Commons
Debate
20 January 2026
Chinese Embassy
I want first to make it clear that I do not agree with this decision. It will have a chilling effect on Tibetans, Hongkongers and Uyghurs, and other Chinese people who merely dissent from the regime in Beijing. I have three questions about the application. First, what guarantees do the Government ha…
Commons
Oral Questions
20 January 2026
Topical Questions
Last week, Uganda held elections. There were wide-ranging accounts of people being prevented from going to polling stations and of ballot stuffing. In one polling station, more votes were cast than there were electors. There is now widespread violence, and the son of the so-called President of Ugand…
Commons
Westminster Hall
20 January 2026
Domestic Abuse-related Deaths: NHS Prevention
I start by thanking my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Dr Opher), not only for securing this debate but for all the work that he does in the NHS as a GP on the issue of domestic violence and abuse.
The NHS has opportunities to safeguard against domestic violence and, in the most serious cases, d…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
19 January 2026
Arctic Security
I associate myself with the Foreign Secretary’s statement that the future of Greenland is a matter for the Greenlanders and the Danes alone. We all know that the geo-security issues in the High North are due to Russia’s threat to NATO. I am very pleased that the Foreign Secretary went to Norway last…
Commons
Proceedings
19 January 2026
Proposed Chinese Embassy
The Speaker of the US Congress, Mike Johnson, was here today in Parliament. Last night, when asked about the Chinese embassy application, he said:
“I’m concerned about it…But if it were me, I would be very cautious about that.”
The Minister has heard the caution in this House and from the US Speak…
Commons
Proceedings
19 January 2026
Iran: Protests
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is undertaking and leading the brutal repression and murder of so many Iranians fighting for their freedom. We know that the IRGC has used two registered cryptocurrency exchanges to move approximately $1 billion since 2023, evading international sanctions. Zedce…
Commons
Proceedings
19 January 2026
Business Rates: Retail, Hospitality and Leisure
I refer to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests as the co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group on music. The vast majority of live performance venues have alcohol licences. Many are pubs, but the vast majority are not. Leeds Arena in my constituency is being dragged into th…
Commons
Oral Questions
Education
19 January 2026
Topical Questions
The household income threshold for the maximum maintenance loan for students has not changed since 2008. If the threshold is not increased, by 2028 a child from a single-parent household with a parent working full time for the minimum wage will not qualify for the full maintenance loan. What are we …
Commons
Debate
14 January 2026
4 contributions
Ukraine
I would like to start by thanking the Leader of the House for giving us this debate. He could have chosen any topic to fill the space this afternoon, but he chose this debate on Ukraine. It is a privilege to serve as chair of the all-party parliamentary group on Ukraine. I can see many members of th…
I will.
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
14 January 2026
Offshore Wind
I congratulate my right hon. Friend on proving that contracts for difference for offshore wind really do work. I am particularly pleased to hear how much floating wind is in this contract. I know he is always looking to the future, so could he update the House on what his Department is doing about e…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
14 January 2026
Northern Powerhouse Rail
I warmly welcome the news today that we will finally get Northern Powerhouse Rail, and the news that it is starting in Yorkshire is historic. The world’s oldest continuously working railway, Middleton railway, has operated since 1758, and the lines that are to be improved will be just metres away fr…
Commons
Proceedings
13 January 2026
Chinese Embassy
The Joint Committee on Human Rights undertook an inquiry on transnational repression last year. It found that the Chinese state undertakes considerable transnational repression against the Chinese diaspora in the United Kingdom, much of it co-ordinated out of the existing Chinese embassy. The new su…
Commons
Westminster Hall
13 January 2026
Universities: Statutory Duty of Care
As near neighbours with universities in our constituencies, my hon. Friend and I see a real patchwork of support at universities across the country. Does she agree that a statutory duty would bring universities on a level playing field with hospitals, schools and employers? I am co-chair of the all-…
Commons
Debate
5 January 2026
Middle East and North Africa
The Minister is aware of the case of Marwan Barghouti, which was reported by the Inter-Parliamentary Union to have been in violation both of the Oslo accords and the Geneva convention. He was abducted by Israel from the west bank and put on trial in Israel. The Minister will have seen reports today …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
5 January 2026
Venezuela
Democracy and human rights are sacrosanct. A new great game, in which might beats what is right, is replacing the international rules-based order. Does the Secretary of State share my concern that our allies in Ukraine, Taiwan and elsewhere are less secure now than they were a week ago?
Commons
Proceedings
17 December 2025
Puberty Suppressants Trial
I support the pathways clinical trial, but it is clear that many, many young people presenting with gender incongruence will not be able to access it, for whatever reason. I am concerned about the mental health of those who will not be able to access the clinical trial. What additional support can t…
Commons
Proceedings
17 December 2025
Northern Ireland Troubles: Legacy and Reconciliation
The Joint Committee on Human Rights, of which I am a member, published our second report on the Northern Ireland remedial order on 9 December. The Standing Orders of both Houses require the JCHR to scrutinise all remedial orders. The Committee concluded that the vires of the order were satisfied and…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
16 December 2025
Electoral Resilience
As the chair of the all-party parliamentary group for fair elections, I warmly welcome this independent review into foreign financial interference in UK politics. However, foreign financial interference is not the only threat to our electoral resilience: misinformation, disinformation and aspects of…
Commons
Debate
15 December 2025
Jimmy Lai Conviction
Let me first associate myself with the Front-Bench comments about the horrific antisemitic murders on Bondi Beach.
The result in the case of Jimmy Lai was obvious from the point when the national security laws were passed. We have been descending down this road for many years with the Chinese Gover…
Commons
Westminster Hall
9 December 2025
Net Zero Transition: Consumer-led Flexibility
My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech, talking about different types of emerging technology. We have had solar panels on domestic roofs for more than 30 years, yet our electricity grid is not ready for new types of technology. Does she agree we should have started flexibility earlier, with th…
Commons
Debate
8 December 2025
Child Poverty Strategy
I am sure that my right hon. Friend has heard of Zarach, a Leeds-based charity formed by teachers who found that some children were too tired to learn at school because they did not have beds. Today, I was at Holy Name Catholic voluntary academy, where some parents cannot afford for their children t…
Commons
Debate
4 December 2025
3 contributions
War in Ukraine
I pay tribute to the hon. Member for Harwich and North Essex (Sir Bernard Jenkin) for securing the debate and for making such an eloquent speech—he made all the points that I was going to make in my speech, but I will make it nevertheless.
Today is 1,379 days since the full-scale invasion of Ukrain…
I agree. It is not just that the profits or interest from assets held here should be repurposed; we should look at how those assets are being managed, and maximise them, for use for Ukraine’s purposes. I will conclude my question to the Minister: will the United Kingdom be part of the reparations lo…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
25 November 2025
COP30
It is great to see my right hon. Friend back at the Dispatch Box once more after taking a global leading role at COP. We could have no better Secretary of State in this area. Whatever the Opposition say, the Secretary of State in the global mainstream of climate leadership. As he knows, article 6 wa…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
25 November 2025
G20 and Ukraine
I once more thank the Prime Minister for his unstinting support for Ukraine, and for saying that nothing can be done for Ukraine without Ukraine. In the last few moments, a media source in the US has reported that Ukraine has agreed to the peace proposal brokered by the Trump Administration. I know …
Commons
Westminster Hall
24 November 2025
Gaza: Humanitarian Obligations
There are over 10,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, many of whom are part of civil society and part of an opposition. One of them, Marwan Barghouti, has been in Israeli prison for 23 years, seven months and eight days and has now been threatened with execution by Ben-Gvir. Is it not time…