Commons
Debate
28 April 2026
Select Committees
It is a pleasure to follow a former member of the Procedure Committee. I thank the hon. Member for Beaconsfield (Joy Morrissey) for all that she did in contributing to the work of the Committee, which came to the clear and consensual view that the elections of Select Committee Chairs at the beginnin…
Commons
Oral Questions
28 April 2026
2 contributions
Topical Questions
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
I thank the Chancellor for her work to lift the two-child benefit cap, which was cruelly brought in by the Conservative Government. Does she agree that that is not only morally the right thing to do, but economically good news for the 1,690 families in Lancaster and Wyre who will have more money in …
Commons
Westminster Hall
28 April 2026
Park Home Owners
It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Christchurch (Sir Christopher Chope). Demographically, Lancaster and Wyre has a very similar number of park homes to his constituency, and I have discussed them with him on a number of occasions, which shows the cross-party consensus that what is going …
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
25 March 2026
3 contributions
Engagements
Q1. If he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 25 March.
I would like to thank the Prime Minister for the £47 million that this Government have given to Lancashire county council to repair potholes. However, my constituents still feel like they need a moon buggy to navigate the streets of Lancashire, so would he agree that the Reform councillors of Lancas…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
16 March 2026
Heating Oil Support
On behalf of my constituents, I thank the Minister for his speedy response to the situation, which I know from my inbox has been very welcome to those using heating oil, but can he reassure us that the correspondence from Government to Lancashire county council will make it clear that those on LPG w…
Commons
Proceedings
5 March 2026
Business of the House
Lancashire county council’s consultation on the closure of care homes and adult day centres is now closed, and the decision lies with the Reform-led council. Adult day centres in my constituency, such as Vale View, are at a real risk of closure. May I ask for a debate in Government time about the va…
Commons
Debate
2 March 2026
3 contributions
Representation of the People Bill
On that point, will the right hon. Gentleman give way?
Those of us who are in this Chamber on a Thursday morning know that we sometimes have questions to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission then, and I say that because in the last Parliament, as an Opposition MP, I was a spokesperson for that Committee. It is the only time in the parliam…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
16 December 2025
2 contributions
Quarries: Planning Policy
Thank you for squeezing me in, Dr Murrison. In the limited time that I have, I want to put on record that the experiences of my constituents in Preesall are echoed by communities right across the country, as we have heard in the debate. Preesall saw a proposal for a quarry to extract sand and gravel…
I thank the hon. Gentleman for making that point—it does have an economic impact on the area. Preesall is located in a beautiful corner of Lancashire, with the Wyre estuary on one side and Morecambe bay on the other. Who will want to visit this beauty corner of Lancashire if the landscape is littere…
Commons
Debate
26 November 2025
3 contributions
Budget Resolutions
Follow that, I suppose! I cannot promise the same level of entertaining enthusiasm as the right hon. Member for New Forest West (Sir Desmond Swayne) as I rise to speak on today’s Budget.
I want to start by talking about the cost of living, which is my constituents’ major concern. When I have been s…
My hon. Friend gives me the opportunity to put on record my thanks to North Lancashire Citizens Advice. We frequently end up referring constituents to Citizens Advice, and I thank its volunteers for all their work to support my constituents and those of my hon. Friend.
I do not buy into the idea th…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
25 November 2025
2 contributions
Hughes Report
11. If he will set out a timeline for responding to the Hughes report, published on 7 February 2024.
I welcome the new Minister to his post. I have been campaigning on this issue for 10 years, and I have a stack of letters and answers to written parliamentary questions that say things like “in due course” and “the Government are considering”. On behalf of a group of people who have been gaslit by t…
Commons
Westminster Hall
24 November 2025
Gaza: Humanitarian Obligations
It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Ms McVey, and to be able to speak in this e-petition debate. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for North Ayrshire and Arran (Irene Campbell) on her opening of today’s debate. As the former Chair of the Petitions Committee, I know that the e-petition s…
Commons
Petition
18 November 2025
Vale View Day Centre, Lancaster
I rise to present a petition about the Vale View day centre in Lancaster, which Lancashire county council is consulting on closing. I have met clients and their families, who all tell me what a fantastic job the manager, Emma, and her amazing team do. They offer clients an amazing experience, wholes…
Commons
Debate
15 October 2025
Jhoots Pharmacy
Jhoots pharmacy moved into the village of Knott End in 2023, and it was not long before constituents were getting in touch with me to explain that they could not access their prescriptions because pharmacies were closed and unreliable. We do have the very good Over Wyre medical centre, which has dis…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
14 October 2025
Middle East
As an officer of the all-party parliamentary group on Christianity in the holy land, I was fortunate enough to be on a delegation in Jerusalem and the west bank last week, and it was clear to our delegation from speaking to Palestinian Christians that they are delivering hospitals and schools for Pa…
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 October 2025
17 contributions
Postural Tachycardia Syndrome
I beg to move,
That this House has considered the matter of support for people with postural tachycardia syndrome.
It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair this morning, Sir Desmond. I am grateful for this opportunity to look at a health issue that is often overlooked, misunderstood and under-reso…
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention; I recognise that a lot of hon. Members are here for this debate, more than I have ever seen for a 30-minute debate before. Hopefully, next time I make an application, I might be granted a bit more time. I am happy to take early interventions from coll…
+15 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Justice
16 September 2025
Topical Questions
For six years, Lancaster courthouse has been surrounded by temporary fencing as it awaits maintenance. How much longer will my constituents have to wait?
Commons
Oral Questions
Justice
16 September 2025
2 contributions
Court Estate: Restoration and Renewal
19. What steps he is taking to improve the court estate through restoration and renewal.
Since 2019 my constituents in Lancaster have had to look at a ring of steel fencing around the Lancaster courthouse in our city centre as it awaits maintenance work to make it more sightly. The fencing has been there since 2019, so how much longer will my constituents have to wait for this maintenan…
Commons
Petition
21 July 2025
Redundancies at Lancaster University
I rise to present a petition on behalf of my constituents, specifically those who are members of the University and College Union, Unite and Unison, whose representatives I met recently. In that context, I draw the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. My con…
Commons
Debate
21 July 2025
Victory over Japan: 80th Anniversary
I feel very moved to intervene on my hon. Friend because she is making such a powerful speech. As someone who previously represented part of her constituency, I know how much this will mean to her constituents. My grandfather had a Burma Star and he had scars all over his body. He never spoke of it …
Commons
Westminster Hall
8 July 2025
3 contributions
Alcohol and Cancer
I beg to move,
That this House has considered alcohol and cancer.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Stuart. I am grateful to the Backbench Business Committee for granting us the opportunity to debate alcohol and cancer. This issue affects all of us; it affects our constituents, ou…
The hon. Gentleman is right that we should look at the cost to our communities. This debate is specifically about alcohol and cancer, but other costs beyond its scope include the impact on the criminal justice system, productivity in the workplace and violence, particularly against women and girls. …
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
1 July 2025
Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill
As Chair of the Procedure Committee, I am often asked about how we legislate in this House. Many Members, and members of the public, have approached me about the speed with which the Bill is being pushed through. Moving from Second Reading to Third Reading in eight days does not give Members the tim…
Commons
Proceedings
14 May 2025
Gaza: UK Assessment
Civilians are starving to death in Gaza. Aid has been held for 10 weeks and used as a weapon against innocent civilians. My constituents are rightly outraged by what they are seeing, and so am I. While I welcome the Minister’s words, what further actions can the Government take to send a clearer mes…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
12 May 2025
Immigration System
Lancaster University, like all of the leading universities in the UK, relies on operating in a global market, not just for international students, but for academic staff. Many of those staff have been in touch with me already today and they are feeling upset by some of the language that has been use…
Commons
Oral Questions
Work and Pensions
12 May 2025
Winter Fuel Payment: Means-testing
In my 10 years as a Member of Parliament, I have run consistent campaigns throughout my constituency to raise awareness of pension credit and encourage hundreds of people to sign up to it, but I know that many of my constituents are just above the threshold and by no means well off. What assessment …