Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
12 January 2026
2 contributions
Leasehold Reform
10. What steps he plans to take to reform the leasehold system.
Residents of the Aykley Woods development in my constituency have recently been informed that collectively, they will be charged £15,000 this year for the management company to run their estate of just over 270 homes, on top of a scandalous £31,000 just to cover the running costs of the management c…
Commons
Debate
9 December 2025
Railways Bill
I am pleased to speak about a matter that is so important to my constituents. For too long, our railway has been held back by fragmentation, competing interests, and a lack of clear accountability. By bringing services back into public hands and creating Great British Railways, the Bill gives us the…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
18 November 2025
Gaza and Sudan
I thank the Foreign Secretary for her statement, and for her ongoing efforts to pursue peace.
The rebuilding of Gaza must be Palestinian-led. Civil society and communities in Gaza have led the efforts on the frontline in the face of two years of genocide and decades of Israeli siege, occupation and…
Commons
Oral Questions
18 November 2025
2 contributions
Warm Home Discount: Fuel Poverty
8. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of extending the warm home discount on levels of fuel poverty.
The Government’s extension of the warm home discount to 6 million households to combat fuel poverty was a welcome move. However, the current discount rate of £150 has stalled for a decade, not rising in proportion to energy prices. The average energy debt per person seen by Citizens Advice County Du…
Commons
Oral Questions
11 November 2025
2 contributions
Prison Officers: Pension Age
9. What recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of lowering the pension age of prison officers.
The prison officers association recently launched its “68 is Too Late” pensions report, based on the largest member survey in POA history. The report is a heartbreaking read: prison officers describe how unrealistic and, frankly, cruel it is to expect them to walk the landings until they are almost …
Commons
Debate
3 November 2025
Huntingdon Train Attack
Of course, my first thoughts are with the victims of this horrific attack. The RMT union has called for urgent meetings with the Government, police and the industry to ensure that we have the strongest resources and procedures in place to protect staff and passengers. Can the Home Secretary confirm …
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 October 2025
Child Risk Disclosure Scheme
I thank my hon. Friend for securing this important debate. Maya’s tragic story has touched many people across the north-east. I am pleased to support the family’s campaign. As my hon. Friend mentioned, one key ask from the family is the disclosure of information about wider caregivers. The recurring…
Commons
Oral Questions
14 October 2025
2 contributions
Net Zero: Evidence-based Policy
1. What steps he is taking to ensure scientific evidence is used to support his net zero policies.
This Government’s mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower is not only delivering against climate targets, but delivering jobs and investment in places like Durham and the wider north-east, where around 500 renewable energy companies already employ around 17,000 people in good-quality jobs—…
Commons
Debate
11 September 2025
2 contributions
Regional Transport Inequality
I am grateful to have the opportunity to speak in a really important debate on regional transport inequality. For too long, communities in the north-east have suffered the effects of chronic underinvestment in transport and the flawed legacy of privatisation. What should be a public service has inst…
I could not agree more. Although we may improve our bus services and the types of modern buses we have, they are not accessible in all areas, and that is a huge inequality.
The Government’s Bus Services (No. 2) Bill is a chance to put this right. With franchising, fair pay and investment in modern …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
11 September 2025
Business of the House
I had the pleasure of meeting Fergus, Freddie and Michael, members of the band Jam Tub, on a recent visit to Framwellgate school in Durham. These musicians are passionate about contributing to Durham’s cultural vibrancy, performing at events such as the much-loved Durham fringe festival. They contac…
Commons
Oral Questions
11 September 2025
Topical Questions
My constituents have been very vocal about their opposition to the LNER timetable changes from December, including the removal of the 8.22 am commuter service from Durham to Newcastle on weekdays. LNER assured me that it would replace it with a similar service, but reports this week suggest that the…
Commons
Westminster Hall
2 September 2025
Defibrillators
I thank my colleague and neighbour, my hon. Friend the Member for Bishop Auckland (Sam Rushworth), for securing this important debate.
Nearly half the postcodes in my constituency are not within easy reach of a defibrillator. That is not just a statistic, as we have heard; it is the difference betw…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
22 July 2025
Orgreave Inquiry
As one who represents a constituency in the heart of the Durham coalfield, I recognise the pressing need for an inquiry into the events that occurred at the Orgreave plant on 18 June 1984, and, like others, I send a huge thank you to the members of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign, who have w…
Commons
Proceedings
16 July 2025
2 contributions
Commemoration of Matchgirls’ Strike
This is an important debate, and I thank my hon. Friend so much for securing it. The matchgirls’ strike played a really important part in the whole of labour history and the struggles of women. In Durham, we had the Durham Women Against Pit Closures, who sustained the miners in their strike. They jo…
Will my hon. Friend congratulate those from Redhills in County Durham, the home of the Pitman’s Parliament—and where I have my office—which has been given money for a huge refurbishment to make it into a living heritage site? The Redhills building will provide young people with an education about wh…
Commons
Debate
1 July 2025
Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill
I speak on behalf of the hundreds of desperate people in Durham and beyond, as well as the dozens of organisations, who have contacted me with concerns about the Bill.
I am sure that many Members across the House, not least those of us in areas that have been decimated over the last three decades, …
Commons
Debate
30 June 2025
2 contributions
Road Safety Powers: Parish and Town Councils
rose —
Highway safety is something that I have been working on for a number of years, particularly with the communities of the A167 in Durham, Lowes Barn Bank, Toll House Road and Neville’s Cross. In particular, Shincliffe has 40% of all fatalities and road accidents in City of Durham. People have been tol…
Commons
Debate
18 June 2025
Crime and Policing Bill
I rise to speak in support of new clause 25, in the name of my hon. Friend the Member for Hammersmith and Chiswick (Andy Slaughter). It seeks to repeal the unnecessary and arbitrary police powers introduced via the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, which introduced new powers to seize t…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
10 June 2025
Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories
I welcome the actions that the Minister has announced today, but we can no longer allow starving men, women and children to be murdered in cold blood while scrambling for food or visiting cemeteries at Eid, or to be burned alive in their houses. Will the Minister please be bolder, listen to the voic…
Commons
Debate
9 June 2025
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
I rise to speak to my amendment 134, which seeks to address a long-standing and deeply entrenched failure in our planning system: the chronic undersupply of Gypsy and Traveller sites across England.
My amendment seeks to increase fairness in the system and to enable, rather than hinder, the provisi…
Commons
Proceedings
15 May 2025
Business of the House
Will my right hon. Friend join me in commending the work and dedication of Mel Metcalfe and the entire Durham Pride team—supported by the Queen of Durham, Tess Tickle and her Dragettes—in aiming to make this year’s event the biggest and greatest celebration of the LGBT+ community in the county yet? …
Commons
Proceedings
12 May 2025
Protection of Prison Staff
Ministers will recall the horrific attack on prison staff at HMP Frankland in Durham last month. While I was grateful for the Minister for Prisons’ reply to my correspondence, I noted the lack of commitment around the issuing of stab-proof vests on the high-security estate. That is a key ask from th…
Commons
Oral Questions
Work and Pensions
12 May 2025
Topical Questions
Recent analysis by Health Equity North shows that more than £13 million will be stripped out of the local economy in the City of Durham every year due to PIP changes. That comes on top of the already worsened health conditions for people in the north-east due to Tory austerity. Would it not be more …