Commons
Oral Questions
8 July 2025
2 contributions
Prison Education
20. What steps she is taking to improve the quality of prison education.
I thank my hon. Friend for his response. However, 82% of prisons and young offenders institutions have been rated as “requires improvement” or “inadequate” by Ofsted on education, skills and work provision. Despite that, the prison education service still outsources the same poorly performing contra…
Commons
Debate
2 July 2025
2 contributions
Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism
Today’s push to proscribe Palestine Action, a non-violent direct action group, as a terrorist organisation is a disastrous turning point of historic proportions. It risks undermining existing prosecution cases against activities by Palestine Action activists and is legally dubious. Human and civil r…
No, I will not.
By the weekend, anyone with a branded t-shirt or bag could face a terrorism charge. Amnesty International has flagged that if Palestine Action is proscribed this week, even meeting their lawyers to discuss intervening in judicial review proceedings could see its members fall foul of…
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
2 July 2025
Engagements
Q5. I have a follow-on question. The Prime Minister visited my constituency in 2022 and told families that“one of my first acts will be to put the Hillsborough law on the statute book.”He repeated the same promise at conference last year, saying that the Bill would be published on the anniversary in…
Commons
Debate
1 July 2025
Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill
My hon. Friend is making a very good speech, and we are here as legislators. Does she agree that the fact that we have been denied the opportunity to scrutinise the Bill denies us the opportunity to make it right for disabled people?
Commons
Debate
25 June 2025
Criminal Justice
I thank my good friend, the Chair of the Justice Committee, for his excellent speech and for securing this debate. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in it and I declare my interest as chair of the all-party parliamentary group for miscarriages of justice. I welcome the estimate and the comm…
Commons
Debate
24 June 2025
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
It is a pleasure to contribute to today’s estimates debate. I am really pleased that early progress has been made under this Labour Government, particularly the renewed commitment to invest in our communities, with a focus on addressing the housing crisis and fairer funding for local authorities. I …
Commons
Debate
23 June 2025
UK Military Base Protection
I am concerned by the Government’s kneejerk reaction in proscribing Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation. This country has a long history of protest, as I mentioned in the Chamber last week; some of the protests have taken place at British military sites, and none of those protesters have be…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
23 June 2025
Middle East
Further escalation in the middle east could have devastating consequences, not only for the region but for global stability. Given the provocative and inflammatory rhetoric from President Trump and the risk of unpredictable US action further destabilising the situation, can the Foreign Secretary set…
Commons
Proceedings
19 June 2025
Business of the House
The 36th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster passed this year without the long-awaited Hillsborough Bill. The lawyers working on the Bill have said that if it does not include the statutory duty of candour or legal parity for bereaved families, then it is not a Hillsborough law. Can the Leader …
Commons
Debate
18 June 2025
Crime and Policing Bill
I rise to speak in support of new clause 13 in my name and new clause 50 in the name of my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds Central and Headingley (Alex Sobel).
New clause 13 proposes to change the law on joint enterprise. For those who do not know, this is a centuries-old doctrine that allows mult…
Commons
Proceedings
16 June 2025
2 contributions
Windrush Day 2025
In the 1960s and 1970s, lots of young black children were identified as educationally subnormal, and were sent to such schools even though they were not educationally subnormal. Does my hon. Friend believe that their descendants and the people affected by that really need to be given an apology to a…
I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Dulwich and West Norwood (Helen Hayes) for securing this important debate. She has long been a friend to the Windrush community and their descendants, and has long played a major role in celebrating and commemorating their contributions to this country.
I am pr…
Commons
Westminster Hall
11 June 2025
3 contributions
Child Poverty and No Recourse to Public Funds
It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairship today, Dr Huq. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Hallam (Olivia Blake) on securing this important and timely debate. I say “timely”, because we have just heard from the Chancellor today a statement about her spending plans for …
I agree about deep poverty; I might come to that point in a moment.
The End Child Poverty coalition, a fantastic campaign group of more than 120 organisations, from trade unions to faith-based groups and national and local children’s organisations, has said that abolishing NRPF entirely would have …
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
10 June 2025
3 contributions
Grenfell Tower Fire: Eighth Anniversary
I would like to send my condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of all those who lost their lives eight years ago. Does my hon. Friend agree with me that, if justice is to be delivered, the Government need to think very carefully about delivering on the Hillsborough law and the duty of can…
Will the Minister give way on that point.
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
10 June 2025
Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories
I welcome the Minister’s announcement of the sanctions on these two racist and extremist Ministers, but they do not go far enough. They are not going to stop the expansion of settlements or the settler violence, because we know that that expansion is state-funded, state-sanctioned and state-supporte…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
4 June 2025
Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories
I was very proud to join thousands of protesters surrounding Parliament today, demanding to know what this Government’s red line is. Can the Minister tell this House what his red line is, and when he will stop arming Israel and stop F-35 bombers dropping bombs on schools and killing innocent childre…
Commons
Oral Questions
3 June 2025
Topical Questions
A recent freedom of information request showed that between January 2022 and March 2024, 52 prison staff were recommended for dismissal due to breaches of security. However, ten times that number resigned over similar breaches. What action has the Minister taken to strengthen training, oversight and…
Commons
Debate
2 June 2025
Arms and Military Cargo Export Controls: Israel
My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. Since October 2023, analysis by Action on Armed Violence identified more than 500 RAF-linked flights from Akrotiri to Israeli airspace. While described as “reconnaissance”, the Ministry of Defence refuses to confirm whether any carried military cargo. Does my…
Commons
Oral Questions
Home Department
2 June 2025
Topical Questions
I thank the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister for visiting my constituency last week after the horrific incident following the Liverpool football club victory parade. Will the Home Secretary join me in congratulating the emergency services on acting so swiftly, but also in condemning the Reform …
Commons
Debate
20 May 2025
Victims and Courts Bill
I pay tribute to Liv’s family and to Cheryl for her powerful statement.
I want to focus on the victims of state violence and the fact that they are missing from the Bill. I want to remember the 97 victims who perished at Hillsborough, and their families who have been through so much and fought for …
Commons
Proceedings
14 May 2025
Points of Order
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I have given prior notice of my point of order to the Speaker’s Office. I seek your guidance on a matter concerning procedure relating to the ability of Members to hold the Government to account. Yesterday, I attempted to table a question relating to the us…
Commons
Proceedings
14 May 2025
Gaza: UK Assessment
The 10 long weeks since the Israeli blockade began have brought famine to the region, while food is rotting across the border and the Israeli Government are lying and denying the scale of the atrocities. Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has been quoted as saying that the blockade is a “main p…
Commons
Debate
12 May 2025
Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill
The intention to repeal much of the Illegal Migration Act 2023 through this Bill, and the scrapping of the Rwanda scheme in particular, are extremely welcome. Years of brutal Tory policies that have criminalised, persecuted and scapegoated migrants and those seeking safety on our shores must be unra…
Commons
Proceedings
12 May 2025
Protection of Prison Staff
This Government inherited a violent, squalid prison estate, which makes the job of prison officers much more difficult and dangerous. The privatising of maintenance has contributed to overcrowding and the spiralling of violence towards prison officers, so can the Minister explain why contracts are b…