Commons
Proceedings
19 March 2026
3 contributions
Climate Change
The UK has a lot to be proud of in our record on climate change, such as halving our greenhouse gas emissions since 1990, being the first EU nation to phase out coal, and massively scaling up renewable energy. It is no coincidence that many of these accomplishments came against a background of cross…
Is the shadow Minister saying that because we cannot make a big enough impact globally, we should scrap our impact altogether?
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Proceedings
19 March 2026
Community Mental Health Services
So many mental health problems could be cared for much better in the community. As the chair of the eating disorders all-party parliamentary group, I know that some years ago we had an inquiry called “There’s No Place Like Home”. That was supported by Beat, which put out a report about the critical …
Commons
Oral Questions
19 March 2026
Business of the House
At a time of heightened global tension, we must be aware of how important it is that we look after our current and ex-service personnel. I have a constituent who served in the Army and later in the Ministry of Defence for 50 years. He survived stage 4 cancer and his illness is now forcing him to ret…
Commons
Oral Questions
Treasury
10 March 2026
State Pension Increase
Nearly half a million pensioners living abroad will miss out on the state pension increase because we do not have reciprocal agreements with countries such as Canada and Australia. Several former Bath constituents have raised this issue with me. What discussions has the Minister had with departmenta…
Commons
Debate
9 March 2026
2 contributions
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
There is now overwhelming evidence that addictive algorithms and harmful content are deeply damaging to our children’s wellbeing. We Liberal Democrats support Lords amendment 38, which would ban social media for under-16s, although our preference is for online regulation with film-style age rating o…
I will not; I am sorry.
More than 40 charities and experts support this approach. Our constituents have made their views clear too. I have been inundated with emails, the overwhelming majority of which support a ban. Now is the time for action. The Government could accept this cross-party amendment…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
5 March 2026
Energy Markets
The Energy Security and Net Zero Committee is running an inquiry into the costs of energy, as we have already heard from its Chair. With all due respect, I cannot understand how the Conservative Opposition can with a straight face deplore the cost of energy for bill payers while at the same time adv…
Commons
Proceedings
5 March 2026
Business of the House
One of my Bath constituents who is a leaseholder in a housing association-managed development has received sudden and extremely high major works bills without warning. There is currently no statutory requirement for landlords or housing associations to operate sinking or reserve funds to spread the …
Commons
Westminster Hall
5 March 2026
2 contributions
Local Museums
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Ms Lewell. What a wonderful debate we have had this afternoon. From Egyptian mummies and vampires to castles and royal pump houses, from the history of textiles and shipbuilding to Captain Cook and the Cutty Sark, the whole colourful history of our co…
Since we have a little time, we should congratulate the whole sector for making museums so much more engaging and fun. I remember being dragged to museums when I was young. They were boring places to be, and I could just about survive for half an hour. These days, museums are places where people rea…
Commons
Westminster Hall
5 March 2026
World Book Day
I sincerely hope that was not AI-generated; it was a very special effort. Follow that, Minister!
Commons
Oral Questions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
3 March 2026
Hong Kong: Human Rights Situation
Bounties have been placed on the heads of pro-democracy activists living in Hong Kong—a shocking act of transnational aggression. May I add my voice to that of the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Sir Iain Duncan Smith), and ask: when will the Government use our Magnitsky sanction…
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 March 2026
2 contributions
Small Charity Sector
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Roger. I thank the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Sir Iain Duncan Smith) for securing this important debate.
I hear time and again from local Bath charities that they are disadvantaged due to their size. They are incredible, c…
Does the Minister agree that small local charities cannot compete with national charities? We have made that point time and again, but she has not made any comment on how competition can be achieved or how local charities can get priority. I have many examples in Bath where a national charity gets a…
Commons
Debate
2 March 2026
Representation of the People Bill
Does the Secretary of State agree that the same arguments that were made over 100 years ago about women not being fit enough to vote are now being repeated for 16-year-olds? The success that ultimately came from including women in the franchise should give us confidence that this is the right thing …
Commons
Oral Questions
Education
2 March 2026
Phone Use in Schools
I was a secondary school teacher before I came to this place, and even 10 years ago, although the school guidance was that mobile phones should not be in classrooms, enforcing that was a daily struggle. The presence of mobile phones undermines what schools are trying to do, causing distraction, pote…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
26 February 2026
Business of the House
Lib Dem-run Bath and North East Somerset council is deeply concerned that the Government’s proposed reforms to the national planning policy framework will cap local ambitions on meeting net zero through sustainable development. National minimum environmental standards must not become a ceiling that …
Commons
Westminster Hall
26 February 2026
7 contributions
Eating Disorders Awareness Week
I beg to move,
That this House has considered Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2026.
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Ms Vaz. This year, Eating Disorders Awareness Week is centred on the theme of community. Over the past six years, as chair of the eating disorders all-party parliame…
It is also worth mentioning the many people who have come forward to bravely tell their stories, raise awareness and take away the stigma. We know how much courage it takes to come forward. I want to collectively thank everybody who does that. We need more people to come forward and talk about their…
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
24 February 2026
6 contributions
Online Harm: Child Protection
Will my hon. Friend give way?
I do not know where the Minister has been, but my inbox has been inundated by families and parents who are calling for action. We are responding to the request of our constituents to take action. Do the Government not see the urgency with which we need to take action?
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
23 February 2026
Schools White Paper: Every Child Achieving and Thriving
Children with special educational needs, particularly neurodiverse learners, thrive in creative subjects, but over the past decade, music, drama and art have been severely cut from the curriculum. How will the White Paper ensure that we broaden our curriculum to bring back the power of creative subj…
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
23 February 2026
Leasehold Reform
These sharp practices are not down to just one management company—a lot of companies are at it. A leaseholder constituent wrote to me to say he feels “abandoned and angry”. His property is leaking, but the freeholder is not interested in helping, and his ground rent will double in 2030. Can the Secr…
Commons
Oral Questions
Transport
12 February 2026
Rail Transport and Economic Growth
Bath’s hospitality sector depends heavily on weekend services, but Sunday services on Great Western Railway continue to be extremely unreliable, with long delays, packed trains and cancellations. The previous Transport Secretary, the right hon. Member for Sheffield Heeley (Louise Haigh), rightly sai…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
10 February 2026
Local Power Plan
I welcome the publication of the local power plan and I honestly recognise the Government’s commitment to community energy. However, I think there is still a piece missing—namely that properties in the vicinity of a community energy generator can ultimately benefit by being directly supplied, rather…
Commons
Oral Questions
10 February 2026
Topical Questions
T5. The environmental impact assessment for the Rosebank oil field shows that its emissions will be enormous—equivalent to 70% of the UK’s annual total emissions. However, the developer claims that the environmental impact is not significant. The Minister may not wish to comment on Rosebank specific…
Commons
Oral Questions
Home Department
9 February 2026
Violence against Women and Girls Strategy
Around one in eight women were victims of sexual assault, domestic abuse and stalking in the year to March 2025. Victim Support is concerned that there is not enough focus in the strategy and, in particular, that funding is not matching increasing demand. What assurances can the Minister give victim…
Commons
Oral Questions
5 February 2026
Business of the House
Nearly four years on from the outbreak of the war, our Ukrainian friends have formed ever closer bonds with our communities. Last week I was at the opening ceremony of Bath’s Ukrainian education hub, which is part of a global network of 84 such hubs. The hubs are places for classes and courses, but …
Commons
Oral Questions
Justice
3 February 2026
Victims of Domestic Abuse: Criminal Justice System
I recently brought together domestic abuse charities in Bath, such as Developing Health and Independence, Voices, and the Nelson Trust, which provide services including how to navigate the complicated justice system. They all agree it is critical that they all work together and that there are joined…
Commons
Debate
21 January 2026
5 contributions
Antisocial Behaviour on Canals and Rivers: Bath
Our waterways in Bath are the envy of the country. Across England and Wales, more than 30,000 boats are licensed to navigate our canals and rivers, and Bath stands out as a particular hotspot. Many boaters choose to make Bath their home, whether moored permanently or passing through as part of a lon…
Let me first express my condolences to the family of the hon. Gentleman’s constituent who drowned so tragically. Such tragedies demonstrate that antisocial behaviour often constitutes thoughtless vandalism. People do not understand what they are doing. We need to make people think about what they do…
+3 more contributions in this session