Commons
Oral Questions
Work and Pensions
9 March 2026
2 contributions
Topical Questions
T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.
Skills bootcamps in Somerset give businesses in Glastonbury and Somerton the opportunity to collaborate with training providers. This helps to address persistent skills shortages. However, changes to funding allocations could see Somerset lose nearly 70% of its funding. Will the Minister urgently re…
Commons
Westminster Hall
23 February 2026
Firearms Licensing
It is an honour to serve with you in the Chair, Mrs Barker. I thank the Petitions Committee, and I thank the hon. Member for South Norfolk (Ben Goldsborough) for introducing the debate in such a balanced manner. I also thank the 445 petitioners of Glastonbury and Somerton.
Gun controls should be st…
Commons
Debate
11 February 2026
6 contributions
Storm Chandra Flooding
I am grateful for having secured this debate on the Government’s response to flooding as a result of Storm Chandra. Before I begin, I want to pay tribute to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in the flood effort in Somerset. I would also like to take a moment to recognise the impact t…
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his kind words and for his intervention. Indeed, nature-based solutions and natural flood defences are absolutely important—I know that the Minister is also an advocate for them—and I will come on to that later on in my speech.
In this place, I have advocated for comm…
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
5 February 2026
Business of the House
Yesterday, I hosted the Farm Safety Foundation in Parliament to launch the ninth year of its Mind Your Head Week campaign. Although there has been progress in talking about mental health in farming, we lose too many people to suicide every year. That must change. Can we have a debate in Government t…
Commons
Oral Questions
5 February 2026
Flood Preparedness
Last week, 50 mm of intense rain fell across large parts of Somerset and exacerbated the already saturated ground, with a major incident declared on Tuesday. With more unsettled weather in the forecast and high spring tides imminent, residents have told me that they are worried they could be facing …
Commons
Westminster Hall
5 February 2026
Sustainable Drainage Systems
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mrs Barker. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Newton Abbot (Martin Wrigley) on securing this debate and on his excellent and knowledgeable speech. I also point to the important intervention made by my hon. Friend the Member for Honiton and …
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 February 2026
Postal Services: Rural Areas
In November last year, Henstridge post office closed, leaving a rural village without a vital service. Luckily, local resident Barry is working with the Post Office to reopen the facility as soon as possible. Does my hon. Friend agree that, following last year’s Green Paper, the Government must now …
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
2 February 2026
Topical Questions
T2. The need for increased defence spending is clear, but the growing uncertainty over the future of the new medium helicopter contract has left Leonardo in the lurch, over a year after the company was left as the only tender. It is putting our national defence readiness, and the jobs of hundreds of…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
26 January 2026
Police Reform White Paper
Reducing the number of police forces to 12 mega-forces risks rural forces once more being neglected and under-resourced. Since 2023, the cost of rural crime has tripled year on year, while Avon and Somerset’s rural crime team is vastly under-resourced, leaving communities throughout Glastonbury and …
Commons
Oral Questions
Work and Pensions
26 January 2026
2 contributions
State Pension Age Changes: Compensation
6. What recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of compensating 1950s-born women affected by the maladministration of state pension age changes.
There are more than 8,000 WASPI women across Glastonbury and Somerton, including Miriam from Martock, who has lost a staggering £50,000 because of the maladministration of state pension ages changes. Because she was unable to work, she was forced to sell her home and live on released capital; now, a…
Commons
Westminster Hall
26 January 2026
2 contributions
Animal Rescue Centres
It is an honour to serve with you in the Chair this evening, Sir Alec. I thank the Petitions Committee for enabling this debate, and the 201 petitioners from Glastonbury and Somerton.
For many years, the UK has enjoyed the reputation of being a nation of animal lovers, with over half of us owning a…
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention, and I thank Mr Carter for all his amazing work to support the financing of these important rescue centres. Many people across the country do exactly the same thing.
Despite having the best intentions, some establishments take on too many animals or a…
Commons
Proceedings
22 January 2026
Agricultural Sector: Import Standards
I congratulate the hon. Member for North West Cambridgeshire (Sam Carling) on securing this important debate, and I thank the Backbench Business Committee for finding time for the debate to proceed.
The UK agricultural sector experienced an enormous shift on leaving the European Union. There was si…
Commons
Debate
22 January 2026
3 contributions
Fishing Industry
I congratulate my right hon. Friend the Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr Carmichael) on securing this important debate and on his powerful speech. I thank the Backbench Business Committee for finding the time for today’s debate.
The UK’s fishing industry is central to our national economy. It con…
I apologise, Madam Deputy Speaker.
The impact on coastal communities is even more severe and economically damaging. The House will know that fishing waters in Cornwall, including in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for St Ives (Andrew George), have been greatly affected by pollution, w…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
22 January 2026
Local Government Reorganisation
Somerset underwent local government reorganisation during the last Parliament, with an independent report citing that the Conservative administration’s business case was marked by poor decision making, while its reckless decision to freeze council tax for six years has seen over £330 million in lost…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
21 January 2026
Water White Paper
Although some proposals in this White Paper are welcome, it does not go far enough to guarantee the promised fundamental reforms. Record sewage spills of over 45,000 hours were recorded in Glastonbury and Somerton last year. The public are left in the dark as the Government refuse to record the true…
Commons
Westminster Hall
21 January 2026
UK Wine Industry
I thank the hon. Member for securing this important debate. Somerset is more often known for its cider production, but I have a brilliant, multi-award winning winemaker, Smith & Evans, based in Aller on the Somerset levels. As he rightly points out, sales of UK wine are increasing, but there are…
Commons
Oral Questions
Education
19 January 2026
Academy Trusts: Governance
Pressures on schools to convert to academy trusts are considerable and widespread, but academising at all costs is not always in everybody’s interests. Some parents in Glastonbury and Somerton have told me that they are concerned that where decisions are taken across a number of schools, performance…
Commons
Westminster Hall
19 January 2026
2 contributions
Sale of Fireworks
It is an honour to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Pritchard. I thank the Petitions Committee for bringing this debate forward and the combined 671 petitioners from Glastonbury and Somerton.
Firework displays have long lit up the skies in celebrations throughout the year, with illuminations capturi…
My hon. Friend talked about the amazing firework displays that we have across the country, but there are some fantastic alternatives to fireworks, such as demonstrations using drones and light shows. Does she agree that we should implement a noise limit on fireworks of below 90 dB for those that wan…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
15 January 2026
Business of the House
Dairy farmers across Glastonbury and Somerton are competing against imports of cheaper cheese from New Zealand and butter from the USA, but there is no obligation for those products to be labelled with a point of origin. The result is a dramatic collapse in milk prices at the farm gate, and many far…
Commons
Oral Questions
15 January 2026
Access to Sports Facilities
I recently met Abbas and Templecombe parish councillors to discuss their exciting plans to add a 400-metre running track, a multi-use games area and an outdoor adult gym to the local recreation ground. Given that physical inactivity costs the UK over £7 billion a year, such improvements are welcome,…
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 January 2026
Horse and Rider Road Safety
Given the lack of knowledge about the changes to the highway code, Somerset council has a road safety initiative that offers training to riders and drivers. Would my hon. Friend join me in congratulating Somerset council on its position and on the training it is providing to make our roads safer?
Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 January 2026
Iran
Annette from Wincanton contacted me at the weekend, deeply worried about her extended friends and family living in Iran. She told me that many there feel that they have nothing much to lose, as they come out on the streets to protest against the repressive Iranian regime. At this volatile moment, wh…
Commons
Debate
12 January 2026
2 contributions
Finance (No. 2) Bill
Clause 62 shows that this Labour Government simply do not understand farming communities. Persevering with an ill-thought-through family farm tax that treats business assets as personal wealth, even with the recent concession, will continue to harm investment in food security and rural growth. At th…
Absolutely. There is no doubt that the agricultural supply chain has been affected by the torrid 14 months of uncertainty caused by the family farm tax. The Prime Minister and the Chancellor speak consistently of growth, but their damaging policies have crippled family farms. Some 49% of farm busine…
Commons
Proceedings
12 January 2026
Water Supplies: East Grinstead
About 16,500 residents have been impacted as a result of the latest water outage. GPs and schools have shut; vulnerable people, including those in care homes, are unable to access water; and people have been forced to queue for hours at water distribution sites. Unfortunately for customers of South …
Commons
Proceedings
12 January 2026
New Medium Helicopter Contract
I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Yeovil (Adam Dance) for securing this urgent question on behalf of his constituents, as well as mine in Glastonbury and Somerton. Alan from Keinton Mandeville, a Leonardo employee, recently wrote to me to stress how securing the new medium helicopter contract wo…