I and colleagues on the all-party parliamentary university group looked at these issues. What we found was a very inconsistent set of relationships between universities and local health services. Has my hon. Friend found that, too?
Commons
Oral Questions
Home Department
5 January 2026
Topical Questions
T8. Cambridge University Press & Assessment has long experience of conducting in-country English tests for those seeking to come to the UK, but it is concerned that the Home Office is moving too quickly to a new digital system whereby applicants do not have to attend in person to be tested. It…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
17 December 2025
UK-EU Common Understanding Negotiations
I commend my right hon. Friend for his diligent and detailed work on this. It really is proper grown-up politics, as he said. The return of Erasmus will be widely welcomed in Cambridge, where it has helped many young people in the past and will help an even wider group in the future. Could I just pr…
Commons
Oral Questions
Cabinet Office
4 December 2025
2 contributions
Food Security
8. What assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the effectiveness of cross-Government working on food security.
The UK food system has shown remarkable resistance and flexibility in recent years, but seasoned industry voices are warning that we face new challenges from climatic risk and global instability. I appreciate that this is not just a food production issue, but a cross-Government issue. Can my right h…
Commons
Debate
3 December 2025
Ely: Railway Upgrade
The hon. Member is making an important speech, and I strongly support what she is doing. Would she agree with me that the enthusiasm for East West Rail now makes the case for doing the works on Ely junction even stronger?
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 December 2025
6 contributions
Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor
I beg to move,
That this House has considered the Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor.
It is, as ever, a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Sir Jeremy. It is also a pleasure to lead a debate on plans that have been talked about for many years and that seem, finally, to be coming to fruition.…
I thought the hon. Gentleman might want to intervene.
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
26 November 2025
Budget Resolutions
It is a pleasure to follow the Father of the House and his wide-ranging contribution. I think he is slightly more optimistic about the ability to achieve consensus across the Front Benches than, sadly, I might be, but his point about intergenerational unfairness is absolutely right.
Let me start by…
Commons
Oral Questions
24 November 2025
Proposed New Town: Tempsford
The plans for Tempsford vindicate those of us who have long argued for East West Rail and the plans for the area between Cambridge and Oxford, but can my hon. Friend assure me and the House that this Government will be consistent in their support and will not wobble like the previous Government did,…
Commons
Westminster Hall
18 November 2025
Land Use Change: Food Security
The right hon. Lady is making an important speech, some of which I agree with and some of which I do not. She will understand, as we all do, that the current planning system does not resolve these issues very effectively. She will also know that the previous Government had plans to develop a land us…
Commons
Debate
17 November 2025
Asylum Policy
I support my right hon. Friend’s statement, and particularly her announcement about safe and legal routes. She will know that cities like Cambridge have a long tradition—going back to the Kindertransport—of welcoming people, including those from Syria and Ukraine. I very much hope that she will work…
Commons
Oral Questions
12 November 2025
Universities: Research and Development
The Business and Trade Committee recently visited the remarkable new Cavendish laboratory in Cambridge, and the key issue that came up was the balance between research funding going to post-doctorates and to PhD students. It is a complicated, niche issue, but would the Minister arrange for me, UK Re…
Commons
Debate
11 November 2025
BBC Leadership
I spent time yesterday with journalists at BBC Radio Cambridgeshire admiring their dedication and professionalism, which stands in marked contrast to this shabby debacle that sullies a great institution’s reputation. Is not part of the problem the fragmentation of what should be a public service? Fr…
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 November 2025
Video Games: Consumer Law
Is my hon. Friend aware of the Cambridge-based Ninja Theory’s work with neuroscientist Professor Paul Fletcher on the game “Hellblade”? It gives a really powerful insight into psychosis, and shows how game developers can work effectively with gamers for real social purpose.
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
29 October 2025
Engagements
Q14. Cambridge is one of the most intensive science and innovation clusters in the world, and that success is based on openness to talent. At the moment, in many American universities there are many well-qualified people pondering their futures. That presents a fantastic opportunity, but it is a g…