Commons
Oral Questions
Health and Social Care
14 July 2026
NHS Buildings: Extreme Heat
On a visit to Basildon hospital last week, I was told by staff how dealing with the unprecedented demand due to the heatwave was compounded by working in a building that is fundamentally unfit to cope with extreme heat, not least with A&E working above capacity, with absolutely no windows. Will …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
30 June 2026
National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation
I very much welcome the report and Baroness Amos’s work to highlight the failings across our maternity system. It is pure and utter medical misogyny that has led us here. The value that we place on the lives and experiences of women has been brought to the fore, and it is very, very low. The through…
Commons
Debate
29 June 2026
Northern Ireland Office
Many Members across the House have spoken about the financial situation in Northern Ireland. My hon. Friend the Member for Gower (Tonia Antoniazzi) spoke very well about the impact that it has on the lives of people in Northern Ireland.
I would like to touch briefly on the impact that it is having …
Commons
Oral Questions
Education
22 June 2026
Children of Military Families: Educational Support
This morning I had the honour of taking part in the flag raising ahead of Armed Forces Day in Thurrock in my home patch. I reflected that while the impact of service is one of pride, there is also a big impact on the families of the men and women who bravely serve our country, and particularly on th…
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 June 2026
High Street Shops: Illicit Activity
In my patch in Thurrock, we unsurprisingly do not have a lot of London tourist tat shops, which are synonymous with dodgy directors changing hands every few weeks. We do, however, have a number of really suspect home goods shops, which sell goods that are often faulty. People have no recourse to a r…
Commons
Oral Questions
Health and Social Care
9 June 2026
Topical Questions
Last week the Supreme Court overturned the previous Cheshire West judgment on the Mental Capacity Act 2005, throwing the sector that cares for people with learning disabilities and/or autism into what it has called “chaos”. There is significant concern that, without further clarification as to wheth…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
2 June 2026
Murder of Henry Nowak
I pay tribute to my constituent, Henry Nowak, a bright young man at the start of a life that held so much promise. The turnout at his funeral and the outpouring of community support show that he had an impact well beyond his young years. I pay tribute to his family, and in particular to Mark Nowak, …
Commons
Proceedings
2 June 2026
Points of Order
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. On 21 May, during business questions, the right hon. Member for Newark (Robert Jenrick) asked a question relating to the murder of my constituent Henry Nowak. At the time, the case against his murderer was still ongoing. The right hon. Gentleman gave numero…
Commons
Proceedings
23 April 2026
5 contributions
Allied Health Professionals
I beg to move,
That his House has considered the contribution of allied health professionals.
I am very grateful to be able to introduce this debate today, and I would like to begin by congratulating my hon. Friend the Member for Dudley (Sonia Kumar) on her hard work in securing it.
Allied health…
I thank my hon. Friend for her intervention. She brings a breadth of experience to this place on these issues, both as a member of the Health and Social Care Committee and as a registered nurse. I agree that we do need to take urgent action to rebuild the numbers of allied health professionals and h…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
23 April 2026
Housing Conditions in Temporary Accommodation
I congratulate my hon. Friend on this report. I am not alone in this House in being moved by the stories that she has shared and that her Committee unearthed during its inquiry. A number of my constituents who live in temporary accommodation also have special educational needs and disabilities, and …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
16 April 2026
Women’s Health Strategy
I strongly welcome the women’s health strategy, and I congratulate both Baroness Merron and my hon. Friend the Minister on their work on it. Since its publication yesterday, my inbox has received a number of emails from women in my constituency who suffer from endometriosis.
I wanted to highlight t…
Commons
Oral Questions
16 April 2026
Business of the House
Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of attending a mixed rugby tournament at Thurrock rugby club, hosted by the Acers mixed rugby team and in which my daughter took part. The absolute joy and chaos of the event cannot be overstated, but it was a pure pleasure to be part of it. Opportunities for di…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
14 April 2026
Knife Crime
Like many other Members on both sides of the House, I am often struck by the courage and bravery of bereaved families who have lost loved ones to knife crime. Last year I spoke to a father who had lost his son, and who is dedicated to improving life and seeing positive change in other communities to…
Commons
Oral Questions
14 April 2026
2 contributions
Hospital Trusts: Performance
1. What steps he is taking to improve underperforming hospital trusts.
I welcome the Secretary of State’s work in improving the NHS and turning fortunes around, but as he has said, that is unfortunately not the case in every area of the country, including my own. Mid and South Essex NHS foundation trust, which looks after constituents in my area including at Basildon u…
Commons
Debate
13 April 2026
4 contributions
SEND Provision and Reform
Will the right hon. Gentleman give way on that point?
I should like to declare an interest as a member of the all-party parliamentary group for special educational needs and disabilities and as the parent of a child with an EHCP. I congratulate the hon. Member for Farnham and Bordon (Gregory Stafford) on securing the debate. This is a deeply important …
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Proceedings
19 March 2026
Community Mental Health Services
I thank the hon. Member for her chairship of the Health and Social Care Committee during this inquiry. As someone who has bipolar disorder, it was a really difficult experience to sit through at times, as I watched witness after witness after witness speak to what is very much my own experience. I h…
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
11 March 2026
Engagements
Last week, Members from across this House and the other place felt compelled to write to Jo Boydell, the chief executive of Travelodge, following reports that in 2022 staff in one of the company’s hotels gave a man a keycard and the room number of a woman staying alone. He then entered her room and …
Commons
Westminster Hall
5 March 2026
5 contributions
Local Museums
I beg to move,
That this House has considered the contribution of local museums.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell.
Colleagues will know that I am incredibly proud to call Thurrock home. I am the first local MP to be was born and raised in the constituency, and it is an ho…
I thank my hon. Friend for his contribution; I think he may have had a sneak peek at my speech, as that is just what I am coming to. Let me give a huge shout-out to the Brunel Museum—I am a big fan. It includes a replica of the first ever boring machine— I am sorry to be boring, but it is a boring m…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
4 March 2026
2 contributions
Cost of Living
6. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce the cost of living in Wales.
Wages and inward investment are up, economic inactivity is down and interest rates have been cut six times. Labour’s plan to lower the cost of living is clearly working, but we know that more must be done to put more money in people’s pockets. Will the Secretary of State outline what steps she is ta…
Commons
Debate
23 February 2026
Schools White Paper: Every Child Achieving and Thriving
I would like to declare an interest: I have the honour of being a parent of a disabled child who has an EHCP. I very much welcome the Secretary of State’s statement. It is a true reflection of the amount of engagement that she and her Department have had with parents and families of children with SE…
Commons
Westminster Hall
11 February 2026
4 contributions
Woodland Creation
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Milton Keynes North (Chris Curtis) on securing the debate.
Like many Members, I am a lover of woodlands, both ancient and new. As my hon. Friend the Member for Cannock Chase (Josh Newbury) said e…
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention. It is key to recognise the role that farmers can play in rewilding and embracing biodiversity. In Thurrock, there are farmers who are doing excellent work in rewilding some of their land to make sure that species can thrive and continue to grow. It is…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
29 January 2026
First 1,000 Days of Life
It was a pleasure to serve under the chairmanship of my hon. Friend during our Committee’s inquiry into the first 1,000 days of life. I was particularly struck by how, at this crucial period in a child’s lifetime—for those who are not aware, the 1,000 days begins at the moment of conception and goes…
Commons
Westminster Hall
26 January 2026
Key Stage 1 Curriculum
It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Mrs Barker. I extend my congratulations to the campaigners for securing this debate, and particularly to the 442 people in my constituency who signed the petition.
As many Members have pointed out, play-based learning is not about lowering attainment or sta…
Commons
Oral Questions
13 January 2026
NHS 10-year Workforce Plan
Unfortunately, my constituency is not unique in seeing long waits for diagnosis of neurodiversity. From 18 to 24 months is the expected waiting time in Thurrock, and some have to wait much longer. Given that, for a child, a wait of 18 to 24 months can sometimes be their whole lifespan or half their …
Commons
Debate
12 January 2026
Social Media: Non-consensual Sexual Deepfakes
May I add my voice to those expressing shock at those somehow equating the holding to account of people who enable and profiteer from the production of sexual abuse images of children with the undermining of free speech? It is disingenuous and it does a disservice to everyone. I encourage the Secret…