Commons
Ministerial Statement
22 June 2026
East Midland Railway Collision
I thank the Secretary of State for her statement and wholeheartedly agree that all our thoughts should be with the loved ones of Shaun Burton, his colleagues and those who have been seriously injured. Will my right hon. Friend join me in thanking the emergency services, including the NHS staff at th…
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
17 June 2026
Engagements
Q3. The Makerfield candidate for Reform has disgracefully said that the majority of abortions are for “vanity purposes”. He described mums “with their fat bellies…pushing a pram in their PJs”,and failed to apologise to national treasure Carol Vorderman for endorsing sexually explicit comments about …
Commons
Proceedings
16 June 2026
Point of Order
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. In February, the Women and Equalities Committee concluded an inquiry into the health impacts of breast implants and harmful cosmetic procedures. We sent our report to the Department of Health and Social Care on 18 February, expecting a response by 18 April.…
Commons
Westminster Hall
15 June 2026
Brain Cancer
It is wonderful to see you in the Chair, Mrs Barker. There cannot be many areas of policy where campaigners are asking not for more money, but simply for money that has already been promised to be used. I really hope that the Minister can offer some good news today about the remaining £23 million to…
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
1 June 2026
2 contributions
Armed Forces: Paternity Leave
3. What recent estimate he has made of the number of men in the armed forces taking paternity leave in the latest period for which data is available.
I thank the Minister for her kind words, which really mean a lot, and for her answer. The sacrifice that a person in the armed forces makes is felt by their entire family; when a new baby arrives, it is felt even more deeply. Two weeks’ paternity leave is just not enough. Many, including The Dad Shi…
Commons
Oral Questions
Women and Equalities
11 March 2026
International Women’s Day
It is sad but true that International Women’s Day rings hollow for far too many women, particularly the three brave women I have just met. They are survivors of Epstein and, for them, important days like that come and go. What is the Minister doing to ensure that we do not just mark important days f…
Commons
Debate
12 February 2026
2 contributions
LGBT+ History Month
It is a real honour to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Jarrow and Gateshead East (Kate Osborne). I reiterate my congratulations on her fine work on the report on banning conversion therapy in Europe. That is greatly needed, and I hope that the Government will soon follow suit.
I thank my hon. …
I shall be doing so. I had expected the hon. Member to stay and perhaps learn from the subsequent speeches. Perhaps he could come back and learn a bit more.
In every year that I have spoken in this debate, it seems that the LGBTQ+ community has had a tougher year than the one before. That is sadly …
Commons
Proceedings
12 February 2026
Business of the House
I think we can all agree that small businesses are the heart of our communities and the backbone of our economy, which is why I do a shout-out to a small business in Luton North every single Saturday. It is also why I am launching my small business forum next week, to bring together small businesses…
Commons
Oral Questions
12 February 2026
Lord Mandelson: Government Response to Humble Address Motion
Parliament is rightly focusing its attention on Peter Mandelson, but along with accusations of other heinous crimes, Andrew Mountbatten- Windsor passed extremely sensitive material on to Epstein and his accomplices during his time as trade envoy to Singapore, Vietnam, China and Hong Kong in 2010. Is…
Commons
Oral Questions
Transport
12 February 2026
Driving Test Waiting Times
I appreciate the measures that the Minister has outlined, because this is a really important issue. Many of my constituents have written to me about unacceptable waiting times and mark-ups on driving test slots. One constituent depends on their licence to complete their qualifications and get a job,…
Commons
Debate
9 February 2026
7 contributions
Leagrave Station: Step-free Access
I must confess that this is my first Adjournment debate, and I am gutted that the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) is not here to intervene. Is it an Adjournment debate if he has not done so? Probably not.
I wish I could carry on in that jovial tone, but unfortunately I cannot. We all hate …
A rare occasion! I thank the hon. Gentleman for that intervention and yes, he is right, that is far too long. Not only will I be grey, but I will be dead, so progress is far too slow— [ Interruption. ]
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons
Proceedings
9 February 2026
2 contributions
Brain Tumour Survival Rates
Will my hon. Friend give way?
May I take up the point about funding? I apologise for not having been here at the beginning of the debate, but I want to pay tribute to my two incredible constituents Khuram and Yasmin. Their daughter Amani was diagnosed with glioblastoma, and tragically passed away in February 2022 at just 23 year…
Commons
Debate
4 February 2026
Lord Mandelson
On the point about Peter Mandelson letting people down, let me say that the people let down the most are the victims of Jeffrey Epstein. Does the Minister agree that we would not be discussing this disgraceful situation if it had not been that people listened not to the women—the victims—who came fo…
Commons
Oral Questions
Women and Equalities
28 January 2026
2 contributions
Access to Work: People with Disabilities
5. What recent progress she has made with Cabinet colleagues on improving access to work for people with disabilities.
Nearly half of disabled people in the UK say that they feel it is harder to get or keep a job. It is even worse for those with learning disabilities—just 6% find their way into the workplace. The problem is not just employer discrimination; it is the UK’s infrastructure. Three in four train stations…
Commons
Oral Questions
Education
19 January 2026
Topical Questions
T4. Many schools with SEND provision, including Beechwood primary school, would benefit from a sensory room and more family workers, while staff at Woodlands secondary school need more resources to enable them to work safely and support students. Will the Minister commit to better resourcing for SEN…
Commons
Westminster Hall
19 January 2026
3 contributions
Sale of Fireworks
It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Mr Pritchard. It is also a pleasure to follow my friend the hon. Member for South West Hertfordshire (Mr Mohindra), who is a committed campaigner on this issue.
Here we are again, though: another fireworks petition, another debate and, unfortunately, anothe…
I thank my hon. Friend for sharing that horrific example, an example we will have heard time and again across the country. We hear of it throughout the year, but particularly on bonfire night and during the seasons when fireworks are most prevalent. There is a perverse loophole in our law, which my …
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Women and Equalities
10 December 2025
Conversion Practices Ban
LGBT+ communities, and particularly trans people, have many reasons to be fearful at the moment. Even though the Government have committed to delivering a conversion therapy Bill, trust is at an all-time low. Is the Bill on target to come before the House in this Session? If so, will the Minister ou…
Commons
Debate
9 December 2025
Railways Bill
One area where we can all agree we want to see passenger growth is among those with disabilities and those who find steps incredibly difficult. On 24 May 2024, the previous Government announced that 50 stations, including my local station at Leagrave, would benefit from step-free access, but the fun…
Commons
Oral Questions
9 December 2025
Topical Questions
Removing the two-child benefit cap means that 5,000 children in Luton North will be lifted out of poverty. Many live in households where parents work but ends still do not meet. Does the Chancellor agree that action like this and the youth guarantee scheme will end the vicious cycle of poverty for g…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
2 December 2025
Angiolini Inquiry
I echo the statements made by both the Minister and the shadow Minister with regard to Sarah Everard’s loved ones; our thoughts are with them today. For any victim to come forward, especially those who have experienced gender-based violence or sexual violence, the public must trust the police—and mo…
Commons
Debate
24 November 2025
HMP Downview: Female Prisoners
I listened to the speech made by the hon. Member for Reigate (Rebecca Paul). Tackling violence against women in women’s prisons is on all of us, but a huge part of this debate is missing, which is the self-harm that women are inflicting on themselves. Some 20,000 incidents of self-harm have taken pl…
Commons
Debate
17 November 2025
Asylum Policy
I hope we can all agree that a strong immigration system does not have to be cruel. When the Tories painted over murals for refugee children, the number of small boat crossings still went up. When they threatened deportations to Rwanda, guess what? The number of crossings still went up. What evidenc…
Commons
Debate
11 November 2025
BBC Leadership
Whatever the position regarding Donald Trump, who has said far worse than what was shown in the wrongly edited clip, the only ones rubbing their hands with glee during this debacle are those who do not want a free press—those politicians who have deep pockets lined by goodness knows who, and who cos…
Commons
Oral Questions
11 November 2025
Topical Questions
Court backlogs cause painful waits for survivors of rape and sexual assault. The system fell apart under the previous Government, meaning that only around 3% of rape reports result in a charge. What is the Minister doing to reduce the waiting times for cases of rape and sexual assault?
Commons
Proceedings
30 October 2025
Sudan: Protection of Civilians
The massacre of civilians at El Fasher maternity hospital is just the latest in a series of atrocities in Sudan, and 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women face famine and malnutrition. Sexual violence is widespread, and the Rapid Support Forces are using rape as a weapon of war, in blatant vi…