Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 July 2026
State of Climate and Nature
I welcome the Minister’s statement and thank her for her work in this important area. Will she say a little more about rewilding in lowland Britain, tree planting and changes to agricultural practices, all of which reduce emissions of carbon and, indeed, capture carbon? Could she perhaps mention the…
Commons
Westminster Hall
9 July 2026
Lobular Breast Cancer: Moon Shot Project
My hon. Friend and other colleagues are making some very powerful points today. Is she going to come on to the important issue of medical training and education for doctors and other medical professionals, and the possible benefits of greater public awareness? The Department of Health and Social Car…
Commons
Proceedings
8 July 2026
NHS Corridor Care
It is important to recognise this wider legacy. In my area of Reading, we are waiting for a new hospital to be built. One was promised by the last Government, but no funding was provided, and there are very real-world implications of continuing with old buildings in such a state, like our A&E. I…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
1 July 2026
Flood Insurance: Reform of Flood Re
I thank the Minister for her statement, and I welcome the work to make the scheme fairer and more sustainable. Can she say a little more about the measures under way to encourage rewilding, the planting of trees and other measures further upstream in river catchments, as well as measures to encourag…
Commons
Westminster Hall
1 July 2026
Early Years Funding: Hampshire
My hon. Friend is making an excellent point. Does she agree that there is genuine excitement and joy from families when they see the benefits of this investment? She and I have both witnessed that in our community in Reading. The Government are building on a great tradition in that local authority; …
Commons
Westminster Hall
24 June 2026
2 contributions
Public Libraries: Bournemouth East
rose—
Thank you, Mr Turner. I thank my hon. Friend the Minister for his time. Just to add to his words on this issue, many local councils are doing the right thing. I had the great pleasure of attending the opening of the new Central library in Reading, in great contrast to the experience of my hon. Frien…
Commons
Proceedings
8 June 2026
Digital Safety: Children
I welcome today’s decisive action. There have been the most appalling tragedies across the country, including in my constituency, where parents have lost children due to online harms. I know the Minister and the Prime Minister are working closely with parents, but may I urge the Minister to continue…
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 June 2026
Rail Freight
The hon. Lady is being extremely generous with her time. In Reading, which is in the same rail region as my hon. Friend the Member for Truro and Falmouth (Jayne Kirkham), there is an excellent example of where co-ordination between track and train is already emerging in freight. It is offering great…
Commons
Westminster Hall
28 April 2026
2 contributions
Fire and Rescue Services: Funding
The hon. Gentleman is making an excellent point in advocating for his area. Does he agree that sometimes cuts can inadvertently have a damaging effect on neighbouring areas? In my county of Berkshire, where there is an excellent fire service, cuts proposed in neighbouring Oxfordshire would have mean…
Will the Minister give way?
Commons
Debate
22 April 2026
2 contributions
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
Can I thank my hon. Friend for the Government’s work on this important matter, which is much appreciated by many parents—in particular the work of looking ahead at what further measures might be taken to tackle online harms?
It is a pleasure to speak briefly this afternoon. I wanted to speak because we had a tragedy in my constituency, where a young boy of just 13 years old was stabbed and brutally murdered in a local park after a terrible series of incidents of online bullying. This is a very serious matter and I appre…
Commons
Debate
26 March 2026
Gurkha Veterans
It is a privilege to be able to speak in the debate. I thank the hon. Member for Tewkesbury (Cameron Thomas) for his excellent work in securing it. Many of my remarks will echo comments made by colleagues across the House. I will pay my own tribute to the Gurkhas and their incredible service to this…
Commons
Westminster Hall
25 March 2026
2 contributions
Waste Crime: Knowsley
My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech and I wholeheartedly support her campaign for her constituents, given the appalling situation they find themselves in. Does she agree that issues are often also at street level where, sadly, a tiny minority of residents drop off mattresses, old furniture …
The Minister is making an excellent speech. I am really pleased to hear about the new strategy and determination from the current Government, in contrast with their predecessors. Would she able to address—this is a niche matter, but it is really important in some areas—the issue of abandoned boats? …
Commons
Debate
23 March 2026
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
May I, too, welcome the Minister to her post, and say how wonderful it is to see her leading on this important work? On a point of clarification, I am sure the measure she mentions will be welcomed by local authorities. Certainly the experience in my area is that there are hotspots where local autho…
Commons
Debate
19 March 2026
Pre-1997 Pensions: Discretionary Increases
My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech, and I congratulate him on securing today’s debate. Has he noticed in his work on this issue that in some cases, some international companies are paying inflationary increases in other jurisdictions where they operate, but not in the UK? There have been a…
Commons
Debate
19 March 2026
2 contributions
Online Harms
It is a pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy (Melanie Ward). I have been very impressed and moved by the quality of the speeches from across the House. I really do appreciate the hon. Member for St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire (Ian Sollom) securing today’s impor…
The hon. Gentleman makes an excellent point. The other thing to consider is that there would be a risk to older teenagers—those over 16—if the ban for under-16s were imposed. We may need to look at a number of complementary, but different, measures, as my hon. Friend the Member for Gravesham also me…
Commons
Debate
18 March 2026
2 contributions
Flooding: Rural Communities
The hon. Lady is making an excellent speech. Does she agree that in many cases this is about removing vegetation, but it might also be about removing debris, such as old shopping trollies and other things that could block a much-loved waterway and cause flooding and further accumulation of debris? T…
The Minister is making an excellent speech, but perhaps she would like to say a little bit about the importance of measures further upstream to protect my residents, and indeed those of the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Dr Spencer), in the River Thames catchment. It is obviously a huge ca…
Commons
Proceedings
18 March 2026
Student Loans
It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for North Dorset (Simon Hoare). Like him I am a father—I have two children who have graduated recently. I also worked in higher education for a time.
I speak in support of the amendment in the name of the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State. I will d…
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 March 2026
2 contributions
Rural Roads
I thank the hon. Gentleman for securing today’s important debate; thousands of residents around the country, maybe hundreds of thousands, will be very grateful for his work. Does he believe that part of the issue is the way that local authorities manage their resurfacing programmes? In our area, unf…
Will the Minister give way?
Commons
Debate
9 March 2026
Middle East: Economic Update
I welcome the Chancellor’s statement and thank her for her work to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Will she say a little more about her long-term work to increase grid capacity and change the planning system to help invest in new nuclear and solar?
Commons
Debate
4 March 2026
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
My hon. Friend is giving an excellent speech, and some powerful points are being made. Does he agree that many development charities have made these points for some time, including Oxfam, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development and many others? In their experience, this is a well-known approach…
Commons
Proceedings
25 February 2026
Bayeux Tapestry Exhibition
I commend my hon. Friend for her speech. She has spoken so eloquently about the importance of history and the role of the Normans in Sussex history—our own local history—but also in our country’s history. It has been a poignant speech, and I thank her for mentioning the copy at Reading museum, which…
Commons
Debate
25 February 2026
2 contributions
Ukraine
I appreciate the tone of the Secretary of State’s speech and offer him my wholehearted support. Will he say a little more about the valuable work under way in our tech industry on defence technology and how he is modernising procurement to encourage those vital companies to come forward?
Perhaps my hon. Friend will say something about the important work of Ukrainian community centres around Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In my community, they have been stalwart in supporting their colleagues back in Ukraine, sending aid and raising funds, and also maintaining Ukrainian culture …
Commons
Debate
24 February 2026
2 contributions
Online Harm: Child Protection
My hon. Friend the Chair of the Select Committee is making an excellent speech. Her background in this area is really showing in the detail with which she is exploring these issues. Part of the challenge here is that we as parents are struggling to catch up with this revolution, which is gaining spe…
My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech. I commend her work in reaching out to young people; it sounds superb. The lesson may be that we should all do exactly that. I am running a survey myself. She mentioned the Molly Rose Foundation, and I have met some of its staff to discuss its work. A fam…
Commons
Westminster Hall
24 February 2026
Banking Hubs: Rural and Post-Industrial Communities
In my constituency, we have faced exactly the issues that the Minister highlights, and I am grateful for the work on this, in particular, on the needs of elderly people, which is being investigated by the Government, and those who are elderly and possibly frail, who find it difficult to travel on pu…
Commons
Debate
11 February 2026
2 contributions
Local Government Finance
The Secretary of State is being very generous with his time. Like him, as a councillor I saw appalling pressures put on our local council in Reading while funding went up in neighbouring Wokingham, which is a much better-off area and was then controlled by the Conservatives. I appreciate his work on…
My hon. Friend is making an excellent point, and I am very sorry to hear about the challenges that his residents have with their council. Some local authorities are doing the exact opposite of what he describes. In my area, Reading borough council recently opened 46 new council houses, built on its …