Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
17 July 2025
High Street Businesses
Small independent businesses like Kitchen Croxley in my constituency have suggested that, to counter this Government’s national insurance contribution increases, they will need to serve cold coffee and replace staff with touchscreens just to afford to stay open. What will the Minister do to ensure t…
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
14 July 2025
Topical Questions
My constituent Ryan from Carpenders Park wrote me with concerns about the lack of community spaces, especially alongside the Government’s housing targets. Will the Minister reassure the House that the Government will ensure there are community spaces to support any new housing developments?
Commons
Oral Questions
10 July 2025
2 contributions
Plan for Change: Tracking Dashboard
7. What progress he has made on publishing a tracking dashboard for the plan for change metrics.
Will the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster reassure the House that once he has actually started publishing the tracking dashboard for the plan for change, the six milestones will not go the same way as the three foundations, the six first steps for change, the five missions and the seven pillars …
Commons
Oral Questions
7 July 2025
Topical Questions
T7. My thoughts are with the family of Jayesh Pitrola. Hertfordshire’s policing budget already faces a £7 million shortfall, and the recent spending review contained no direct funding from the Home Office to address that. Will the Home Secretary reassure my constituents, as well as our police and …
Commons
Oral Questions
Treasury
1 July 2025
2 contributions
Employer National Insurance Contributions
11. What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the increase in employer national insurance contributions on businesses.
Given the recent trio of U-turns, this Government have demonstrated that they are keen to change their minds as well as to create new multibillion-pound black holes. Will the Chancellor do the right thing and U-turn on the increase in national insurance contributions, to provide businesses with a mu…
Commons
Oral Questions
Transport
26 June 2025
Local Bus Services
Several of my constituents have written to me, concerned that Arriva, which provides local bus services, has cancelled or reduced some of their local routes, such as the 322 in Maple Cross and the 328 in South Oxhey, leaving them with no other transport options aside from costly taxis. What will the…
Commons
Westminster Hall
25 June 2025
8 contributions
Access to Banking Hubs: Hertfordshire
I beg to move,
That this House has considered access to banking hubs in Hertfordshire.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Desmond. I thank Clementine Manning from my office for the extensive work she has put into researching for this speech and many of my other contributions to th…
My right hon. Friend has obviously had early sight of my speech, because I was going to get on to exactly that about human interaction, but I will let colleagues hold off for a few minutes while I carry on the main body of my speech. As my right hon. Friend said, the situation is deeply desperate, b…
+6 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
24 June 2025
2 contributions
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
I commend the Chair of the Select Committee, the hon. Member for Vauxhall and Camberwell Green (Florence Eshalomi) for bringing forward this estimates day debate. It is a pleasure to serve under her stewardship on that Committee.
This country continues to feel the impact of Labour’s disastrous and …
I agree with my hon. Friend. We are fortunate that the Minister has a background in local government, so he understands those pressures. I look forward to further clarification on grey belt and building on brownfield first, which every constituency MP wishes to see, but it is not yet transposed on t…
Commons
Oral Questions
19 June 2025
Chalk Streams
The River Chess in Rickmansworth is one of the chalk streams that goes through my constituency. The volunteers at the Rickmansworth Waterways Trust are keeping our canal heritage alive, despite funding for the Canal & River Trust being cut. I believe the cut is short-sighted, because these water…
Commons
Oral Questions
Health and Social Care
17 June 2025
Topical Questions
Opticians are important medical professionals for our community. Unfortunately, when I spoke to the Hertfordshire and West Essex integrated care board, I was told that it will not allow opticians to perform vital services such as treating minor eye injuries, as doing so is deemed too expensive, desp…
Commons
Debate
16 June 2025
Air India Plane Crash
Unfortunately, several of my residents have been directly affected by Thursday’s air crash. I place on record my gratitude to local community leaders like Councillor Vishal Patel for offering support and organising events, such as the vigil I attended on Friday, to allow those affected to come toget…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
16 June 2025
Iran-Israel Conflict
My constituent Greg contacted me this afternoon. He is worried about his 24-year-old daughter who is in Tel Aviv on her own. What reassurance can the Foreign Secretary give to my constituents that we will repatriate British citizens as quickly as possible?
Commons
Debate
12 June 2025
2 contributions
SEND Funding
I commend my right hon. Friend on his length of service to this House.
Before I start my speech, I acknowledge the awful tragedy in India. I am aware of my own constituents being directly affected by it, so my thoughts and prayers are with them at this difficult time.
I congratulate my right hon. Friend the Member for Beverley and Holderness (Graham Stuart) on securin…
Commons
Oral Questions
Energy Security and Net Zero
10 June 2025
Rooftop Solar Power
Grand Union Community Energy in my constituency is a non-profit community group that has done excellent work in Kings Langley to raise funding to install solar panels on the roofs of local schools, developments and car parks. It also educates local residents on how they can utilise community energy …
Commons
Debate
5 June 2025
Bank Closures and Banking Hubs
I start, as my right hon. Friend the Member for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale (David Mundell) did, with an ask of the Minister. As she will have heard, this issue is apolitical, and we are raising it very much because we care about our communities. Can we increase the flexibility for banki…
Commons
Oral Questions
Cabinet Office
5 June 2025
2 contributions
EU: Trading Relationship
5. What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the new trading relationship with the EU.
The Government continue to celebrate last month’s latest EU surrender deal, continuing their long-term ambition to undo the results of a democratic vote that their leadership has never agreed with and is doing its best to reverse at every opportunity. The Government have already proven that when Lab…
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 June 2025
2 contributions
Business Rates Relief: High-street Businesses
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Jardine. I congratulate my right hon. Friend the Member for Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge (Sir Gavin Williamson) on securing this really important debate.
I have previously spoken in the House about my background as a small business owner—sp…
One of the likely consequences of the Minister’s proposals is that tenants will look to change their rateable value. Can he assure the House that the Valuation Office Agency will have sufficient resources to ensure that any appeals are done as quickly as possible to give the certainty that our high …
Commons
Debate
21 May 2025
7 contributions
Business and the Economy
It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Harlow (Chris Vince). Harlow is quite close to my old stomping ground, so I know some of the areas to which he referred, although I am surprised that he did not mention the enterprise zone, which is a world-class area for business.
I will focus my comm…
According to a New World Wealth report, 9,500 millionaires left the United Kingdom in 2024: the highest outflow in recent memory. [ Interruption. ] Is the hon. Member for Earley and Woodley (Yuan Yang) looking to intervene?
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
15 May 2025
Condition of Local Roads
On-street parking has an effect on our local roads. In Kings Langley, my local high street is suffering significantly from the Liberal Democrat-led council imposing parking restrictions in a way that has caused confusion not just to businesses but to local residents. Can the Minister give any guidan…
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 May 2025
2 contributions
Future of Public Libraries
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Dowd. I congratulate the hon. Member for Mid Derbyshire (Jonathan Davies) on securing this debate. The Chamber is very well attended, and rightly so; libraries remain at the heart of our communities.
Libraries are more than just books. They offe…
I wholeheartedly agree, especially for some of our more rural communities. There are modern ways of solving that problem, including mobile libraries, which allow communities to have access for a few hours each week to a van that drives around, and books can be pre-ordered via an online system.
Will…
Commons
Westminster Hall
13 May 2025
2 contributions
Flooding: Planning and Developer Responsibilities
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Hobhouse. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Norfolk (George Freeman) for securing this important debate.
I wish to speak about the effect on the residents of South West Hertfordshire. In the five and half years I have been a Member of P…
I agree 100%.
I commend my parish councillors, the volunteer flood wardens and the residents of Croxley Green, Rickmansworth and Batchworth who step up during these difficult times. Flooding is now a structural challenge, not an anomaly. We must act now by embedding resilience in planning, forcing …
Commons
Oral Questions
Work and Pensions
12 May 2025
Topical Questions
T6. The Government claim to be the party of business, but speak to businesses today and they are hurting. Reduced opportunities for wealth creation and entrepreneurship, employee national insurance contributions and the Employment Rights Bill are destroying opportunity. What are the Government doing…
Commons
Proceedings
7 May 2025
United States Film Tariff
Warner Brothers Studios Leavesden is in my constituency and a genuinely world-class film and TV production centre. It provides thousands of jobs, generates significant wealth for the UK economy, and earns South West Hertfordshire the reputation of Hollywood in Hertfordshire. Major international bloc…