Commons
Westminster Hall
5 November 2025
11 contributions
House Building: London
I beg to move,
That this House has considered Government support for housebuilding in London.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Mundell. I thank all hon. Members who enabled me to secure this important debate. It could not be more timely, as house building in London has collaps…
I agree that we should have a brownfield-first approach, seeking to protect our green belt and countryside wherever possible. I understand my right hon. Friend’s concern and her representations on behalf of her constituents.
The Home Builders Federation warns that the London plan’s net zero require…
+9 more contributions in this session
Commons
Statutory Instrument
28 October 2025
4 contributions
Draft Football Governance Act 2025 (Specified Competitions) Regulations 2025
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Lewell. Today’s statutory instrument prescribes the top five flights of the men’s English football pyramid as “specified competitions” for the purposes of the Football Governance Act, and brings them into the scope of the Government’s new regulat…
My hon. Friend is right that we should have a review of the impact on smaller clubs. He will know from his club, Bromley FC, just how difficult it is to get out of the National League and into the English Football League. Bringing these clubs into scope will make it even more difficult for teams see…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
21 October 2025
Cancer Diagnoses
The Government claim that they wish to reduce NHS waiting times, but I have written confirmation from the Government that they have slashed funding for community diagnostic centres. The consequences of Labour’s funding cuts mean that brand new facilities, such as those at Queen Mary’s hospital in Si…
Commons
Debate
20 October 2025
Post-16 Education and Skills Strategy
The Secretary of State has claimed today that she is expanding opportunities, while raising tuition fees and cutting international baccalaureate funding for sixth forms in Bexley with little notice. Who did she consult on the decision to cut IB funding? What analysis was undertaken, and will she apo…
Commons
Oral Questions
16 October 2025
2 contributions
Grassroots Sports Facilities
This has been an incredible year for women’s sport, with both the Lionesses and the Red Roses inspiring a generation with their fantastic performances and historic successes on the pitch. The previous Conservative Government worked in partnership alongside the national lottery, Sport England and var…
I thank the Secretary of State for her answer; hopefully she can pick up the point about fairness and safety in women’s sport in her next answer, because that was also part of the first question.
The Secretary of State will be aware that, alongside investment from Government and national sports bod…
Commons
Westminster Hall
16 September 2025
London Fashion Week: Cultural Contribution
As always, it is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Murrison. I congratulate the hon. Member for Kettering (Rosie Wrighting) on securing this important debate and all hon. Members for their contributions. I welcome the Minister to his new role and I wish him well in government.
London …
Commons
Westminster Hall
9 September 2025
Free-to-air Broadcasting: Cricket Participation
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship as always, Ms McVey—fantastic umpiring, and hopefully no need for DRS. I start with a declaration of interest: over the summer I, alongside a number of colleagues, attended a cricket match with Sky. It was below the registrable threshold, but I am ma…
Commons
Debate
3 September 2025
2 contributions
Property Taxes
Residents in Bromley, like those in Bexley, have been hit by the Mayor of London’s 77% increase in his share of council tax since he took office, alongside various driving taxes. Does my hon. Friend agree that this increase in property taxes would be the straw that broke the camel’s back for many re…
As the hon. Member represents Birmingham Northfield, does he believe that residents in Birmingham deserve to get their bins collected in return for their council tax payments?
Commons
Ministerial Statement
1 September 2025
Borders and Asylum
The Home Secretary has today described the people smugglers as criminals and the boat crossings as illegal. Does she therefore agree that the 29,000 individuals who have entered this country illegally from France this year should be classified as lawbreakers who should at least be deported straighta…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
22 July 2025
Music Streaming: Label-led Principles
A love of music is something we all share. All of us have favourite songs that make up the soundtrack to the most meaningful moments in our lives—moments of joy and sorrow. They are songs that live forever. Our music industry is a true global success story; it has global stars like Adele, Ed Sheeran…
Commons
Debate
15 July 2025
Taxes
I am not sure what financial qualifications the Chief Secretary has, if any, but last week’s reports suggested that, privately, Ministers are briefing their Back Benchers that they will introduce a wealth tax without calling it a wealth tax. Can he confirm whether or not that is true?
Commons
Debate
8 July 2025
17 contributions
Football Governance Bill [Lords]
I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.
I also put on record my thanks to Lord Tebbit for his life of service to both our country and our party. He will be dearly missed by us all. In opening today’s proceedings, I draw the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests.
It is a privilege to speak on Report…
+15 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
3 July 2025
Major Sporting Events
The Government are on the ropes after a grand slam of unforced errors. Since we last met, we have seen the Secretary of State placed under investigation after appointing a Labour crony to head the football regulator, the Chancellor slash the DCMS budget and the DCMS Government Whip resign in protest…
Commons
Debate
18 June 2025
4 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
I rise to speak in favour of new clause 130 to strengthen the law on tool theft.
In early May this year, I joined police officers from Sidcup and Havering in a raid to uncover stolen tools at a boot sale in east London. Unlicensed boot sales are notorious for selling stolen goods. However, I was st…
I thank my right hon. Friend for her vital contribution. We must back the makers, not the law breakers, whether they are “white van men” or rural farmers who are having their tools stolen. The impact on their ability to go to work is significant, but it also has an impact on their families because o…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Health and Social Care
17 June 2025
A&E Waiting Times
The Government continue to claim that they wish to expand community diagnostic centres to speed up scanning and treatment of patients and therefore reduce demand on the likes of A&E. If that is the case, why are they cutting the revenue tariffs that were available to the community diagnostic cen…
Commons
Committee Stage
17 June 2025
21 contributions
Football Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Tenth sitting)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Turner. I will keep my comments brief, which the Committee and you will probably be pleased to hear. I have listened carefully to what the Minister outlined, and the natural questions that arose about the amendments and clauses relate to how she ima…
I am happy to receive a response in writing.
Question put and agreed to.
Clause 81 accordingly ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Schedule 10
Reviews
Amendments made: 66, in schedule 10, page 120, line 17, column 1, leave out “not to trigger” and insert
“to trigger, or not to trigger,”.
This …
+19 more contributions in this session
Commons
Committee Stage
17 June 2025
20 contributions
Football Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Ninth sitting)
I beg to move amendment 130, in clause 57, page 47, line 35, leave out subsection (6) and insert—
“(6) Condition 4 is met in relation to a qualifying football season if—
(a) a distribution agreement is in force between the two specified competition organisers in relation to the season,
(b) the di…
It is a pleasure to serve under you again, Sir Jeremy, and I welcome back everyone else in Committee.
The clause sets out further details on the circumstances in which the specified competition organisers can apply to trigger the resolution process. The Government have moved on the mechanism within…
+18 more contributions in this session
Commons
Statutory Instrument
16 June 2025
Draft Casinos (Gaming Machines and Mandatory Conditions) Regulations 2025
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Hobhouse. For full transparency, I refer Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests.
The Conservative party has long championed positive reforms to the Gambling Act that will deliver further investment in jobs and leisure …
Commons
Committee Stage
12 June 2025
30 contributions
Football Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Eighth sitting)
I hope that everyone is appropriately refreshed after the lunch break. I will not seek to go to VAR to rehash any of the debates we had before lunch, but we have great sympathy with the points made by the hon. Member for Sheffield South East. We also believe that fans should have a strong say if clu…
Clause 49 introduces a duty on regulated clubs to safeguard key aspects of what the Bill defines as club heritage. This specifically relates to changes in a club’s name, its badge and its home shirt colours—things that may seem cosmetic to the outsider, but which football fans know are part of the h…
+28 more contributions in this session
Commons
Committee Stage
12 June 2025
16 contributions
Football Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Seventh sitting)
I beg to move amendment 110, in clause 37, page 28, line 28, at end insert—
“(fa) whether the individual is a member of a proscribed organisation as per section (3) and schedule (2) of the Terrorism Act 2000.”
This amendment requires that IFR, in determining whether an owner or officer has the req…
I have woken everyone up there.
Clause 37 is an important safeguard, but without amendment 110, it lacks a clear and necessary line in the sand. Parliament has already determined that proscribed organisations represent a threat to public safety and national order. That same logic must apply here. I…
+14 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
10 June 2025
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
Residents in Bexley village in my constituency—it is one of London’s outer villages—are particularly concerned about the erosion of their green areas around the village. Does my hon. Friend share my concern and surprise that, when the outer London green belt issue was discussed in the London Assembl…
Commons
Committee Stage
10 June 2025
15 contributions
Football Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Sixth sitting)
It is a privilege to speak again under your chairmanship, Mr Turner. I congratulate you and the city of Hull on the Challenge cup victory at the weekend, which probably does not please Mr Speaker on his birthday, but such is sport.
Moving back to football, before the lunch break, I explained why th…
I beg to move amendment 131, in schedule 5, page 103, line 16, at end insert—
“ Agents fees
11A (1) An agents fees condition is a condition requiring a club employing an agent to cap their fees.
(2) The agents fee cap will be set by Regulations subject to approval by both Houses.”
My amendment p…
+13 more contributions in this session
Commons
Committee Stage
10 June 2025
38 contributions
Football Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Fifth sitting)
It is a privilege to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Jeremy, and to speak on day three—is it day three? Time flies when you’re having fun!—of this Bill Committee.
The hon. Member for Sheffield South East has explained in quite lengthy detail the aims of the amendment; I will not repeat what he h…
I beg to move amendment 104, in schedule 4, page 99, line 31, at end insert—
“(f) the club’s political statements and positions.”
This amendment ensures that clubs have to engage their fans on the political statements a club might adopt.
+36 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 June 2025
2 contributions
Swimming Facilities
Thank you, Ms Jardine—excellently chaired, as always. I would like to start by thanking my hon. Friend the Member for Isle of Wight East (Joe Robertson) for securing this important debate. We have had some excellent contributions across the Chamber. He spoke passionately about the case for more inve…
Sadly, it does. Parts of the Swimming Alliance are looking very closely at the open swimming element because of the tragic examples where people lose their lives. We have to be conscious of that as we go into the summer months across Great Britain, when people are more likely to swim in open water.
…