Commons
Westminster Hall
6 January 2026
2 contributions
Future of Thames Water
It is a great pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Harris. I congratulate the hon. Member for Oxford West and Abingdon (Layla Moran) on securing this important debate. We have heard many contributions from across the House.
Thames Water is a distressing example that brings to light severa…
I have to finish—I only have a certain amount of time. Can the Minister outline what action the Government are taking to help find a market-based solution for a Thames Water rescue deal, specifically in the light of reports that current lenders are preventing or shutting out competitors? What are th…
Commons
Westminster Hall
16 December 2025
2 contributions
Grassroots Cricket Clubs
It was a great privilege to serve under the captaincy of the hon. Member this summer for the Lords and Commons cricket team, in our valiant defeat against Marylebone cricket club. I note that, despite that valiant defeat, neither I nor he has received a call-up from Brendon McCullum or Ben Stokes in…
The hon. Member is talking about sporting and cricketing heroes. Kids need to be able to look up to those role models and heroes. There is no doubt that broadcasting deals have ploughed money into grassroots cricket. Does he agree that the ECB should look at enabling more access to international cri…
Commons
Debate
10 December 2025
Seasonal Work
Epping Forest is home to some wonderful pubs and hospitality businesses, such as The Bull and the Queen Vic in Theydon Bois, the Theydon Oak, and Mila in Loughton. I hope he will join me in congratulating Mila on reaching the final of the British kebab awards next year. Does he agree that it is only…
Commons
Debate
9 December 2025
Railways Bill
The shadow Secretary of State talks about passengers being at the heart of the Bill. He earlier raised watchdogs and dogs not having teeth. As a veterinary surgeon, I am very conscious of a subset of dogs that we need to think about in relation to passenger access. Does he agree that people need to …
Commons
Westminster Hall
8 December 2025
Digital ID
My constituents in Epping Forest are deeply concerned about the prospect of digital ID cards. Many have written and spoken to me, and over 5,600 have signed the petition. Rather than improving the delivery of public services, this scheme risks wasting billions on a complex, intrusive and potentially…
Commons
Proceedings
4 December 2025
Local Elections
This development is cynical and scandalous, and completely ignores the democratic rights of the people of Essex and beyond. This Labour Government are botching and rushing local government reorganisation for their own political ends. Given their cancelling of local elections this year, and now their…
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 December 2025
Local Media
I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this vital debate. In my constituency, we are fortunate to have excellent local media, such as the Epping Forest Guardian newspaper and Everything Epping Forest online, which provides invaluable coverage across our district. As he alluded to, many constituen…
Commons
Proceedings
2 December 2025
Budget Resolutions
This Budget is entitled “Strong foundations, secure future”; sadly, it is anything but, with weak foundations and an insecure future. For all this talk of fair decisions, this Budget’s biggest scandal is that my constituents are not being given a fair deal in any way whatsoever. My constituents, lik…
Commons
Westminster Hall
27 November 2025
2 contributions
Packaging: Extended Producer Responsibility
It is a great pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Lewell. I congratulate the hon. Member for Gower (Tonia Antoniazzi) on securing this critical debate.
As chair of the all-party parliamentary beer group, the hon. Lady has heard first hand from many stakeholders, including the British Beer…
The Minister is talking about economic viability. I mentioned that the Government said in the Budget yesterday that they will consult on the EPR scheme, and she has repeated that. The Conservatives are calling for an urgent review. A consultation is not good enough; proverbially, that just kicks the…
Commons
Oral Questions
25 November 2025
2 contributions
New Hospital Programme
7. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the time taken to deliver the new hospital programme on maintenance costs across the NHS estate.
As my constituency neighbour, the Health Secretary will know that both his constituents and mine rely heavily on the Princess Alexandra hospital in Harlow and Whipps Cross in Leytonstone. Before the election, he promised the rebuild of the Princess Alexandra hospital and he supported the Whipps Won’…
Commons
Debate
24 November 2025
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
My hon. Friend is making a powerful speech about his constituents’ need for joined-up transport. He spoke about the ferries, and about buses and trains. This is not just an economic argument; he talked about the importance of people being able to move around and connect with each other, and that has…
Commons
Westminster Hall
18 November 2025
Flood Risk and Flood Defence Infrastructure: North-west England
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Murrison. I congratulate the hon. Member for Warrington South (Sarah Hall) on securing this important debate and allowing us to address the important issue of flood risk and flood defence infrastructure in the north-west. We have heard powerful c…
Commons
Proceedings
17 November 2025
Illegal Waste: Organised Crime
My thoughts are with those affected by the floods and by Storm Claudia. We cannot overstate the mental health impact of these events, and I pay tribute to the emergency teams and volunteers for the work that they do when we need them most.
All Members from across the House will have had incidents i…
Commons
Oral Questions
13 November 2025
Solar Farms: Food Security
Food security is national security, and we are in the middle of a food and farming emergency created by this Labour Government’s policies. From their heartless family farm tax to the closure of vital support schemes, they are damaging farming’s ability to thrive and harming rural mental health. That…
Commons
Debate
11 November 2025
Prisoner Releases in Error
Recent events and today’s court ruling again bring to the surface anxiety in our Epping community. My thoughts remain with the victims, including the 14-year-old Epping schoolgirl. Appallingly, they and their families heard about the wrongful prisoner release from the media instead of the Government…
Commons
Debate
4 November 2025
2 contributions
Supporting High Streets
Will my hon. Friend give way?
May I move the conversation on from animals, much as I would love to talk about animals today?
In Epping Forest we have fantastic pubs, restaurants and cafés—including the Queen Vic, Il Bacio, Gosht, Alecco, Papillon and Poppy’s—but they are all struggling under this Labour Government. Does my hon.…
Commons
Debate
28 October 2025
Stamp Duty Land Tax
This stamp duty policy will help to lubricate the system, but my right hon. Friend is talking about putting the houses in the right places. Does he agree that this Government really do need to follow through on that? They have to prioritise brownfield sites and stop bringing in policies that will ri…
Commons
Debate
27 October 2025
Prisoner Release Checks
My thoughts are with the victims of this sex offender’s crimes, including the 14-year-old Epping schoolgirl. They and their families want answers as to how this major breach could have happened. The Prime Minister and the Justice Secretary have said that they were “appalled” and “livid”. Well, that …
Commons
Proceedings
23 October 2025
Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund
This fund is a weak apology from a Labour Government who, this year, have sold out the UK fishing industry. It is a mere sticking plaster—a rushed one, at best—that ignores the proportion of fish caught in different parts of these isles, involves the devolved Administrations poorly, and ignores evid…
Commons
Westminster Hall
13 October 2025
2 contributions
Bovine Tuberculosis Control and Badger Culling
It is a great pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stuart. I first declare my professional and personal interest as a veterinary surgeon and a fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. I thank the hon. Member for North Ayrshire and Arran (Irene Campbell) for her thoughtful opening…
I respectfully disagree with the hon. Gentleman. The Birch et al. study of 2024 looks at that issue in depth. Indeed, if we look at some of those scientific studies criticising the badger cull, the Government’s DEFRA chief scientific adviser and the chief veterinary officer queried the statistical m…
Commons
Oral Questions
4 September 2025
Household Water Bills
The future of Thames Water is in sharp focus again, affecting millions of people and potentially the wider UK taxpayer. Bizarrely, the third party—along the Benches to my left—led legal action that could have sunk the company. Reform UK is also happy for the company to go under, exposing taxpayers t…
Commons
Debate
3 September 2025
Hospitality Sector
My hon. Friend is rightly articulating that hospitality businesses are the lifeblood of our communities. Epping Forest has fantastic local pubs, such as the Theydon Oak, the Forest Gate Inn and the Bull, and fantastic restaurants such as Mila and the India Grill in Loughton. They are all really suff…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
1 September 2025
Borders and Asylum
Home Secretary, please: we have a tinder-box situation in Epping. We have the Bell hotel, with alleged sexual and physical assaults, and now twice-weekly major protests, some of which became violent, with injuries to police officers. Appallingly, last week the Government successfully appealed agains…
Commons
Proceedings
21 July 2025
Asylum Hotels: Migrant Criminal Activity
Two weeks ago in Epping, there were three alleged sexual assaults on school-age girls; my thoughts are with the victims, their families and their peers. These were allegedly linked to the Bell hotel, which has been stood up as an asylum hotel against all advice. Since then, we have had numerous majo…