Commons
Westminster Hall
7 July 2026
2 contributions
Future of British Horseracing
I am delighted to be here to support the hon. Member’s debate on the future of British horseracing. Aintree racecourse is in my constituency. I refer Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests and declare my interest as the chair of the all-party parliamentary group on racin…
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mrs Harris. I once again congratulate the hon. Member for Spelthorne (Lincoln Jopp) on securing the debate. I will not repeat all the points colleagues have made; people know my passion for the sport. I know the Minister enjoys horseracing and is keen…
Commons
Oral Questions
13 April 2026
2 contributions
Rent Control: Evidential Basis
19. What the evidential basis is for his Department’s policy on rent control.
There is an injection of housing investment in some parts of my constituency, but sadly it is by landlords who are taking advantage of low house prices to turn family homes and whole terraces into houses in multiple occupation, charging sky-high rents for people to live in single bedrooms, undermini…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
24 March 2026
Middle East: Economic Update
I thank the Chancellor for her statement. May I ask her to do something for a specific group of people? Constituents who have to rent their home in the private rented market, especially those in more deprived communities like mine, will see their energy bills go up, but their biggest outgoing each m…
Commons
Debate
17 March 2026
Youth Unemployment
The number of young people not in education, employment or training hitting 1 million follows a trajectory that has been ongoing for a long time and is a global phenomenon. I am delighted that the Secretary of State has today said that a Labour Government are determined to intervene and do something…
Commons
Debate
17 March 2026
Middle East
I thank the Foreign Secretary for her statement and for her focus on the impact on our constituents from the fallout of this conflict. Specifically, what are our allies and partners in the region, who now find themselves under fire from Iran, asking of the UK Government, and are we able to deliver?
Commons
Oral Questions
17 March 2026
Topical Questions
T3. My constituents living in private rented accommodation are looking to the Government to take action on the cost of living, rent and utility bills. The Government have legislated to stop above-market increases in rent, and I understand that the Department is consulting on charging tenants a fee t…
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
16 March 2026
Topical Questions
T2. Our history is as a naval power, and immediate threats to the UK include threats to undersea cables, the activities of illegal Russian shadow tankers and the closure of the strait of Hormuz. For the shipbuilding industry to thrive on our shores, it needs consistent contracts throughout the year …
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
23 February 2026
Topical Questions
Private market rents are most extortionate in working-class communities such as mine, where people can still buy a terraced house for around £70,000. So far, the Government have kept regulation linked to market rents, but we could do something different. We could do something that the Tories and Ref…
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 February 2026
2 contributions
Civil Service Pension Scheme: Administration
I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this debate. We are told that a system of crisis payments has been put in place but I am still receiving correspondence from constituents, including this morning. They are terrified that they will not be able to pay their bills at the end of this month. My q…
My hon. Friend is making a very good speech. Is it not important that this Labour Government show how they are different, and deal differently with those failed privatisations?
Commons
Debate
3 February 2026
Iran
This is an evil regime that is murdering and torturing tens of thousands of its own people. I am pleased that the Chamber is giving this matter regular attention. President Trump promised that help was on the way to the protesters. I want to add my voice to those asking that the British Government h…
Commons
Debate
26 January 2026
Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill
I am sorry that I am the only Labour Back Bencher who wants to speak. I have huge respect for my hon. Friend, and I fear that I am not going to say anything he particularly likes. I have followed this matter as closely as possible, and I have gone along with the Government up to this point, but it h…
Commons
Oral Questions
20 January 2026
2 contributions
Topical Questions
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
I am grateful for that update. The brutal Iranian regime is dying and a new Iran is being born. We can assist that process, in the Iranian people’s interests and ours, by banning the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. If the Foreign Secretary requires a new legislative instrument for a proscription …
Commons
Proceedings
19 January 2026
Iran: Protests
We must not be indifferent to the pleas of the Iranian people—what we are seeing is absolutely horrific. I welcome sanctions, but we must be honest: the people of Iran are fighting for their freedom. It is still possible that the US will intervene. Will the Minister reassure me that the UK Governmen…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 January 2026
Iran
Iran is a remarkable country with a rich history and culture. Its people have been living under tyranny for decades. They are now fighting to rid themselves of their chains. Britain is a friend to the Iranian people. Our aim should be to stop the regime massacring its citizens and to set the people …
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
12 January 2026
2 contributions
Private Rent Inflation
8. What steps his Department is taking to help tackle private rent inflation.
I regularly hear from constituents who are being pushed out of their homes by rip-off hikes from unscrupulous landlords. The average rents in Liverpool have risen by 8%, well above the average for England. I welcome the Government’s action through the Renters’ Rights Act to tackle unfair rent increa…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
5 January 2026
Venezuela
I welcome the Foreign Secretary’s statement on an incredibly complex international situation. Maduro stole elections and murdered opponents, and 9 million Venezuelans were forced to flee their country. Venezuelans will be both fearful and hopeful for the future. This episode shows the US shifting to…
Commons
Oral Questions
1 December 2025
Topical Questions
T2. Archbishop Beck Catholic college in my constituency has lost £700 per pupil since 2011, while the number of disadvantaged pupils has risen from 38% to 52%. It is an excellent school with strong leadership, creating great outcomes for pupils. Will the Minister look specifically at the funding cal…
Commons
Proceedings
11 November 2025
3 contributions
Blood Transfusions during the Falklands War
It is an honour to follow the debate we just had in this House on remembrance and the contribution of the armed forces, and to have joined the public in marking Remembrance Sunday at St George’s Hall in Liverpool this weekend.
I am grateful for the opportunity to lead this debate on blood transfusi…
Absolutely, and I will develop the hon. Gentleman’s points.
To return to the story of my constituent, after that 10-hour delay and his move to the SS Uganda, he recalls waking from surgery to a nurse at his bedside who told him—I am quoting from his own testimony—that he had been
“filled up with A…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
8 July 2025
4 contributions
Combat Sports for Children: Safeguarding
I am grateful for the opportunity to lead this debate on safeguarding children in combat sports. I do so with a heavy heart and a profound sense of responsibility, because today I speak for a young constituent who can no longer speak for himself.
Alex Eastwood was just 15 years old when, just over …
Alex died following an unsanctioned exhibition kickboxing match at a gym in Wigan. That means it was not sanctioned by any national governing body and fell outside the jurisdiction of Kickboxing GB—the only organisation for the sport in the UK that is officially recognised by both Sport England and …
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
1 July 2025
Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill
I am grateful to have a couple of minutes to give my comments.
I have been frustrated that Ministers have continued to say that the Bill is rooted in fairness. It originates, as far as my recollection goes, from a £5 billion cut from the Treasury, and I think that has marred the whole situation. Th…
Commons
Statutory Instrument
30 June 2025
Draft Contracts for Difference (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 3) Regulations 2025
The Minister mentioned UK manufacturing. I think it is really important that, as we seek to get towards a clean energy target and with these auctions going forward, the Government do far more to ensure that the production of wind turbines, for instance, is not just done abroad and imported, but invo…
Commons
Westminster Hall
24 June 2025
5 contributions
Care Settings: Right to Maintain Contact
I beg to move,
That this House has considered the right to maintain contact in care settings.
I appreciate you chairing this debate, Ms Butler, and I am grateful for having secured the time to talk about an issue that has touched thousands of people and left a lasting trauma across our country.
I…
I am sure my hon. Friend’s constituent will be grateful—as am I—that she has come to add her voice to this campaign. Families are still living with the trauma of that separation, yet even now, people in care settings are still being denied essential human contact.
In those early days, we all unders…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
23 June 2025
Middle East
I welcome the Foreign Secretary’s calls to move this to a negotiated solution, and his focus on UK defence and security. He is right that Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon. However, history also teaches us, on regime change, that interventions aimed at regime change in Iraq, Libya and Afghani…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
12 May 2025
Immigration System
I welcome the Home Secretary’s emphasis on the contribution of migrants; historically, the city of Liverpool has been made up of migrants. I welcome the White Paper and her statement today, in particular linking migration to labour market strategy, because migration is a key economic lever of the st…