Commons
Westminster Hall
20 January 2026
Water (Special Measures) Act 2025: Enforcement
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Allin-Khan. I am grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough (Tom Gordon) for securing this important debate and giving me the opportunity to speak on behalf of my constituents, who are utterly fed up with Southern Water an…
Commons
Debate
12 January 2026
Social Media: Non-consensual Sexual Deepfakes
Having read accounts of women who have had their image manipulated by Grok AI, I am dismayed by attempts by some to try to twist this into an argument about suppressing free speech. It is abuse and it is illegal. I welcome the news that the Government will criminalise nudification apps, but does the…
Commons
Westminster Hall
7 January 2026
UK Town of Culture
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Furniss. I congratulate the hon. Member for Halesowen (Alex Ballinger) on securing this debate. The Liberal Democrats recognise the vital role that towns and communities throughout the United Kingdom play in shaping our rich and diverse cultural her…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
17 December 2025
UK-EU Common Understanding Negotiations
I welcome today’s announcement, which will be of huge benefit to students from my constituency. Does the Minister agree that all young people from all backgrounds deserve to be able to work and study in Europe, and that the Conservative party should apologise for snatching opportunities away from an…
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 December 2025
Membership-based Charity Organisations
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Twigg, and I congratulate the hon. Member for Gosport (Dame Caroline Dinenage) on securing this important debate. It is also a pleasure to serve with her on the Culture, Media and Sport Committee.
I begin by paying tribute to some of our fantast…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
16 December 2025
Planning Reform
I welcome the explicit protections for chalk streams—something I have long campaigned for, as the River Itchen runs through my constituency. Will the Minister also guarantee that local plans will be strengthened by the NPPF overhaul and that community input will not be undermined?
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
15 December 2025
2 contributions
Veterans
7. What steps he is taking to ensure that veterans receive adequate support after leaving the armed forces.
We are incredibly proud of our veterans in Eastleigh, and Veterans Dementia Support UK based in my constituency does fantastic work assisting veterans. It wants to expand its work by opening more support groups for ex-service personnel, who want to volunteer but are struggling to get their DBS check…
Commons
Debate
9 December 2025
Railways Bill
It is a pleasure to contribute to this debate. I am proud to represent a railway town. Eastleigh has a long railway heritage. However, over the past year, my constituents have been subjected to lots of delays and cancellations, all while paying a premium for the privilege of travelling by train.
I …
Commons
Oral Questions
Work and Pensions
8 December 2025
Post-16 Skills Education
Stuart, the managing director of GW Martin—a precision engineering manufacturing firm based in my constituency—welcomes the additional support for apprentice training in small and medium-sized enterprises, but asks that the Government ensure that training providers will receive adequate funding to s…
Commons
Westminster Hall
8 December 2025
Digital ID
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Furniss. I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate on behalf of the 4,000 people from my constituency who have signed the e-petition. They are deeply alarmed by the Government’s plans to introduce mandatory digital ID. They would rather see …
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
3 December 2025
Engagements
Q14. My constituent Tracey owns O’Briens, a lovely café in the heart of Eastleigh. She works tirelessly to make it a success, but spiralling costs including business rates, VAT and the hike to employer national insurance contributions mean that she has not been able to take a salary for four months.…
Commons
Debate
13 November 2025
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
I will focus my comments on Lords amendment 38. I have heard from many constituents who are deeply concerned about the potential environmental impact of this Bill and how it might affect the River Itchen, the precious chalk stream that runs through my constituency of Eastleigh. The River Itchen is a…
Commons
Oral Questions
13 November 2025
2 contributions
Hunting Trophies
10. When she plans to introduce legislation on banning imports of hunting trophies.
Vulnerable and endangered species, including rhinos, zebras, elephants, cheetahs and leopards, are still being hunted for so-called trophies abroad, and despite promises from the previous Government, it is still legal to bring those items into the UK. Will the Minister give any reassurance that legi…
Commons
Proceedings
12 November 2025
Independent Football Regulator
During the Select Committee pre-appointment hearing with David Kogan, I raised the issue of whether his appointment would be construed as being politically biased. Does the Secretary of State accept that appointing a known Labour donor to lead an independent regulator has created exactly the percept…
Commons
Debate
4 November 2025
2 contributions
Supporting High Streets
Britain’s high streets are the beating hearts of our communities. They serve as social hubs, cultural landmarks and vital sources of jobs and prosperity. Yet in my constituency, as in the rest of the country, our high streets are under immense pressure. Local residents are concerned when they see em…
My hon. Friend makes an excellent point, which I will address shortly.
Independent businesses face an incredibly tough environment. The reduction in retail, hospitality and leisure relief from 75% to 40% effectively leaves small businesses subsidising large chains. We are incredibly lucky to have m…
Commons
Debate
28 October 2025
11 contributions
Support for Disabled Veterans
I am grateful for the opportunity to highlight the issues faced by disabled veterans. At the last census, more than 3,000 people in Eastleigh reported that they had previously served in the armed forces; of those people, 1,045 are classified as disabled. Veterans have made huge sacrifices for our co…
I thank my hon. and gallant Friend for her intervention. I will come to that point later.
During Mark’s time abroad, he paid UK taxes, and he is now back in the UK permanently, yet he has been blocked from accessing continuous care and financial support because of the residency criteria. The emotio…
+9 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
28 October 2025
Stamp Duty Land Tax
Stamp duty land tax is one of the most unfair and outdated taxes in our system. It punishes aspiration, locks people out of home ownership and blocks up the housing market. I have heard from constituents who are first-time buyers struggling to get a foothold on the housing ladder because of the amou…
Commons
Oral Questions
Work and Pensions
27 October 2025
Topical Questions
T8. Many young care leavers living in supported housing want to increase their hours at work but find themselves caught in the benefits trap. YMCA Eastleigh tells me that this is impacting care leavers in my constituency. What recent discussions has the Minister had with Cabinet colleagues on reform…
Commons
Oral Questions
Cabinet Office
23 October 2025
2 contributions
Infected Blood Compensation Scheme
14. What recent progress he has made on the infected blood compensation scheme.
Many survivors of the infected blood scandal and bereaved families are still waiting far too long for compensation. They include my constituents, the family of Kevin Newman, who was infected with HIV and hepatitis C while a pupil at Treloar’s college and tragically died in 2018. The family received …
Commons
Proceedings
16 October 2025
Business of the House
My constituent Mark Houghton MBE served his country in the British Army for more than 20 years. In February, while working abroad, he was seriously injured in an accident that has left him unable to walk. Mark is now back in the UK and receiving treatment, but he is not currently entitled to any fur…
Commons
Oral Questions
Justice
16 September 2025
Support for Victims of Rape and Sexual Violence
My constituent waited 18 months to face her abuser in court, only to be told the day before the trial was supposed to begin that it had been postponed until May 2026. How are victims of domestic abuse supposed to get redress and closure when they face such intolerable delays?
Commons
Oral Questions
Home Department
15 September 2025
Shoplifting
Recently, A. C. Models in my constituency was targeted by a series of thefts that cost the owners, Annette and Clive, thousands of pounds, yet the shoplifter was ordered to pay them just £240 in compensation. With retail losses due to theft at record highs, what measures are the Government taking to…
Commons
Westminster Hall
15 September 2025
Children with SEND: Assessments and Support
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Allin-Khan. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on behalf of parents from Eastleigh.
I frequently hear from constituents who are exhausted emotionally, financially and physically by a system that too often feels like an adversarial battle. A…
Commons
Debate
10 September 2025
Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [Lords]
Two weeks ago, the No. 61 bus made its final journey—yet another bus service my constituents relied on has been lost, with no apparent thought given to how people are supposed to get to work, school, college or hospital appointments, or simply from A to B. The withdrawal of the 61, which took reside…
Commons
Debate
3 September 2025
Hospitality Sector
The hospitality industry in Eastleigh contributes £113 million every year, generates £56 million in economic value, employs 1,805 people and sustains 84 pubs, cafés, restaurants and hotels.
My constituent Lorraine, the landlady of the Master Builder pub in West End, saw her wage bill rise by £1,500…