Commons
Proceedings
11 September 2025
2 contributions
UK Ambassador to the US: Appointment Process
I associate myself with the Minister’s words about 9/11 and the untimely and tragic death of Charlie Kirk.
Yesterday, it was reported that in 2008 Lord Mandelson emailed Epstein and said that his conviction in the United States
“could not happen in Britain”,
and encouraged him to go for early rel…
On a point of order, Mr Speaker. This relates to the issue we have been discussing, but is about the House procedures. What I took from the Minister’s answer was that Lord Mandelson, a Member of the House of Lords, had not given a full account of his past actions while going through vetting processe…
Commons
Debate
4 September 2025
6 contributions
House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill
Will the Minister give way?
I guarantee to the Minister that, as a council estate boy from Lewisham, I am not someone who ever thought that my bloodline would get into the House of Lords— [ Interruption. ] One day!
I want to challenge the Minister about the points he has made about future reform. His party has a majority of 1…
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Proceedings
17 July 2025
2 contributions
Strategy for Elections
(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on the new policies announced in the Government’s strategy for elections.
Yesterday, the Department gave notice of a written ministerial statement on the Government’s new strategy for elections, which is a significant policy document on changes to election law and political finance law—something that affects us all in this House. Instead of the Minister using this democra…
Commons
Debate
15 July 2025
Welfare Spending
I gently say to the Minister that she and her Back-Bench colleagues do not have a monopoly on talking about poverty. If she really cared about poverty, she would not have allowed a policy to be brought before this House last week that, before it was changed, would have put 150,000 extra children int…
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
14 July 2025
2 contributions
Homelessness Prevention
Recent figures provided by CHAIN report a record 13,231 people sleeping rough in London—a 19% increase in the year since this Government took office, and a 63% increase since Sadiq Khan took office as Mayor of London. What conversations has the Minister had with the Mayor of London to tackle this fa…
What about this one?
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
14 July 2025
Housing Delivery
Lord knows who the Housing Minister is talking to, because time and again, developers have said that he cannot achieve his target of 1.5 million homes. As he knows, I have severe doubts about his ability to meet such unrealistic housing targets, and I suspect the Opposition will be proven right. How…
Commons
Debate
9 July 2025
Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill
I am grateful for the Minister’s generosity, which he always shows in this Chamber. Based on the poverty assessment, he now says that 50,000 children will be uplifted and taken out of poverty. Given that the decision was taken because of the fiscal impact of the Chancellor’s Budget, I asked him last…
Commons
Westminster Hall
9 July 2025
8 contributions
Neighbourhood Plans: Planning Decisions
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms McVey. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Hinckley and Bosworth (Dr Evans) on securing this important debate. He is a champion for his community, and I know that his constituents will be grateful to him for standing up for them.
Both m…
I thought that might come, so I will give way.
+6 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
4 July 2025
7 contributions
Absent Voting (Elections in Scotland and Wales) Bill
First, I congratulate the hon. Member for Edinburgh North and Leith (Tracy Gilbert) on her tenacity in getting this Bill through its parliamentary stages. It is timely that the hon. Lady has today—on the first anniversary of an election that I might care to forget, but that she will definitely care …
I was just about to refer to the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Adam Jogee), but I will let him go first.
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
1 July 2025
3 contributions
Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill
The Secretary of State is absolutely right that any Government that take office should aim to reduce poverty in this country. Why then do her own Government’s figures show that the actions she is taking this afternoon will put an extra 150,000 people into poverty? Does she really think that is what …
The Prime Minister’s inability to control his Back Benchers means that the Chancellor now has to find an extra £2.5 billion to fill the savings that she is claiming to have made. Can the Leader of the Opposition guess how she might raise that money?
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
30 June 2025
Welfare Reform
I am sure that the Chancellor will be delighted that the flip-flopping of the Prime Minister means she has to find another £2.5 billion in taxation on people in this country. Does the Secretary of State think that it is fair that a two-tier system has been created? Why would anybody on the old rate …
Commons
Debate
19 June 2025
3 contributions
Water Safety Education
I thank my constituency neighbour for giving way. I want to make a similar point to the hon. Member for Hastings and Rye (Helena Dollimore). A number of schools in my constituency have closed their pools over the past 20 years. When I grew up in Lewisham, I had access to a school pool. Does he agree…
It is good to see you in the Chair, Sir Roger. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Southampton Itchen (Darren Paffey) on securing the debate—he genuinely is an hon. Friend. We served together on Southampton city council, we have both been education lead members, and now we are constituency …
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
18 June 2025
Engagements
Q14. A small family business in my constituency was recently burgled by a prolific offender serving an eight-month suspended sentence. The man was caught, arrested, charged and appeared in court, where he was given another eight-month suspended sentence and was released. The business was offered £20…
Commons
Debate
10 June 2025
15 contributions
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Northampton South (Mike Reader). He was very generous in congratulating many Members on their amendments and very constructive when he outlined his position on this piece of legislation.
I know that Members across the Chamber will be devastated to hear…
My right hon. Friend, not uncharacterist-ically, has made an excellent point and I entirely agree with her. As I said yesterday, the Minister has had a unique opportunity with this Bill—a detailed and potentially groundbreaking Bill—to fundamentally change the planning processes in this country for …
+13 more contributions in this session
Commons
Proceedings
10 June 2025
Point of Order
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I have given the Speaker’s Office advance sight of this point of order on process, following proceedings last night in relation to new clause 82 tabled to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which was not put for a separate decision. First, I want to say …
Commons
Debate
9 June 2025
16 contributions
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
The Minister is making a strong case for the legislation, on which he has worked very hard. However, does he accept that many concerns were raised in Committee, on which we both served, about Natural England’s ability to undertake the duties that he is asking it to undertake, and that he was unable …
I thought I just spoke once at the end.
+14 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
9 June 2025
Social Housing Supply
The Deputy Prime Minister has repeatedly stuck to her commitment that 1.5 million homes, including social homes, will be built over the lifetime of this Parliament despite everybody knowing that she will not achieve it. And today, the latest people to say she will not are Savills, who have forecast …
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
9 June 2025
Leasehold Reform
The last Government passed the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act, supported by the then Opposition. Labour said in the King’s Speech that it would go further with reform and quickly. Then, the Minister said that would take the whole of this Parliament. Now, the secondary legislation needed, as well …
Commons
Debate
2 June 2025
Strategic Defence Review
I refer the House to my declaration in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. Can I push the Secretary of State on the answer that he gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Gosport (Dame Caroline Dinenage) about HMS Collingwood? My constituents will look for reassurance that it will have a lon…
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
21 May 2025
Engagements
Will the Prime Minister join me in welcoming my six-year-old constituent, Teddy, and his mum, Laura, to Prime Minister’s questions? Teddy is a self-professed eco-warrior, on a mission to change the world. He started out by saving thousands of plastic chocolate and sweet tubs from landfill, because t…
Commons
Committee Stage
13 May 2025
15 contributions
Planning and Infrastructure Bill (Fifth sitting)
Good morning, Mrs Hobhouse. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship and to see you again. I welcome both Ministers to their places. As soon as you said that we can start removing layers, Mrs Hobhouse, my button suddenly popped off. I apologise, and I guarantee that I will not remove any mo…
I beg to move amendment 83, in clause 22, page 29, line 33, after “benefits” insert
“of £1,000 per year for ten years”.
+13 more contributions in this session
Commons
Committee Stage
13 May 2025
16 contributions
Planning and Infrastructure Bill (Sixth sitting)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Jardine. The Opposition wholly understand the intention behind clause 38, but I want to ask the Minister a quick question. How will enforcement responsibilities be co-ordinated to prevent confusion between the MMO and other authorities involved i…
We agree with the Government on clause 39. However, if local authority members need to give a majority vote on the first round, it makes the Minister’s claim that the measure will reduce bureaucracy seem a tad overstretched. We will not press the clause to a Division, but circumstances do change bet…
+14 more contributions in this session