Commons
Oral Questions
Northern Ireland
8 July 2026
Community Cohesion
The attempted murder of Stephen Ogilvie in Belfast last month shocked people throughout the country. The man accused of this horrific attack is thought to have crossed into Northern Ireland illegally from the south. People from all communities are asking what more can be done to prevent people from …
Commons
Debate
6 July 2026
2 contributions
Payment Scheme
I would like to start by thanking the Paymaster General for bringing forward these important regulations and also to say thank you to the former Minister for Public Health, the hon. Member for West Lancashire (Ashley Dalton), for her valuable work when she was in office.
This debate takes place in …
I could not agree more. It is particularly important that infected and affected victims and their families, who for many, many years were not listened to, heard or believed, and who faced officials who denied what all the evidence later proved to be the case, now feel that they are being treated wit…
Commons
Westminster Hall
1 July 2026
3 contributions
MPs’ Second Jobs: Prohibition
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Western. I congratulate the hon. Member for Leeds East (Richard Burgon) on securing this debate. This is a vital discussion that goes to the very heart of how our democracy functions, how our legislature connects with the public and how we mainta…
I thank the hon. Member for making the point that I was about to move on to.
Some of the jobs that I have mentioned are better remunerated, so it is incredibly difficult to know where a formal line should be drawn in explicit rules. If medical jobs are acceptable, why not the legal work that some M…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Justice
30 June 2026
2 contributions
Knife Crime: Custodial Sentences
12. What assessment he has made of trends in the number of people receiving immediate custodial sentences for knife crime offences.
I thank the Minister for that answer, but the latest figures show that the average custodial sentence for an adult knife or offensive weapon offence is just over eight months. Under the Sentencing Act 2026, there has been a presumption since March that any sentence below 12 months should be suspende…
Commons
Oral Questions
Cabinet Office
25 June 2026
2 contributions
UK-EU Relations
The Minister has submitted in answers to written questions that there will be no substantive vote in this House on UK association to Erasmus+, even though the Government plan to tie us into a multi-year programme without saying what it will cost after the first year. The Defence Secretary resigned b…
I think everybody will have heard that the Minister has again refused to give any indication as to what he thinks would be an acceptable bill.
The Government used the cover of the Prime Minister’s resignation on Monday to sneak out a written ministerial statement to say that the Turing scheme was b…
Commons
Proceedings
17 June 2026
Steel Tariffs
Engineering firms in Kingswinford and South Staffordshire are integral to automotive and aerospace supply chains, so how can it be right or in the national interest that they pay a tariff of 50% on the steel they import and use, while European producers making those parts with the same steel pay low…
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 June 2026
Rural Pubs: Fiscal Support
Does my hon. Friend recognise that, for many rural locations, the rural pub is the last-standing business in the village? It is the post office, the village store, the job club, the parent and child club and the club for the elderly and lonely. I have even seen, through Pub is the Hub, a barber in t…
Commons
Proceedings
15 June 2026
Defence Investment Plan
The Minister was clear that the previous Defence Secretary asked him to remain in post; will he be equally clear about what exactly he disagrees with in the letter that the previous Defence Secretary sent the Prime Minister about the defence investment plan last Thursday?
Commons
Westminster Hall
15 June 2026
Brain Cancer
Behind every statistic is a human face. For me, it is my senior parliamentary assistant, Dan Horrocks—a father, husband, a four-time cancer survivor and a brilliant colleague who has fought this disease for 14 years. We are incredibly proud of Dan’s strength and his tireless campaigning, for which h…
Commons
Westminster Hall
2 June 2026
Preparedness for National Emergencies
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Barker, for this vital debate on our nation’s preparedness for national emergencies.
We live in an era defined by profound and accelerating global volatility. The primary duty of any state is the protection of its citizens: we must ensure that …
Commons
Debate
20 May 2026
Banking Hubs
I thank the hon. Gentleman for giving way and allowing me to give one further example that I hope the reviewers will consider. Lloyds will this month close the last existing bank in Kingswinford and South Staffordshire, leaving all of my constituents, whether urban or rural, without a proper bank. H…
Commons
Debate
28 April 2026
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Last week, I tabled a written question to the Foreign Secretary, asking whether Jonathan Powell was subject to scrutiny vetting before or after he was appointed as the Prime Minister’s special envoy on the Chagos negotiations. I have not yet received a resp…
Commons
Oral Questions
23 April 2026
2 contributions
UK-EU Relations
The UK has become a global leader in agri-tech and particularly selective breeding, largely because of our flexible regulatory framework, including the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023. That would not have happened if we were still members of the European Union. The BioIndustry Assoc…
I think the House and the public outside will have heard that the Minister is refusing to give that commitment to the representatives of this vital sector. However, he will know that the high cost of fertilisers is one of the biggest pressures on British farming and food prices. Raising carbon price…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
22 April 2026
Pension Schemes
I begin by paying tribute to our fantastic public servants, civil servants and postal workers. The vast majority give so much in service of our country and the general public. This week, perhaps more than any other, is a reminder that it is Ministers’ responsibility to provide the political leadersh…
Commons
Debate
22 April 2026
Government Procurement Strategy
I congratulate the hon. Member for Stafford (Leigh Ingham) on securing this urgent question—I know how rare it is for a Government Parliamentary Private Secretary. [ Interruption. ] She is not any more—I apologise. I welcome the Government’s ambition to modernise public procurement, but ambition, as…
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
22 April 2026
2 contributions
Engagements
Q1. If he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 22 April.
Can the Prime Minister deny that Downing Street considered appointing Matthew Doyle to a diplomatic position?
Commons
Debate
21 April 2026
3 contributions
Peter Mandelson: Government Appointment
Will the hon. Member give way on that point?
On that point, will the hon. Gentleman give way?
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
20 April 2026
Security Vetting
The Prime Minister dissembles over what he knew about Sistema and Mandelson, but the Cabinet Office due diligence report sent to the Prime Minister on 11 December 2024 stated:
“Mandelson served as a non-executive director of the Russian conglomerate Sistema, which is itself the majority shareholder…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
14 April 2026
Infected Blood Compensation Scheme
I thank the Minister for his statement and for providing an advance copy. We naturally welcome the progress reported today. The fact that 3,273 people have received offers totalling more than £2 billion is a significant milestone in a decades-long struggle for justice. I thank the Infected Blood Com…
Commons
Oral Questions
Northern Ireland
25 March 2026
Spring Forecast
Hospitality adds nearly £2 billion to Northern Ireland’s economy, supporting more than 75,000 jobs, but last year more than 2,000 hospitality workers in Northern Ireland lost their jobs. Does the Secretary of State agree with Unite the union, of which I know he is a member, that this is the result o…
Commons
Proceedings
24 March 2026
Defence
claimed to move the closure (Standing Order No. 36).
Question put forthwith, That the Question be now put.
A Division was called.
Commons
Statutory Instrument
18 March 2026
Draft Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975 (Amendment) Order 2026
I am in the rather fortunate position of being able to stand here as an Opposition Whip and shadow Minister who does not receive a ministerial salary, so I cannot be accused of having any conflict of interest in supporting the Government in what appears to be a sensible and, as the Minister said, te…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
12 March 2026
Business of the House
Farmers in Kingswinford and South Staffordshire have contacted me in recent days about the steep rise in the price of key inputs such as fertilisers and straw. Current events are likely to make these pressures even more acute, with serious implications for farm viability and domestic food production…
Commons
Statutory Instrument
11 March 2026
Draft Procurement (Amendment) Regulations 2026
You can never have too many procurement SIs in a week, but for those who did not have the pleasure of Monday afternoon’s Committee, I will spare them some of the background information and just say that the Opposition support the draft regulations. As the Minister says, they will give effect to impo…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
10 March 2026
Digital ID: Public Consultation
I thank the Minister for advance sight of his statement and for the briefing a short time ago.
It is said that in 1720, gullible investors were invited to put their money into
“a company for carrying out an undertaking of great advantage, but nobody to know what it is”.
Today, the Chief Secretary…