Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 January 2026
Iran
Iran is a remarkable country and its people are remarkable, but I agree with the Foreign Secretary that the actions of the Iranian regime are no aberration. She was absolutely right to say that. Will she consider proscription of the IRGC? As others have said, we proscribed Wagner. That was the right…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
17 December 2025
UK-EU Common Understanding Negotiations
I am afraid to say that it is almost 30 years since I made the transformative journey from Dundee to Antwerp for my Erasmus experience. I thank the Minister, because there is some progress in this area. May I ask him a couple of practical questions? First, obviously there is a different higher educa…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
16 December 2025
Electoral Resilience
Members of this House, including me, who have been targeted by Russia will be particularly horrified by the crimes of Reform UK’s former Wales leader. I am pleased that Philip Rycroft has been appointed to lead the review: we know he has been a fine public servant and has deep experience of Europe a…
Commons
Debate
11 December 2025
Foreign Interference
I commend the hon. Member for securing this timely and important debate. Given the NSS and other challenges, we must move closer to European partners—we see what happens when there is division. I commend him for his work in Georgia in particular. Will he comment on the breakdown of the belief in the…
Commons
Proceedings
11 December 2025
6 contributions
St Andrew’s Day and Scottish Affairs
I thank the hon. Member for Dunfermline and Dollar (Graeme Downie) for securing the debate, and for the very constructive way he approached it. He focused on young people, migration and those who make our country so much richer, which I thought was a useful thing to debate on St Andrew’s day. In tha…
And the ’90s.
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Proceedings
11 December 2025
US National Security Strategy
The US national security strategy says in black and white what many of us have been warning about for years now. The Minister was right to say that we Europeans need to step up, so can she tell me why Canada has be able to join the SAFE—Security Action for Europe—procurement scheme, which far outstr…
Commons
Oral Questions
9 December 2025
2 contributions
EU Exit: Economic Growth
2. What assessment she has made of the potential impact of leaving the EU on economic growth.
I will try to strike a note that is maybe a little better. We worked together with the Prime Minister, the Chancellor and others to overcome the Tories’ secrecy about their analysis of what it would be like to be outside the single market and the customs union. If we can overcome Tory secrecy on an …
Commons
Proceedings
3 December 2025
Venezuela: US Military
Nicolás Maduro is no respecter of the international rules-based system, but we must be. We do not want to see chaos in Latin America, but we are seeing the biggest military build-up in the Caribbean since the Cuban missile crisis and the biggest US military build-up since the war in Iraq. What lesso…
Commons
Proceedings
3 December 2025
Official Secrets Act and Espionage
May I thank the Minister for his responses today and for the way he is responding to this matter? I know he will be as concerned as the rest of us about descriptions of the process being “shambolic” and the criticism of systemic failures. Can the Minister tell us what has changed? Secondly, what has…
Commons
Proceedings
2 December 2025
4 contributions
Budget Resolutions
It is good to be able to make my presentation today, after the past few days of drama. The Budget is meant to be a showcase for this place. The Conservatives will be well aware of past years when Budgets unravelled in the days just after they were delivered, but I think we all found it quite somethi…
Ah! Is the hon. Lady about to disagree with her Scottish leader? Please, I would love to hear it.
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
26 November 2025
2 contributions
Cost of Living
Will the Secretary of State tell the House by how much household energy bills have risen since Labour came to power?
The Secretary of State clearly does not know, so I will help him: energy bills have risen by £187 for the average household, with more rises due on the way. He might also want to know that today is National Energy Action’s Fuel Poverty Awareness Day. Scotland is one of the most energy-rich parts of …
Commons
Debate
3 November 2025
Huntingdon Train Attack
May I put on record our best wishes to the victims and our thanks to the emergency services and railway staff, who did a remarkable job? I know that the Home Secretary cannot comment on this particular case, but one concern I have is around the speculation and disinformation that is rife on social m…
Commons
Oral Questions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
28 October 2025
Ukraine
I welcome the Foreign Secretary’s comments about Russian frozen assets. She will possibly agree with me that the US is an increasingly unreliable partner for Ukraine. Can she tell me what discussions she has had with European counterparts about securing Ukrainians’ long-range missiles with European …
Commons
Debate
22 October 2025
10 contributions
Devolution in Scotland
I think the hon. Lady has made a good point. She may be up against it if she is trying to talk to those on the Opposition Benches about modernisation in any fashion, but when, during the pandemic, Members were forced to go through the Lobby when they were unwell, that affected Members throughout the…
Powers?
+8 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
22 October 2025
2 contributions
Scottish Independence Referendum
May I join other Opposition Members in welcoming the Secretary of State to his place? I wish him well in that job.
My hon. Friend the Member for Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber (Brendan O’Hara) is not the only one with a quote that might be of interest to the Secretary of State; I have another one …
Well, this might get just a little bit awkward. The quote was not from the Secretary of State, although I welcome his contribution; it was actually from his boss, the leader of the Labour party and the current Prime Minister, who is about to turn up. That is very awkward indeed— [ Interruption. ] Th…
Commons
Debate
16 October 2025
Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill
I agree with the Minister that her engagement with various stakeholders—environmental NGOs, academics and universities—is crucial. I also acknowledge the parts of the Bill that underline the role of devolved Administrations and the important work that has to be done. Will her officials work closely …
Commons
Proceedings
16 October 2025
Official Secrets Act Case: Witness Statements
I welcome the Minister to his place on his first outing— I have to say, I think the Prime Minister owes him a favour. The Minister will understand the need for absolutely clarity, and I know he says that, but given the serious threat that he has said China poses to us, can he be absolutely clear on …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
15 October 2025
Ukraine
I congratulate the Foreign Secretary on her appointment and welcome her remarks about the consensus on the war in Ukraine holding up well across the vast majority of the Chamber. She is a fresh set of eyes. Will she look at the efficiency of some of the aid? Might we work more closely with organisat…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
14 October 2025
Speaker’s Statement
Further to that point of order, Mr Speaker. I had the distinction of succeeding Ming Campbell in this place. He probably was not unhappy that I am not his current successor—he spoke so highly of his current successor—but I have to say how highly I thought of him. I have heard so many nice stories to…
Commons
Oral Questions
14 October 2025
2 contributions
Energy Prices: Economic Growth
5. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of energy prices on economic growth.
The Minister and I come from one of the most energy-rich parts of Europe, yet its consumers have among the highest energy bills in Europe. That drives up fuel poverty and hits the cost of living crisis. He will be aware of that. Labour promised to bring down bills by £300; they will have gone up by …
Commons
Debate
4 September 2025
2 contributions
House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill
The hon. Member is making the point that any of us should be able to go, and I agree. Should that not be the case for all parliamentarians and not just those in this House?
I intervene merely because my hon. Friend is not here to defend himself, so I am grateful to the hon. Member for giving way. There are a number of fine people in the House of Lords and I have worked with them in a number of ways. However, democratic accountability should be at the heart. Labour prom…
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
3 September 2025
Engagements
Q7. First of all, I refer to my comments earlier in the week, since the Prime Minister’s research is not up to scratch. George Reid, a former Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament and MP, passed away over the summer. He was a humanitarian to his very fingertips. He abhorred the demonisation o…
Commons
Oral Questions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
2 September 2025
Georgia: Democracy
I join others in congratulating the Minister on his nuptials—that is happy news for everybody. The Minister will be aware of the fantastic work that UK-based non-governmental organisations have done about civil society stability, which is crucial in these darker times. With the cuts to the internati…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
1 September 2025
Ukraine
I welcome the Norwegian investment in Glasgow’s shipyards. The Norwegians understand the importance of European security. The Norwegians understand the importance of territorial integrity. The Norwegians understand the importance of the high north. I pay credit to those at RM Condor, in my constitue…
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
9 July 2025
2 contributions
Spending Review 2025: Scottish Public Services
During the spending review period, the Scottish Government will have to continue to mitigate some of the cruellest Westminster policies. They had to do that under the Tories, and it continues under Labour, not least with the two-child cap. Can the Secretary of State tell us whether there are any pla…
I am not sure the Secretary of State quite caught the question there. We voted against the two-child cap. If there is cash to go around and UK Departments are getting bigger spending increases than the Scottish Government, why will he not prioritise child poverty? The Child Poverty Action Group desc…