Commons
Debate
2 March 2026
6 contributions
Representation of the People Bill
The Secretary of State will remember that when we both served on Lambeth council, I had the absolute honour of introducing the youth mayor elections. Up and down the country, there are 16-year-olds in public office, including many young people allocating funds in some cases in excess of £25,000 to o…
I thank my hon. Friend for making a powerful speech. On that point, I know what she personally went through during the last general election, and many Members from right across the House have also had to face it. Does she agree with me that, if we do not address this, we will see good, locally roote…
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
25 February 2026
Grenfell Tower Annual Report
In 109 days, on 14 June, the community and many of us will come together to remember the 72 people who tragically lost their lives. Almost nine years on, the Government’s acceptance of the 58 recommendations is an acceptance that the tragedy at Grenfell should not have happened. That tragedy was bor…
Commons
Debate
12 February 2026
LGBT+ History Month
I thank my hon. Friend for making such a powerful and passionate speech. She is such a fantastic advocate for the LGBT+ community, and she has highlighted the many people who have passed on. As she will know, I am one of the co-chairs of the all-party group on HIV, AIDS and sexual health, which stil…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
12 February 2026
5 contributions
Social Rented Housing Sector
I am grateful to the Backbench Business Committee for allocating time for this statement.
This week, the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee published our fourth report, on the condition of homes in the social rented sector. This report is the first of a series of outputs from our b…
I thank my fellow Committee member for his work to ensure consensus on this important cross-party issue, which many of us see in our inboxes. We hope for a full, detailed response, so we will allow the Government to come back to us, but I hope that they will recognise that this is a really important…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
11 February 2026
6 contributions
Local Government Finance
I thank the Secretary of State for making that point about council tax and flexibility for local councils. Does he agree with the Local Government Association, which is worried, stating that
“council tax is not the solution to the financial challenges facing local government. It places a significan…
I thank the Secretary of State, who is not in his place, for opening this debate on the settlement. I know the work that he and the Local Government Minister have led on in bringing forward this statement, and they have been strong voices for our local government colleagues. I should declare that th…
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
10 February 2026
2 contributions
Inner-London Local Authorities: Funding
rose —
I thank my hon. Friend, my constituency neighbour, for making such an impassioned and powerful speech. I declare an interest in that my constituency also covers both Lambeth and Southwark. She is talking about housing costs, which we know are so expensive in London. We have seen housing costs rise o…
Commons
Debate
5 February 2026
2 contributions
Occupied Palestinian Territories: Genocide Risk Assessment
I thank the hon. Member for Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber (Brendan O’Hara) for securing this important debate. Like many Members, I have received many emails from my constituents, and I speak today to give a voice to their concerns.
It is difficult to put into context the sheer scale of death and…
I thank my hon. Friend for making that important intervention. I think that is what we are all trying to get at, and Members from right across the House want answers on that.
It is imperative to listen and act when such respected bodies speak with one voice. It is vital to our ability to stop futur…
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
2 February 2026
Topical Questions
Following President Trump’s insulting remarks about our hard-working British personnel, a constituent of mine contacted me saying he was very happy to hear the Prime Minister condemn those remarks. His eldest son has retired from the Army following injuries and his youngest son is a medic in the Arm…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
22 January 2026
Local Government Reorganisation
I thank the Secretary of State for coming to the House with his statement. Although he has outlined that there is a clear precedent, from 2019 and 2021, for postponing local elections, he reassured my Select Committee back in November that these elections would go ahead. Residents in those areas wil…
Commons
Oral Questions
Cabinet Office
22 January 2026
2 contributions
Government Use of Technology
13. What recent progress he has made with Cabinet colleagues on improving the use of technology to implement Government priorities.
I thank my right hon. Friend for making sure that he is earning his keep. I welcome the written statement from the Minister for Digital Government and Data on the plan to use artificial intelligence to boost productivity in public services. It is right that we look at all avenues, but I am concerned…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
21 January 2026
Water White Paper
I thank the Secretary of State for this White Paper, and I concur with many of the comments from colleagues. I attended a community meeting last week on the Kennington Park estate in my constituency to hear from residents of Blythe House, Alverstone House and Lockwood House. Many of them have not ha…
Commons
Debate
19 January 2026
Local Elections: Cancellation
I thank the shadow Secretary of State, the right hon. Member for Braintree (Sir James Cleverly), for raising this important issue. I accept that the Minister highlighted that there are concerns from councils, but again, we find ourselves in quite a disappointing area. Just before Christmas, the Mini…
Commons
Debate
15 January 2026
New Towns
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Cumbernauld and Kirkintilloch (Katrina Murray) on securing this debate, and I thank her for outlining her experience, and for her passion in representing a new town. When we talk about the next generation of new towns, it is important to listen to the exp…
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
14 January 2026
Engagements
I wish you a belated happy new year, Mr Speaker. However, for the 4.8 million leaseholders across England, it is not a happy new year; they will receive large bills in a matter of weeks. They have been waiting patiently for us, a new Government who said we would deliver change, to bring forward legi…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 January 2026
Iran
I thank the Foreign Secretary for her statement. It is good for us as a united House to send the strongest condemnation of what we are seeing—the little we are seeing; we know there is a lot more. She mentioned support for British nationals. Many of my constituents have contacted me, including one w…
Commons
Debate
12 January 2026
Social Media: Non-consensual Sexual Deepfakes
I thank the Secretary of State for her comments this afternoon, and agree with her that anyone saying that this activity is free speech is totally incorrect. We must continue to redouble our efforts to protect women and girls. Part of this abuse happens on social media. As the Secretary of State kno…
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
12 January 2026
Leasehold Reform
I thank the Minister for his answer. I know that he has been taking a lot of time to debate and look at the issue of leasehold, and he can see the cross-party concern on behalf of many constituents up and down the country on this big issue, as well as the support for tackling it. We on the Select Co…
Commons
Debate
7 January 2026
3 contributions
Jury Trials
rose —
rose —
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
17 December 2025
Local Government Finance
I thank the Minister for her statement. I know she has been working really hard on this issue since she took on the role a few months ago. She is aware of the many pressing issues facing councils up and down the country—from SEND to temporary accommodation, housing and adult social care—and 14 years…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
17 December 2025
UK-EU Common Understanding Negotiations
I thank the Minister for his statement. I am a proud Erasmus graduate and the first in my family to go to university. As I was a carer for my late mother, I did not study abroad. I stayed at home and commuted to university, so Erasmus was the first time I was able to experience that. Many years on, …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
16 December 2025
Planning Reform
I thank the Minister for his statement. I commend him for his work on bringing the planning system up to date, which can be quite a technical process, and on the landmark Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which will receive Royal Assent later this month. I welcome the fact that the Minister has list…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
16 December 2025
Electoral Resilience
I thank the Secretary of State for making his statement. Far too often, Members right across this House take elections for granted. The fact that we can go to the ballot box and cast our votes in a free and fair election is something that we have to fight for and protect, so I welcome the fact that …
Commons
Debate
15 December 2025
Sudan: Humanitarian Situation
I thank the Minister for responding and I thank the hon. Member for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East (Seamus Logan) for securing this important urgent question. It is important for us to keep the focus on Sudan. Islamic Relief recently held an exhibition in my constituency entitled “Are your eyes …
Commons
Debate
15 December 2025
Violence against Women and Girls Strategy
I thank the Minister for coming to the House to respond to the urgent question. I know that this is an issue that she cares passionately about, and I can sense her frustration about the fact that such an important strategy is to be announced in the House on the last day before the recess, when many …
Commons
Proceedings
11 December 2025
St Andrew’s Day and Scottish Affairs
I am a London MP, but I feel that I must step in for the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon), who is not here. But my intervention does have a connection to the subject of the debate. It is about the vibrancy of Scottish universities. People from my constituency travel as far as Scotland to get…