Commons
Debate
7 July 2026
3 contributions
Independent Schools: Regulation of Proprietors
I am grateful for the opportunity to draw the House’s attention to a hugely concerning issue that has recently unfolded in my constituency: the sudden closure of Durham high school.
The lack of communication and clarity from its owners, Galaxy Global Education, up until the very final moments of th…
I thank my hon. Friend for the intervention. I completely agree. The way in which the company has acted towards pupils, parents and staff is outrageous. The least it could do is to provide some clarity and support going forward. Later in my speech, I will ask the Minister about some lessons that can…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
11 June 2026
Secondary Breast Cancer
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Betts. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with the hon. Member for Wokingham (Clive Jones) to secure this important debate. I thank the campaigners who work to ensure that people living with secondary breast cancer are seen, heard …
Commons
Oral Questions
Home Department
8 June 2026
2 contributions
Violence against Women and Girls Strategy: Implementation
16. What recent progress her Department has made in implementing the violence against women and girls strategy.
At my recent market stall at Durham Pride, local Labour members and I spoke to many people about the Government’s VAWG strategy. The message we received was clear: it is strongly welcomed but long overdue. The clock is ticking, and there is still no published timetable. When will the Government acti…
Commons
Westminster Hall
27 April 2026
Animal Testing
It is an honour to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Twigg. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for North Ayrshire and Arran (Irene Campbell) for securing the debate, and I thank the petitioners and campaigners who have brought the issue before Parliament. Many of them are my City of Durham constituen…
Commons
Oral Questions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
21 April 2026
Topical Questions
On 1 January, Israel revoked the licences of 37 international non-governmental organisations working in the occupied west bank and Gaza. The United Nations human rights chief called the suspensions “outrageous” and said that they made
“an already intolerable situation even worse for the people of G…
Commons
Debate
14 April 2026
2 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
There is much in the Bill that is serious and worthy of support. The measures to tackle shop theft, protect retail workers, strengthen the response to exploitation and abuse and deal with knife crime are all important. However, Lords amendment 312 raises a very different prospect. It is not really a…
I agree that some protests can feel intimidating. On the Palestine protests, people have never protested outside synagogues, and they do not protest outside mosques. Given the proper police protections that already exist, there is no reason for the Jewish community to feel intimidated. But the fact …
Commons
Oral Questions
13 April 2026
2 contributions
Social Housing Standards
4. What steps his Department is taking to help tackle damp and mould in social housing.
In October 2022, a constituent of mine moved into a social housing property and immediately faced issues with extreme cold and damp. The issues went unresolved for so long that he referred his complaints to the Housing Ombudsman in April 2025, but it took until February this year for investigations …
Commons
Westminster Hall
13 April 2026
2 contributions
Disclosure and Safeguarding: At-risk Children
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Mundell. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Sunderland Central (Lewis Atkinson) for securing this debate. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to speak on this issue and for the petition, which has been signed by more than 110,000 peopl…
I wholeheartedly agree; that was about to be my next point. Of course, the information must be shared with the relevant agencies, and whenever concerns are brought to those agencies they must also be raised with family members. None of this is a reason to reject the principle; it is a reason to do t…
Commons
Debate
23 March 2026
2 contributions
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
I declare an interest: I am proud to be the co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group on smoking and health. I am pleased that the Bill has returned from the Lords with minimal amendments. All the amendments before us are either Government amendments or have Government support, so I hope that th…
I totally agree with my hon. Friend. We must keep in mind the fact that it is smoking that causes harm and death, not vaping, which can be a very successful cessation tool. I hope that the Bill will continue to push that.
Powers in the Bill cover marketing, display, packaging and product design, as…
Commons
Oral Questions
23 March 2026
2 contributions
Topical Questions
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
I congratulate Maya’s law campaigners, particularly Maya’s great-aunts Gemma and Rachael, on their passion and tenacity in lobbying MPs to support their campaign to improve child protection laws in the UK. Does the Minister agree with me that it is unforgiveable for someone who is supposed to look a…
Commons
Oral Questions
23 March 2026
2 contributions
Antisocial Behaviour
20. What plans her Department has to help tackle antisocial behaviour.
Residents in Langley Moor, Belmont, Esh Winning, North Road, Pity Me and the Sunderland Road estate are seeing growing levels of antisocial behaviour. From yobs on e-bikes to intimidation of shop workers, public disorder and arson in parks and woodlands, antisocial behaviour is getting out of hand. …
Commons
Debate
16 March 2026
Grenfell Tower Memorial (Expenditure) Bill
The creation of a permanent memorial to the people who lost their lives in the Grenfell Tower fire is deeply important and necessary, and I welcome the Bill before the House today. It is right that Parliament ensures there is a lasting place of remembrance for the victims, the bereaved families, the…
Commons
Debate
16 March 2026
Heating Oil Support
In villages like Waterhouses and Quebec in Durham, many people use heating oil to heat their homes and their water. I have been contacted by very distressed constituents who tried to order their usual supply of heating oil, only to find that prices had soared so irrationally that they cancelled thei…
Commons
Debate
5 March 2026
Palliative Care
Palliative and end-of-life care is one of the clearest tests of a health and care system. It is about whether people can live their final months, weeks or days with dignity, comfort and choice, and whether families are supported, rather than left to cope alone. It should never be a lottery, yet too …
Commons
Oral Questions
Education
2 March 2026
Topical Questions
T2. I truly welcome the reform to SEND provision, but, with some schools already making redundancies because of funding, I echo the concerns of teaching unions that the recently announced inclusion grant is too small; it equates to one part-time teaching assistant for the average primary school and …
Commons
Debate
11 February 2026
3 contributions
Police Grant Report
Before I make my remarks and my plea to the Government, I must respond to the complete nonsense from the shadow Home Secretary, the right hon. Member for Croydon South (Chris Philp), and other Members on the Opposition Benches. The 14 years following 2010 saw catastrophic cuts to the police service,…
Okay, I will give way.
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
10 February 2026
2 contributions
Electricity Distribution Network: Resilience
9. What assessment he has made of the resilience of the electricity distribution network.
Constituents in areas like Esh Winning, Witton Gilbert, Brandon and Waterhouses and increasingly businesses in Durham city regularly contact me about repairing power outages. They have been told by Northern Powergrid that temporary repairs will be made, but that clearly offers no reassurance to thos…
Commons
Westminster Hall
2 February 2026
2 contributions
Indefinite Leave to Remain
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. This debate is necessary because it goes to the heart of fundamental fairness. The petitions before us reflect the deep sense of betrayal felt by the people who came to this country legally, followed the rules, contributed to their communiti…
Yes. The meeting that my hon. Friend and I went to was fantastically informative, and I could not agree more with his intervention.
In practice, sponsorship rules mean that migrant workers and particularly care workers are living under conditions that resemble indentured labour. When settlement is …
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
28 January 2026
Engagements
Q2. Elemore Hall school is a fantastic multi-site provision, supporting more than 200 of County Durham’s vulnerable young people with social, emotional and mental health difficulties. Its personalised alternative curriculum centre in Durham caters for 20 key stage 4 pupils, but special educational n…
Commons
Westminster Hall
20 January 2026
7 contributions
County Durham: Cultural Opportunities
That this House has considered cultural opportunities in County Durham.
I am grateful to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Vaz, and I am pleased to have the opportunity to bring this debate to the House. To many, culture is an add-on: a luxury for when times are good or a line item to be trimmed wh…
I could not agree more. I will go on to talk about the diversity in Durham, with the Irishmen, those from Northern Ireland and those from Scotland who came to the north-east to work in our shipyards, our mines and our steelworks. We need to remember that heritage and culture—and, yes, it is somethin…
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons
Proceedings
19 January 2026
Business Rates: Retail, Hospitality and Leisure
Hospitality and leisure businesses in the City of Durham are incredibly concerned about their future. Does the Minister agree that if we are truly to level the playing field between the high street and the online giants, it is time we show our much loved pubs, cafés, restaurants and hotels the same …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
15 January 2026
Business of the House
City of Durham is home to fantastic hospitality businesses. I have had the pleasure of visiting some of them recently, such as the Station pub in Langley Moor, as well as Notch and Kitt’s Pool Room and Bar in the city. We are aware that the hospitality sector faces an existential crisis, with many m…
Commons
Oral Questions
15 January 2026
3 contributions
Access to Sports Facilities
7. What steps she is taking to help increase access to sports facilities.
I thought I would sit where the Chamber looks really packed. [ Laughter. ]
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
13 January 2026
Universities: Statutory Duty of Care
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Christopher. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (James Naish) on securing this important debate.
As the Member for the City of Durham, I am immensely proud to represent a world-class university. For many students, coming to…
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
12 January 2026
Topical Questions
T3. Major planning applications in Durham, such as those for the Milburngate site and Stack in the city centre, have been stalled for years. This has not only left two white elephants in the city centre, but had a significant impact on jobs, the economy and key venues that have been left undeveloped…