Commons
Westminster Hall
24 November 2025
Gaza: Humanitarian Obligations
In October this year, I was pleased, along with other parliamentarians, to meet a senior member of UNRWA as part of our work with the British group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. He told us how vital it was that UNRWA’s programme of aid be fully restored, given the conditions that my hon. Friend …
Commons
Oral Questions
Solicitor General
13 November 2025
Support for Victims of Crime
Victims in the criminal justice system deserve to be kept fully informed of developments in their case. Can the Solicitor General set out how she is working with the Crown Prosecution Service to improve those communications for victims? I note again the very valuable work in this space of Baroness N…
Commons
Oral Questions
13 November 2025
2 contributions
Topical Questions
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
Today I am hosting pupils from Colchester academy in Greenstead in my constituency. They and their families want a clean River Colne. Will the Secretary of State set out what the Government are doing to hold Anglian Water to account, and whether she is seeing an improvement in its performance?
Commons
Debate
11 November 2025
Remembrance Day: Armed Forces
It is an honour to pay tribute in this debate to the men and women of our armed forces, past and present, whose courage and service secured our freedoms. In Colchester, we gathered for our traditional Remembrance Sunday service at the war memorial, against the backdrop of our castle and the remains …
Commons
Debate
11 November 2025
BBC Leadership
In the early 2000s, I lived in Hanoi alongside my husband who was reporting on Vietnam for the BBC, and I saw for myself how he and the BBC worked very hard for truth. He then spent a year in Myanmar, working alongside extraordinarily brave local journalists who sought to expand public broadcasting …
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 November 2025
Video Games: Consumer Law
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Mundell.
I thank my hon. Friend the Member for South Norfolk (Ben Goldsborough) for securing this important debate, which shines a light on the growing disconnect between video game consumers and the companies that profit from them. The e-petition …
Commons
Debate
30 October 2025
2 contributions
Property Service Charges
I will see what I can do, Madam Deputy Speaker. Property service charges and the behaviour of the companies that levy them are causing real distress across the country. I thank the hon. Member for Reigate (Rebecca Paul) for her speech setting out those challenges.
In Colchester, I have heard from r…
I am advised not to, so that we can keep to time. Lord Best, chair of the Regulation of Property Agents Working Group, said in his recent evidence to the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee that this “is an unregulated sector”, and his group has called for proper regulation. If prope…
Commons
Debate
29 October 2025
Sentencing Bill
Does my hon. Friend agree that offering clear incentives for earned release is a key way of offering certain offenders clear chances to change, thereby reducing the risk of reoffending and enhancing public protection?
Commons
Debate
27 October 2025
Victims and Courts Bill
Does my hon. Friend agree that community-based services supporting the victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse, such as Next Chapter, the Centre of Action on Rape and Abuse—CARA—and Restitute in Essex, do vital work that should be backed by multi-year settlements and enhanced commissioning arr…
Commons
Proceedings
16 October 2025
Business of the House
Last week, the Care Quality Commission published a shocking report on Colchester hospital that found the safety of aspects of medical and emergency care there to be inadequate. Will the Leader of the House provide time for a debate on ensuring that the record levels of investment in our NHS is reach…
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 October 2025
Criminal Courts: Independent Review
Does the hon. Gentleman agree that the jury trial system has evolved over time—it has been with us for centuries—and has changed intermittently over time: it looks very different now than it did in the 13th century. In the 19th century, civil adjudications were taken out of the jury trial system and…
Commons
Debate
13 October 2025
4 contributions
Heritage Sites: East of England
I am pleased to have secured some parliamentary time today to highlight our superb heritage in the east of England and the role of Government in supporting that. I am mindful of the very moving stories we heard in the previous debate, so I will keep these remarks fairly brief; I know that others wan…
I absolutely agree that accessibility and affordability are at the heart of much of this.
On the point about devolution, I would like to ask the Minister to address this issue and to work with colleagues to enhance the standing of heritage and culture within the ongoing devolution processes in the …
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
16 September 2025
Sentencing Bill
I am pleased to speak in support of the Bill, which seeks to make our society safer through more effective sentencing of offenders, whether in custody or in the community. I declare an interest as chair of the all-party parliamentary group on penal affairs and as a member of the Justice Committee. I…
Commons
Oral Questions
Justice
16 September 2025
Support for Victims of Rape and Sexual Violence
Last week the Justice Committee heard evidence about the use of special measures to support vulnerable or intimidated witnesses to give their best evidence. That is obviously so important in rape and sexual assault cases. Will the Minister reaffirm her support for the continuing use of those measure…
Commons
Oral Questions
11 September 2025
Topical Questions
The A12 is a major transport route into Colchester and a vital part of economic growth in the region. Will the Minister meet me to discuss the urgent need for upgrades to its western end?
Commons
Oral Questions
Solicitor General
4 September 2025
2 contributions
Support for Victims of Crime
7. What steps she has taken with the Crown Prosecution Service to support victims of crime. [R]
I recently visited a Colchester organisation, the Centre for Action on Rape and Abuse, or CARA, which offers vital support to victims of rape and sexual abuse. Will the Solicitor General reaffirm the Government’s commitment to supporting such organisations, which carry out so much of that vital fron…
Commons
Oral Questions
3 July 2025
2 contributions
Heritage Sector: Impact of Spending Review
1. What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Spending Review 2025 on the heritage sector.
Last month, I was pleased to host a true heritage champion, Dame Mary Beard, in Colchester. She came to visit an incredible sporting heritage site: Britain’s only known Roman chariot racing track, the Colchester Roman Circus. She, like me, thinks that we should make much more of the site and that we…
Commons
Debate
25 June 2025
Criminal Justice
I rise to speak as the Member of Parliament for Colchester and as a member of the Justice Committee. I also declare an interest as the recently elected chair of the all-party group on penal affairs.
The estimate for the Ministry of Justice proposes a 6.5% increase in day-to-day spending and a 20.8%…
Commons
Debate
19 June 2025
Incontinence
I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Dudley (Sonia Kumar) for bringing this debate—I cannot quite believe it is the first time that the House has debated this issue. I also fully endorse her suggested recommendations to improve bladder and bowel care, and I hope that the Minister will also endorse …
Commons
Proceedings
19 June 2025
Business of the House
In Colchester, we have been celebrating the 20th anniversary of the discovery by local archaeologists of Britain’s only known Roman chariot racing track: the Colchester Roman circus. Dame Mary Beard, no less, recently visited the site with me and declared it to be absolutely amazing. Will the Leader…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
5 June 2025
Criminal Cases Review Commission: Leadership
I thank the Chair of the Select Committee for his remarks. As a member of the Committee, I can attest to our dismay at what we heard in those hearings. I ask the Chair to encourage Dame Vera Baird to take a robust approach to her review of the leadership of such an important public body.
Commons
Ministerial Statement
5 June 2025
Free School Meals
In Colchester, this measure will benefit over 5,000 children, so it is wonderful news from a Government who are indeed determined to tackle child poverty. Would the Minister like to make a return visit to Colchester, this time to visit not a pioneering pre-school but a pioneering primary school—Unit…
Commons
Debate
6 May 2025
Victory in Europe and Victory over Japan: 80th Anniversary
As we reflect on this historic moment, the 80th anniversary of VE Day, we remember the significant contributions of our communities, our country and our Commonwealth. We have heard some very moving and powerful contributions today in this debate from across the Chamber. My own part of the country, C…