Commons
Oral Questions
22 July 2025
Topical Questions
I was really disappointed that there was not one mention of eating disorders in the NHS 10-year plan, which is particularly troubling given that some of the proposed measures to reduce obesity may inadvertently harm those affected by eating disorders. When will the Government finally commit to an ea…
Commons
Oral Questions
21 July 2025
Primary School Assessment
It is so well known how damaging formal assessment can be for some children; their wellbeing should be at the forefront of our minds. I know that from primary school teachers in my Bath constituency. Is it not time that we completely scrapped SATs?
Commons
Debate
17 July 2025
Global Plastics Treaty
I warmly congratulate my right hon. Friend the Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr Carmichael) on securing this important debate, and I thank all Members who have contributed. Rarely do I have the privilege of being part of a debate in which there is such consensus, though we have not heard from the …
Commons
Proceedings
17 July 2025
Business of the House
I had to talk about cricket the other day and could not quite remember what bowling is, so instead I said, “throw a ball”!
One of my young constituents has had virtually no meaningful education since year 1. Now nearly at the end of his primary education, he cannot cope with being at school at all,…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
17 July 2025
2 contributions
Support for Cycle Manufacturers
1. What steps he is taking to support small and medium cycle manufacturers.
I, too, wish Robert a happy next new adventure, Mr Speaker, and I wish Her Majesty the Queen a happy birthday.
The removal of anti-dumping duties on e-bikes from China has raised serious concerns for UK cycle manufacturers, which are mainly small and medium-sized businesses. With similar duties on …
Commons
Oral Questions
15 July 2025
Green Industries: Supply Chain Jobs
Despite the growing need for green jobs—obviously, we are all in favour of making sure we have green jobs—fewer than one in 10 employees receive any dedicated green skills training, according to an OVO Energy survey. What can we do to support businesses, and what can the Government do to accelerate …
Commons
Westminster Hall
15 July 2025
2 contributions
Beer Duty
Pubs such as The Grapes free house in Bath provide so much more than just being somewhere to drink or meet. They host cultural events and all sorts of things that otherwise could not take place, and that would be a loss to our community and cultural life. Does my hon. Friend agree that the small los…
Does the hon. Gentleman agree that, although beer duty seems to target large brewers, it quickly trickles down and hits the much smaller venues and brewers disproportionately hard?
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
14 July 2025
2 contributions
Council Tax Revenue: Student Accommodation
4. What assessment she has made of the potential impact of reductions in council tax revenue from student houses in multiple occupation on local authorities.
In 2013, my Bath council received £31 million through the revenue support grant. This year, it is just around £1 million. Students, who are exempt from council tax, are not being counted. Will the Minister ensure that, through the fair funding review, the issue is urgently addressed, and that counci…
Commons
Proceedings
10 July 2025
2 contributions
Educational Attainment of Boys
Eight out of nine men in prison report that they were excluded from school. I was a secondary school teacher before I entered Parliament, and the attainment gap was a big worry, but my biggest worry was that we do not respond properly to or cater for people who are neurodiverse. About 20% of our you…
I am fascinated by what I am hearing today. I met Tony Bury, my Bath constituent, who is working with the Centre for Social Justice on improving outcomes for boys—I encourage everybody who is interested in this issue to read its latest report, “Lost Boys”. Does the hon. Member agree that we need a n…
Commons
Proceedings
10 July 2025
Energy Planning
We have just heard how important it is that we get community support for infrastructure. The Committee supports the presumption of consent for low-carbon infrastructure with critical national priority status. However, the Committee sets out in the report serious concerns about the potential impact o…
Commons
Debate
10 July 2025
Electricity Market Review
UK households and businesses pay almost the highest energy costs compared with other European countries. As has already been said many times, although it is worth repeating, that is because the cost of electricity is coupled to the cost of gas. I absolutely share the Secretary of State’s ambition to…
Commons
Proceedings
10 July 2025
Business of the House
Research from the University of Bath has uncovered serious violations of the pharmaceutical code of practice by Novo Nordisk, one of the companies behind new weight loss drugs. The company covertly paid millions of pounds to healthcare groups and charities to promote its drugs. In the light of the G…
Commons
Oral Questions
10 July 2025
Plan for Change
Yesterday, I met members of the Spanish Senate, with whom I discussed energy security and how to bring down energy bills for our residents on either side of the channel. It is clear that energy trading between the EU and the UK does not work properly. What can we do, and what progress has been made,…
Commons
Oral Questions
8 July 2025
Topical Questions
T6. I recently met Ruby Hamill—a young activist who nearly died in a Government-run prison when her severe eating disorder was ignored. Ruby is not a constituent; she wanted to talk to me because I chair the eating disorders all-party parliamentary group. Will the Minister meet me and Ruby’s fami…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
7 July 2025
Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life
Only 34% of disadvantaged pupils in Bath met the required standards for reading, writing or maths in 2021-22, which was well below the national average. It is always surprising that Bath, which is a prosperous city, has very deep pockets of deprivation. The Language for Life programme in my constitu…
Commons
Oral Questions
Transport
26 June 2025
2 contributions
Topical Questions
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
The transport sector generates Britain’s highest emissions. Through collaboration with France, we have the opportunity to transform the world’s busiest ferry route, across the strait of Dover between Britain and France, into the world’s first high-volume green shipping corridor. Will the Minister co…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
24 June 2025
China Audit
I thank the Foreign Secretary for his efforts in raising the issue of my being refused entry to Hong Kong. I look forward to reassurances that no UK MP will be refused entry to any Chinese territories.
The Foreign Secretary’s statement mentioned that China is our universities’ second largest source…
Commons
Oral Questions
24 June 2025
Gaza: Humanitarian Situation
My constituents have watched in horror as Israeli forces have reportedly killed more than 400 Palestinians and injured thousands more at aid distribution centres in Gaza. Over the weekend, dozens more Palestinians were killed while trying to access humanitarian aid. Why are the Government still perm…
Commons
Debate
20 June 2025
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
I felt disturbed by quite a lot of the emails that I received from constituents—some of them who are my friends and people I like—implying that we here are either too stupid or careless to care for the most vulnerable. Is it not true that we all do care, whatever decision we make today, and that we …
Commons
Proceedings
12 June 2025
Business of the House
Voices is a domestic abuse charity in Bath that supports victims to recover from the long-term trauma and stresses of domestic abuse. It is in a new funding crisis, because mandatory funding goes into crisis and immediate risk-management services, not long-term recovery. May we have a debate in Gove…
Commons
Westminster Hall
11 June 2025
NHS Funding: South-west
Across Bath, people wait far too long for the NHS care that they urgently need. There are proven ways to bring down waiting times and boost NHS capacity, but they are not always used to their full potential. I recently visited Bath Clinic, an independent sector provider with the infrastructure, staf…
Commons
Oral Questions
Energy Security and Net Zero
10 June 2025
Rooftop Solar Power
The solar panels on my roof started working last week, and I am very excited. If you do not have any solar panels, Mr Speaker, maybe you could give yourself a birthday present and ensure that you have an array, too. Mine were made possible by the Solar Together scheme organised by Bath and North Eas…
Commons
Westminster Hall
10 June 2025
Prostitution and Sex Trafficking: Demand
The convention for 30-minute debates is that the lead Member makes a speech, to which the Minister responds, and only with prior permission can another Member make a speech. More and more, it has become the norm that Members intervene quite a lot. That is not really the point of a 30-minute debate, …
Commons
Westminster Hall
10 June 2025
3 contributions
USAID Funding Pause
I remind Members that they should bob if they wish to be called. I will call the Front Benchers at 10.28 am. It looks like all Members will get to speak if they stick to six or seven minutes.
I remind Members to stick to the time limit as much as they can.
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Proceedings
5 June 2025
Business of the House
No one who has watched David Attenborough’s film “Ocean”, to which the Leader of the House has already referred, will fail to have been moved and terrified by the senseless destruction of our oceans, the lifeblood of our planet. In order to save our sick oceans, we need to safeguard about 30% of the…