Commons
Oral Questions
Health and Social Care
14 July 2026
Topical Questions
T3. Studies show that iodine deficiencies in pregnant women can result in complications for their children, including impaired foetal growth and psychomotor development. Recent studies have shown that iodine levels among women of reproductive age in the UK are only 82 micrograms per litre, with 30% …
Commons
Oral Questions
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
9 July 2026
2 contributions
Teddington Direct River Abstraction Proposal
5. What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Teddington direct river abstraction proposal on the environment.
Two months ago, Ham and Kingston riverside became the first site in London to gain bathing water status, but Thames Water’s ill-conceived Teddington direct river abstraction proposal will see treated sewage discharged into the Thames above Teddington lock. Thames Water has submitted a report to the …
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
2 July 2026
Employment Rights Act 2025
Research by the British Retail Consortium found that over two thirds of part-time workers in the retail sector took the role because they needed flexibility around educational and caring commitments. The number of young people not in employment, education or training is over 1 million. Liberal Democ…
Commons
Westminster Hall
30 June 2026
Financial Inclusion: Young People
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir John. I congratulate the hon. Member for Hertford and Stortford (Josh Dean) on his work to secure this debate and his excellent opening remarks.
The decline of high street services has been an ongoing issue in the UK, with banks and other essen…
Commons
Westminster Hall
24 June 2026
Elections: First Past the Post
I beg to move,
That this House has considered the use of first-past-the-post in general and local elections.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Turner, and to be in an environment with such great air conditioning.
“I am committed to proportional representation…I think it would …
Commons
Oral Questions
Treasury
23 June 2026
Topical Questions
T5. Today marks 10 years since the Brexit referendum. Since that date, we have had 10 Home Secretaries, nine Foreign Secretaries, eight Chancellors, seven Defence Secretaries and 6 Prime Ministers. Does the Chancellor agree that such instability has acted as a break on growth in this country and can…
Commons
Oral Questions
Education
22 June 2026
2 contributions
Teacher Recruitment and Retention
9. What steps she is taking to recruit and retain teachers.
A Public Accounts Committee report published last summer found that the Department for Education not only lacked a plan for recruiting the additional teachers that Labour pledged in its manifesto, but did not understand why teachers are leaving the sector. Despite the Secretary of State’s saying tha…
Commons
Proceedings
17 June 2026
Steel Tariffs
The steel sector is a vital UK industry. We must support it in the face of numerous challenges, including China’s unfair practices and Trump’s trade war, but I am extremely concerned about the impact on parts of the steel industry supply chain if these proposed tariff changes are implemented. We all…
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 June 2026
3 contributions
Abuse of Customer-facing Workers
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Hobhouse. I congratulate the hon. Member for Caerphilly (Chris Evans) on securing this debate and on his excellent opening remarks.
Abuse against people in customer-facing roles is always unacceptable. No one should ever have to face abuse in t…
I thank my hon. Friend for that excellent intervention and for all his work. He speaks so powerfully for the victims of domestic abuse, and I thank him for taking this opportunity to raise the issue. I hope that the Minister has heard what he said, because it is an extremely serious point. We should…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
15 June 2026
Topical Questions
T2. The Government’s proposed high-value council tax surcharge will be collected by councils but retained by the Treasury. If councils neither control the charge nor keep the revenue, why is it being called a council tax? Will the Minister commit to changing this misleading policy title? Given that …
Commons
Debate
9 June 2026
5 contributions
Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill
I beg to move amendment 7, page 34, line 15, at end insert—
“(5A) Compensation scheme regulations must include provision which specifies that payment of compensation may be made until any written estimate under section 54 (4A) is laid before Parliament.”
This amendment works with Amendments 8 and …
We heard throughout yesterday’s debate from Members across the Committee about the importance of steelmaking as a vital strategic sector in the UK, and no doubt we will hear about it again today. We rely on the sector for essential parts of our national infrastructure, for transport and for advanced…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 June 2026
Improving the UK Visa System
Does the hon. Member agree that one of the worst aspects of the new system is how it treats husbands and wives separately? If a husband has gained five years of work experience but the wife has stayed at home to look after their children, she will be treated separately under the new rules such that …
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
21 May 2026
Topical Questions
According to reports in both the Financial Times and The Times, the Government have asked supermarket retailers to reduce the price of essential food items, such as milk, bread and eggs. The chief executive officer of Marks & Spencer has described the proposals as “completely preposterous”. Can …
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
21 May 2026
Industrial Strategy
The Government announced their intention in the industrial strategy to use their procurement power to shape markets for innovation in the longer term. Tech start-ups in my constituency complain that the process of getting Government contracts is slow, risk-averse and structurally biased in its finan…
Commons
Proceedings
20 May 2026
Processed Russian Oil Products: Sanctions
Inconsistencies and U-turns have become characteristic of this Government, but this is more than just a redirection of policy; this is a betrayal of Ukraine. This Government are abandoning our European ally in its moment of need by putting more money into the pockets of President Putin to fund his w…
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
20 May 2026
Engagements
Q13. I am sure the Prime Minister will join me in congratulating the 54 Liberal Democrats who won all 54 seats on Richmond upon Thames council at the recent local elections, but does he agree that the first-past-the-post system that produced this result does not give our communities the representati…
Commons
Debate
14 May 2026
Heathrow Airport: Third Runway
The debate surrounding a third runway at Heathrow has stretched over the past three decades. The Liberal Democrats have long stood by communities who oppose a third runway, arguing that the economic benefits are overstated and the environmental consequences are unavoidable. Although I have always op…
Commons
Oral Questions
28 April 2026
Topical Questions
T5. More than 1.3 million people use lifetime ISAs to save for their first home. The property cap of £450,000 has been frozen since 2017, despite rising house prices, but those buying their first home over that threshold face a 25% penalty. First-time buyers across London are disproportionately affe…
Commons
Westminster Hall
28 April 2026
National Accident Prevention Strategy
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Murrison. I congratulate the right hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield (Sir Andrew Mitchell) on securing this extremely important debate. Four weeks ago today, I was at the funeral of a young man who was killed in a road traffic collision in Sussex,…
Commons
Oral Questions
27 April 2026
2 contributions
Disability Living Allowance for Children
6. What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the proportion of disability living allowance for children applications that have been approved by his Department within its target timeframes in the last two years.
Over the past two years, only 3.5% of applications for disability living allowance for children have been approved by the Department for Work and Pensions within its own target timeframe. Parents of children with disabilities work tirelessly to ensure that their children can have the same opportunit…
Commons
Proceedings
23 April 2026
Allied Health Professionals
I thank the hon. Members for Thurrock (Jen Craft) and for Dudley (Sonia Kumar) for bringing this important debate to the House. I echo the sentiments of other Members who have underlined the important work that allied health professionals undertake and recognised the role that these clinicians play …
Commons
Westminster Hall
21 April 2026
Hammersmith Bridge
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Alec. Although I heartily congratulate the hon. Member for Putney (Fleur Anderson) on securing this debate and on her excellent opening speech, I know she shares with me the sincere wish that, before the end of our parliamentary careers, we may …
Commons
Westminster Hall
23 March 2026
Court and Tribunal Transcripts
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Pritchard. I thank the hon. Member for Keighley and Ilkley (Robbie Moore) for opening the debate so well, and for acknowledging my campaign on this issue. I also thank the hon. Member for Warrington North (Charlotte Nichols), who is no longer in …
Commons
Westminster Hall
18 March 2026
Social Enterprises and Community Ownership
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir John, and I congratulate the hon. Member for Leigh and Atherton (Jo Platt) on her work in securing this debate.
The current landscape is extremely challenging for businesses of all kinds across all sectors, including social enterprises. I am sure …
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
12 March 2026
Hospitality Sector
In the Q4 2025 quarterly economic survey, 52% of businesses reported utility costs as a pressure that is driving them to raise prices, and there is a particular impact on the hospitality sector. Recent research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than a quarter of businesses will str…