Commons
Proceedings
9 July 2026
Science, innovation and technology Committee
I start by thanking the Chair of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee and its entire membership for the publication of a very interesting and timely report. Business, academia and the whole tech sector needs clarity, in some ways more than anything else. Does the Chair share my concerns,…
Commons
Oral Questions
Science, Innovation and Technology
1 July 2026
Online Safety: Children
This might be the last time this Department for Science, Innovation and Technology ministerial team get the chance to face us at the Dispatch Box, so on behalf of our team I wish them well over the next few weeks as the Government go through their hard reset. Has the Secretary of State spoken to the…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
30 June 2026
Defence Investment Plan
I thank the right hon. Member for what he is doing in what I am sure is a challenging and uncertain time. With regard to meeting NATO spending commitments, he has referred to future spending reviews on many occasions. Is this defence investment plan not a bit like the Government: cast adrift and wai…
Commons
Oral Questions
Energy Security and Net Zero
2 June 2026
Topical Questions
T2. Why does the Secretary of State think that Tony Blair is so critical of his policies?
Commons
Westminster Hall
2 June 2026
2 contributions
Preparedness for National Emergencies
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Barker. I congratulate the hon. Member for Dunfermline and Dollar (Graeme Downie) on securing this important debate. Given the number of hon. Members here, we could have had a three-hour debate on his wide-ranging speech. I will be brief so coll…
Will the Minister give way?
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
1 June 2026
Topical Questions
T5. What is the Minister’s assessment of the extra investment in defence and the extra kit that Ukraine will need as a consequence of our handing money to Putin through the relaxation of oil and gas sanctions?
Commons
Debate
1 June 2026
Health Bill
I welcome the Secretary of State to his post. Could he explain what the pathway of local accountability is for ICBs?
Commons
Debate
20 May 2026
Banking Hubs
It is really interesting hearing about these rural-urban splits. My constituency is very much on the urban fringe, yet we are really struggling. We have been trying to get branches in Chertsey and Addlestone, and we had one in Cobham that recently closed down. This sounds like an issue that affects …
Commons
Oral Questions
Science, Innovation and Technology
20 May 2026
Child Protection Online
Does the Secretary of State regret having been forced into a ban on social media for under-16s during proceedings on the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, rather than having committed to a ban the first place, or introducing a Bill in the King’s Speech?
Commons
Debate
21 April 2026
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
The Minister will be aware that the election campaigns for the Surrey West and Surrey East unitaries are ongoing as a consequence of this legislation, but we still have not had an announcement on whether we will get a mayor for Surrey. That will be critical for protecting our green belt if the Conse…
Commons
Debate
21 April 2026
2 contributions
Peter Mandelson: Government Appointment
I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for giving way. I have listened carefully to his speech. Given what he heard at the Committee this morning and his background and experience, does he regret Olly Robbins’s sacking?
Yesterday, I sat through over two and a half hours of questions and responses to the Prime Minister. His responses were pretty much focused on process, when really what is fundamental to the issue at hand are judgment and national security.
We do not need some sort of fancy UK vetting dossier to kn…
Commons
Debate
21 April 2026
Middle East: Economic Update
The Chancellor will be aware of how important aviation is to the UK economy, particularly Heathrow, which is responsible for a huge amount of air freight and economic activity in my constituency. Given the reports regarding the supply chain for kerosene used in aviation, what measures is the Chancel…
Commons
Debate
19 March 2026
Online Harms
I congratulate the hon. Member for St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire (Ian Sollom) on securing this debate. As with so many debates over recent months, it has shown that online harms are a matter of paramount importance to Members on both sides of the House and in the other place. As was to be expected…
Commons
Debate
18 March 2026
Flooding: Rural Communities
We are still waiting for delivery of the River Thames scheme in my area. While that is happening, we would be very grateful for some dredging, because at the moment there is no River Thames flood alleviation scheme. Will the Minister take this opportunity to reconfirm the Government’s commitment to …
Commons
Proceedings
18 March 2026
2 contributions
Student Loans
I am going to talk about hope and fairness, to which many Members across the House have referred in their speeches. It is important that everyone has hope for the future, but particularly the next generation.
There are many challenges facing younger people at the moment, from youth unemployment, wi…
I think that my right hon. Friend the Member for East Hampshire (Damian Hinds), sitting behind me, will give a more extensive answer to that question in a moment. There are lots of ways to measure degrees. An example that I often give is the degree in David Beckham studies, which I think existed. I …
Commons
Proceedings
18 March 2026
3 contributions
Student Loans
I thank the Minister for giving way: she has been very generous with her time. I think there is a point of principle in this debate, and I should like to hear the Minister’s thoughts on it. Does she believe that there is any degree offered by a university in which it is not fair to invest taxpayers’…
On the broader point of principle about the value of certain subjects, I intervened on the Minister and she failed to answer, so I will ask the hon. Gentleman the same question. Does he think that there are some subjects offered by some universities for which the value is quite poor and that it is u…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
18 March 2026
UK Research and Innovation
Modern warfare is technological warfare, so UK research and innovation is critical for our defence. When the Secretary of State has spoken with the Defence Secretary about the defence investment plan, as I assume she has, which sectors has she prioritised for investment in UK companies in research a…
Commons
Debate
10 March 2026
2 contributions
Extreme Climate and Weather Events: National Resilience
The hon. Lady is being very generous with her time, and this has been a fascinating debate. Runnymede and Weybridge is frequently hit by flooding, but I have noticed that one problem is that there are so many different responders, sometimes seemingly acting independently. When residents contact the …
Will the Minister give way?
Commons
Oral Questions
9 March 2026
Immigration Policy
The Minister failed to answer the questions from my right hon. Friend the Member for New Forest West (Sir Desmond Swayne) and my hon. Friend the Member for Bexhill and Battle (Dr Mullan). In the absence of a third-country scheme, to where do we remove people when their countries are not safe or ther…
Commons
Proceedings
5 March 2026
Business of the House
Can we have a debate in Government time on defensive military operations in the middle east?
Commons
Oral Questions
4 March 2026
2 contributions
Family Farms
4. What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on supporting family farms in Wales.
International conflict and instability risk putting up food and fuel prices, and threaten our domestic food resilience. Instead of reviews and platitudes, we need action to protect our farmers and our UK food resilience. Will the Minister take action and scrap the damaging family farm tax?
Commons
Debate
3 March 2026
SEND Provision: Local Authorities
The Minister is being generous with her time and I thank her for giving way. I want to reiterate the point about the families who have already gone through the system and who have fought for EHCPs, many of whom have had to go through tribunals and feel like they are having to do everything on their …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
3 March 2026
Spring Forecast
Given what is happening in the middle east at the moment, there is a concern that petrol and diesel prices will spiral upwards. If that happens, taxation revenue on fuel will do the same. Can the Chancellor commit today to keeping taxation revenue at its current level, thereby reducing tax on fuel t…
Commons
Debate
2 March 2026
5 contributions
Representation of the People Bill
It is a real pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Milton Keynes Central (Emily Darlington), who has spoken passionately about the risks of democratic interference. I know this is something that she has thought about in great detail. She may be aware that during the passage of the Data Protection A…
I thank the hon. Lady for her intervention, but I think there is a difference between representing people and people having the ability to vote for us. If we were to take that argument to its ultimate conclusion, it would expand the voter franchise not only to every single age but to non-citizens. I…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
2 March 2026
Middle East
I have heard a lot of legal analysis from the Prime Minister but nothing on what he thinks is morally right. Is not the biggest risk to international law when leaders hide behind legal advice to avoid taking responsibility for their decisions?