Commons
Oral Questions
Home Department
13 July 2026
2 contributions
Ukrainian Refugees
16. If she will take steps to provide Ukrainian refugees with a route to permanent settlement.
I echo my hon. Friend’s comments. If I may, I will approach this question from the other side. The lack of certainty is challenging for Ukrainians who are looking to return to Ukraine. My team are currently dealing with a situation where a family, who are looking to go back to Ukraine, are not being…
Commons
Debate
6 July 2026
Payment Scheme
The Minister is right to point out that although we—I think across the House—welcome his work and diligence, and that of the previous Government, on the scheme and recognise the work that needs to be done, there is absolutely no doubt there are still too few who have received compensation. As of 2 J…
Commons
Debate
25 June 2026
5 contributions
Neuropsychiatric Conditions: PANS and PANDAS
I beg to move,
That this House has considered the diagnosis and treatment of Paediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) and Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS).
It is a pleasure to open this debate, and I am grateful to co…
As always, the hon. Gentleman is ahead of the game; I was going to mention this. I am very much looking forward to the guidance, but we need to ensure that it is understood and shared.
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
16 June 2026
Topical Questions
T8. I understand that the FCDO sent representatives to Afghanistan to meet women’s organisations a few weeks ago, so may I seek assurances about the safety of those women’s organisations going forward, and ask for a written statement on the outcomes and context of that meeting?
Commons
Debate
11 June 2026
Legacy of Jo Cox
I did not serve in this Parliament at the same time as Jo Cox, but I have served here at the same time as my friend, the hon. Member for Spen Valley (Kim Leadbeater). I recognise on my behalf, and that of a number of MPs who she and I engage with cross-party, that she really embodies the legacy of h…
Commons
Oral Questions
Home Department
8 June 2026
Mohamed al-Fayed: Alleged Abuse
Alongside the hon. Member for Lichfield (Dave Robertson), I was present at the meeting with the Prime Minister last week. I welcome the Minister to her place and thank her for her time at the meeting. We have heard consistently from survivors that they were trafficked in many locations by many diffe…
Commons
Debate
2 June 2026
4 contributions
Relationship between Social Security Scotland and the DWP
In addition to all your work in the Chair, Madam Deputy Speaker, and so much behind the scenes, you are also a constituency MP. Like me, like the Minister, and like the other Members here this evening, you will be written to by your constituents, and I am sure that you and your team will know how in…
I agree with the hon. Member, and it is important to remember that on many occasions we are talking about our most vulnerable constituents. No doubt there is an onus on us as MPs, and indeed on the Government in Westminster, but Administrations in other parts of the UK also have a responsibility to …
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
1 June 2026
2 contributions
Defence Bonds
8. If he will take steps with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to issue defence bonds to help increase funding for military capabilities.
Building our military capability is vital in this world of increasing instability, where Putin continues to wage war in Europe—as we have heard—and Trump rips up the alliances that once kept us safe. Investment in deterrence is far better than fighting a war unprepared. Getting UK businesses access …
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
21 May 2026
Topical Questions
Hospitality businesses in North East Fife support the Lib Dem call for a VAT cut for hospitality, but the Government do not seem to be moving on it. Will the Minister consult with businesses on a lower national insurance contribution band for part-time workers? Part-time opportunities are so importa…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
21 May 2026
Middle East
My constituent Antonis Vradis is a much-valued and loved professor at the University of St Andrews. He is one of a number of British citizens who have been detained by the Israeli authorities in international waters and taken to Israel for processing. I have been in touch with his family, friends, c…
Commons
Debate
21 May 2026
Humble Address: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
The Minister has so far given us two reasons why the statement he has just given at the Dispatch Box is different from the one that was sent, embargoed, an hour ago. If it is the same as the written statement, why was it sent out as embargoed? I should also say, dare I say it, that transparency shou…
Commons
Petition
19 May 2026
Banking Facilities in Cupar
A recent petition in Cupar calling for face-to-face banking services has now been signed by 585 local residents—a sign that there is a real strength of feeling in Cupar about its banking services. The petition
“Declares that everyone should be able to access cash and banking advice when they need i…
Commons
Debate
23 April 2026
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
My hon. Friend is illustrating the challenges really well. I look forward to the Minister’s response, because I think, given the nods I have seen, that Government Members agree. I have a constituent—a councillor, in fact—who wants to be a driving instructor, and he has experienced the same delays. D…
Commons
Proceedings
23 April 2026
Allied Health Professionals
I am conscious that this debate is on a devolved matter, but I thought it worth mentioning that the Allied Health Professions Federation held a hustings for the Scottish Parliament elections earlier today. Topics included having input from health professionals during primary care and the crisis in v…
Commons
Oral Questions
23 April 2026
Business of the House
First, I am grateful to the Leader of the House for bringing my previous concerns about the management of visa cases in the Home Office to the Department’s attention. However, at the moment I have a very acute issue with immediate support needs. A constituent of mine is in the USA, where his baby wa…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
22 April 2026
Pension Schemes
Like other MPs here, I have constituents who have dedicated years to public service. One, a prison officer, was stabbed and assaulted in his work, and then had the privilege of being at Camp Zeist to supervise the imprisonment of the Lockerbie bomber while they were on trial. I have another constitu…
Commons
Debate
16 April 2026
Modernisation Committee Report: Access to the House of Commons
I rise to speak, on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, both as a member of the Modernisation Committee and, at one point during this inquiry, as a witness. That is also true of the Leader of the House, who gave evidence to the Committee before he became its Chair.
The work we do in this place is comp…
Commons
Oral Questions
16 April 2026
Business of the House
I start by wishing my hon. Friend the Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Bobby Dean) all the best for his parental leave. Sadly, and particularly for his wife, I have no news to update the House with, but I hope to be able to do so in due course.
I draw the House’s attention to the devastating c…
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
15 April 2026
2 contributions
Energy Prices
3. What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce energy prices for people in Scotland.
I welcome what the Minister has said, but the challenge is that the Government have yet to correct the challenges from the ECO4 scheme, which in North East Fife has blighted houses with not only a lack of insulation but poor installation of inappropriate heat pumps and so on. Can the Secretary of St…
Commons
Oral Questions
14 April 2026
Topical Questions
Twenty-two people a day are diagnosed with lobular breast cancer, including my colleague Councillor Fiona Corps in North East Fife, but many more are living with it, because researchers and clinicians know so little about it. In advance of vigils next week, can we ensure funding for the Moon Shot Pr…
Commons
Debate
26 March 2026
Transport Accessibility for Disabled People
I congratulate the Chair of the Transport Committee, the hon. Member for Brentford and Isleworth (Ruth Cadbury), and my hon. Friend the Member for North Norfolk (Steff Aquarone) on securing this debate. I am conscious that transport is devolved, but what I have already heard in the debate tells me t…
Commons
Debate
26 March 2026
Business of the House
My office has seen an increase in my constituents coming to me because of an uptick in visa processing delays—visas for which they are often paying an increased fee. I really do worry about the sustainability of the Home Office’s processes, particularly in the light of the immigration reforms that t…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
24 March 2026
Middle East: Economic Update
The Chancellor has mentioned several times that households will benefit from £150 off their energy bills, but I had a constituent on the phone this morning who has been told that his energy bills are still rising and will not see the savings that the Chancellor is talking about. What conversations i…
Commons
Debate
12 March 2026
3 contributions
International Women’s Day
In this International Women’s Day debate, I rise to say a few words about the women and girls in Afghanistan, as the chair of the all-party parliamentary group on Afghan women and girls. I note that the hon. Member for Erith and Thamesmead (Ms Oppong-Asare) also referred to their experiences.
I saw…
The hon. Member is rightly and powerfully talking about the testimony of survivors. I join him in thanking the Survivors Trust, which has given us such invaluable support as we navigate managing a very difficult APPG. I want to mention two amazing women: our researchers, Kathryn and Jessie, who keep…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
12 March 2026
Business of the House
It was good that the Government hosted a session on heating oil. In rural constituencies, such as North East Fife, almost 15% of people rely on heating oil, so it is really important that the Government are debating this issue. As the Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, my ri…