Commons
Oral Questions
1 December 2025
SEND Pupils: Suspensions and Exclusions
The Minister will be aware of the horrific case of Harvey Willgoose, who was stabbed to death by a fellow pupil who had previously brought an axe into school. Parents are rightly worried about such situations, so does the Minister agree that safety must come first and that any child who brings a kni…
Commons
Oral Questions
1 December 2025
National Curriculum Reform
Last month’s curriculum review demonstrated that the Government are fixated on watering down the curriculum, whether that is scrapping the English baccalaureate or changing Progress 8. These changes will lower standards for our children and harm them in the long term. The Minister thanked Professor …
Commons
Westminster Hall
1 December 2025
2 contributions
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Barker, and to speak in this very important debate. I thank the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross (Jamie Stone) for his opening remarks, and Michelle Zaher and all 166,498 signatories of this important petition, including 250 …
I am not trying to catch the Minister out here; perhaps she could write to me afterwards for clarity. She talks about a common-sense approach, but we are making it concrete in legislation. On the requirement for three branded items, would the school be in breach? Would the parents be in breach? What…
Commons
Westminster Hall
1 December 2025
Evacuation Chairs: Schools and Colleges
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Alec, and may there be many more opportunities for me to do so.
I thank the hon. Member for Burton and Uttoxeter (Jacob Collier) for his opening remarks. I thought he spoke eloquently and raised some really pertinent questions. I will not repea…
Commons
Proceedings
24 November 2025
Maccabi Tel Aviv FC: Away Fans Ban
As vice-chair of the all-party parliamentary group against antisemitism, I can attest to the fact that many British Jews do not feel safe, especially in Birmingham. I take the Minister at her word that she takes this very seriously. When I stood up and spoke about the issue, I received torrents of a…
Commons
Proceedings
24 November 2025
Ministerial Code
The Minister said that the Government’s defining mission is to uphold the highest standards, but he is failing to answer simple questions about transparency. How much did the Prime Minister receive in donations from David Kogan, and did he adhere to the ministerial code in declaring those donations?
Commons
Debate
17 November 2025
Asylum Policy
The Home Secretary said that she was exploring
“the possibility of return hubs, with negotiations ongoing.”
Can she tell the House which countries she is negotiating with and how much it will cost?
Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 November 2025
Business of the House
The Meriden gap is a vital route for migrating wildlife, and it is under huge threat from the Government’s planning agenda and the dubiously vague definition of grey belt. My constituents in villages such as Balsall Common and Berkswell have already made huge sacrifices for projects like HS2. Now vi…
Commons
Debate
12 November 2025
3 contributions
Energy
My right hon. Friend is making an excellent speech. I am really worried about my constituents who will face higher bills going into winter and beyond. The message is clear, is it not? This Labour Government have the power to get bills down, but they are making a choice not to do so.
The hon. Member is making the argument for exploiting our home resources so we do not have to import such resources from elsewhere, but that is exactly the argument when it comes to North sea oil, is it not?
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
12 November 2025
2 contributions
SEND Provision: Kent
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir John, and to speak in this important debate. I thank the hon. and learned Member for Folkestone and Hythe (Tony Vaughan) for securing it and for his opening remarks, and I am grateful to all Members who have contributed constructively.
This is …
I did not have the education portfolio at that time, so my remarks on that will be limited. We can agree that the system is and was under great strain; that is no secret. That is why I have said previously that it requires a cross-party solution. We will have to work together, because the challenges…
Commons
Westminster Hall
29 October 2025
2 contributions
International Baccalaureate: Funding in State Schools
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Roger, and to take part in this important debate on funding for the international baccalaureate in state schools. I thank the hon. Member for Didcot and Wantage (Olly Glover) for securing this debate and for his eloquent opening remarks. In fact…
I have to challenge that point. I said that the Minister was a fair man—if I did not, I will say it now—but, if he is being fair, will he acknowledge that the Conservatives started the investment in childcare programme that the Government have continued?
Commons
Debate
28 October 2025
7 contributions
Stamp Duty Land Tax
The hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Andrew Lewin) talked about millionaires getting a tax cut, but we are talking about young families getting on the ladder. Does my right hon. Friend the shadow Chancellor agree that while Labour Members engage in the politics of envy, we will always engage in the …
On helping Ministers with amnesia, does the right hon. Gentleman acknowledge that there was a pandemic that required a huge amount of intervention, or is he claiming that he would not have supported so many people during that period?
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
27 October 2025
2 contributions
Victims and Courts Bill
What a privilege it is to follow those powerful speeches from the hon. Members for Knowsley (Anneliese Midgley) and for Bolsover (Natalie Fleet). They are clearly two very formidable parliamentarians, and it is a privilege to be in the same debate as them.
I stand today to speak on behalf of my con…
I place on record once again my gratitude to the Minister for the time that she gave to meet with Bethan and her parents on this serious issue. The change that came about really does restore many people’s faith in what we do.
Commons
Westminster Hall
27 October 2025
Holidays During School Term Time
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Lewell, and to take part in this debate. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Keighley and Ilkley (Robbie Moore) for his opening remarks on this important topic. He spoke eloquently on behalf of the 181,000 signatories of this petition, includin…
Commons
Debate
20 October 2025
Maccabi Tel Aviv FC: Away Fans Ban
As a British Muslim who grew up in Birmingham and the west midlands and did business there, I was deeply saddened by this decision—I was saddened for the British Jewish community. We are a tolerant, diverse nation, and a tolerant, diverse region. This decision was bad for two reasons. First, it was …
Commons
Oral Questions
Education
20 October 2025
Children with SEND: Mainstream Schools
I welcome the Minister once again to her place. SEND is a huge issue for every parliamentarian in this House, but for months parents and children across the country have been left in the dark with no clarity as to how the Government will support children with special educational needs. There has bee…
Commons
Oral Questions
Education
20 October 2025
International Baccalaureate
I welcome the Minister to his new role. I have been listening to him closely, but I have to say that the rhetoric does not match the actions. In fact, the headteacher of Ashcroft academy wrote to the Secretary of State saying exactly that the IB cannot be delivered because the additional funding has…
Commons
Westminster Hall
15 October 2025
5 contributions
Educational Assessment System Reform
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Lewell. I thank the hon. Member for Hertford and Stortford (Josh Dean) for securing this important debate and for his opening remarks. By almost any metric, the English education system is one of the best performing in the world. In the latest pr…
I can assure the hon. Lady that I listened to every speech. As I make progress, I hope to answer her question; if I do not, I will happily take another intervention from her.
The examination and assessment system has ensured that children are learning the basic skills and knowledge needed to succee…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 October 2025
Manchester Terrorism Attack
I thank the Home Secretary for the statement, and I thank her and her team for dealing very promptly with an issue I have raised over the last couple of weeks.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the Jewish community, and I thank those from the Jewish community who have reached out to me to speak abo…
Commons
Westminster Hall
15 September 2025
2 contributions
Children with SEND: Assessments and Support
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Allin-Khan, and a privilege to take part in this excellent and well-thought-out debate on assessment and support for children with SEND. I thank the hon. Member for South Cotswolds (Dr Savage) for introducing this important debate and for her ope…
Will the Minister give way? It will take five seconds.
Commons
Proceedings
9 September 2025
Jaguar Land Rover Cyber-attack
I welcome the Minister to his role, and thank him for recognising the anxiety of the staff in the supply chain. Jaguar Land Rover is a huge employer in my constituency, not least because I have the factory in Elmdon, which employs thousands, and there could be an effect on tens of thousands, through…
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
8 September 2025
2 contributions
Cadets
15. What recent steps he has taken to help increase the number of cadets.
I was in the King Edward’s school RAF combined cadet force, and until recently I was on the board of the West Midland Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association. I was pleased to learn of the Government’s lofty ambition to increase cadet sizes, but I was worried by the comments of the Public Accounts C…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
4 September 2025
Early Education and Childcare
I thank the Minister for advance sight of his statement, and it is a pleasure to be at the Dispatch Box for the very first time as shadow Education Minister.
Education is the greatest enabler of success and opportunity in this country. All Members of the House regularly visit our local schools, col…
Commons
Debate
3 September 2025
3 contributions
Hospitality Sector
UKHospitality says:
“At a time when the country needs jobs, the Government should be encouraging hospitality to grow and create jobs, not tax them out of existence.”
Is it right or wrong?
I will speak about some of the hospitality businesses in my constituency, but I say to the hon. Member for Ealing Southall (Deirdre Costigan) that that was an interesting speech; I do not think much of it was based in reality, however, and I am more than happy to explain. The Employment Rights Bill …
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
21 July 2025
3 contributions
Victory over Japan: 80th Anniversary
I thank the Minister for her speech, and for all the events that she announced: we will, of course, support the Government’s agenda in celebrating VJ Day. It is a privilege to respond to the Minister on behalf of His Majesty’s loyal Opposition.
The 80th anniversary of the end of the second world wa…
My right hon. Friend said that so eloquently, and he is clearly a very learned individual. I could not agree with him more.
Although we are all regularly reminded of the heroic invasion of Normandy, a 2013 poll of the British public by the National Army Museum in Chelsea ranks the battles of Kohima…
+1 more contribution in this session