Commons
Debate
13 July 2026
2 contributions
Immigration and Asylum Bill
Will the Home Secretary give way on that point?
The Home Secretary refers to the “gaming of the system”, but will she clarify the basis on which she says that? Around half of Home Office initial asylum decisions are overturned on appeal, so there is a huge issue about the quality of Home Office decision making, as various National Audit Office re…
Commons
Proceedings
3 June 2026
Lebanon: Israel Defence Forces Operations
While we rightly focus on the grave situation in Lebanon, the wider region is seeing an increasing pattern of British nationals being arbitrarily detained and used as leverage by countries including Iran. In light of the news that Craig and Lindsay Foreman have had their appeal dismissed by the Iran…
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 June 2026
Rail Freight
On continental freight, the hon. Member mentioned volumes coming from the European Union. In my constituency, we have so much traffic coming in and out of Eurotunnel that there is not the gauge capacity for trains to come all the way through, so they have to offload and reload. Does she agree that t…
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 June 2026
Seasonal Hospitality Businesses in Coastal Areas
The data suggests that vacancy levels in hospitality remain very high. One element of the difficulties facing hospitality businesses is, in fact, skills shortages. Would the hon. Member agree that the anticipated youth mobility scheme for EU youths and the Government’s youth guarantee scheme, which …
Commons
Proceedings
21 May 2026
6 contributions
Imprisonment of Craig and Lindsay Foreman in Iran
Just over 500 days ago, Lindsay and Craig Foreman, the mother and stepfather of one of my constituents, were on the trip of a lifetime: a motorcycle journey across the world. During their travels, Lindsay, who is a positive psychologist and life coach, planned to research along the way the elements …
My hon. Friend makes an incredibly important point. Craig and Lindsay are currently undertaking a hunger strike, which is essentially the only way they feel that they can protest against their treatment, after their phone cards were taken away and they were denied contact with their family. I will d…
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Justice
19 May 2026
2 contributions
Reoffending
2. What steps he is taking to help reduce levels of reoffending.
Reach Out and Recover Kent, a brilliant organisation that I met in Folkestone over the weekend, helps people, including ex-offenders, to recover and stay away from addiction so they can gain skills and work to reintegrate into society. However, Ministry of Justice figures show that at the six-month …
Commons
Westminster Hall
20 April 2026
4 contributions
Maternity Commissioner
I beg to move,
That this House has considered e-petition 751174 relating to a Maternity Commissioner.
It is a privilege to serve under your chairship, Sir Alec. The petition calls for the appointment of a maternity commissioner to improve maternity care for mothers and babies. I thank the petition…
I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention, and I echo his comments about the petitioner Louise Thompson and her advocacy on this issue.
The petitioners’ analysis is that there has been a vacuum of leadership and accountability across the system. I know that the Government are considering how best…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
23 March 2026
Topical Questions
I welcome the Home Secretary’s commitment to community sponsorship of refugees who come here under proposed new safe and legal routes; we have several good examples of that in my constituency. What steps is she taking, in line with the recent asylum policy statement, to allow more communities like m…
Commons
Debate
10 March 2026
2 contributions
Courts and Tribunals Bill
I draw the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests, which includes my status as a barrister.
Let us remind ourselves of the issues here. It is unacceptable that criminal trials should be listed today for 2030. That is a failure of the state. It is a failure of …
I practised as a civil lawyer for most of my career, and I have been challenging written reasons and decisions my whole career. I do not have a problem with judges issuing written reasons in the criminal jurisdiction. I think it is a way of getting more transparency about why those decisions have be…
Commons
Debate
9 March 2026
Middle East: Economic Update
I thank the Chancellor for her statement, which underlines the importance of new nuclear to boost our energy security. Many of us who back new nuclear also care deeply about nature. Dungeness in my constituency is both a nationally important habitat site and a vital location for new nuclear. Does th…
Commons
Oral Questions
9 March 2026
Immigration Policy
I acknowledge the considerable challenge that the Government have in winning back public confidence in the asylum system. The Home Office published a report last year concluding that there was insufficient evidence that restrictive asylum policies reduce claims, so will the Home Office publish evide…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
2 March 2026
Middle East
I thank the Prime Minister for his careful response to this issue and his ongoing commitment to the international rule of law. My constituent’s parents, Lindsay and Craig Foreman, are currently serving an appalling and unjustified 10-year sentence in Evin prison in Tehran. Other Governments have giv…
Commons
Oral Questions
10 February 2026
Topical Questions
My local workforce desperately needs new nuclear at Dungeness. Does the Secretary of State agree that the way we protect nature and habitats must be reformed in the way recommended by the nuclear regulatory taskforce, so that we better protect nature while also providing the skilled jobs and energy …
Commons
Debate
2 February 2026
China and Japan
Can I thank the Prime Minister on his grown-up approach to the UK’s engagement with China? Can I also congratulate him on the agreement for a crackdown on manufacturers of small boat engines and parts, which directly impacts my constituency? Given that the Conservative party would not have even gone…
Commons
Westminster Hall
2 February 2026
12 contributions
Indefinite Leave to Remain
I beg to move,
That this House has considered e-petition 727372 and e-petition 746363 relating to indefinite leave to remain.
It is always a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Edward. I open this debate on behalf of the Petitions Committee, and I am grateful to the 330,000 people who have…
I do agree, and that is the exact point I was going to make.
Returning to the example I was just recounting, my mother attended this patient’s funeral, as she did for many. That shows that roles like hers are not just work; they provide a real service to the public. Her profession is extremely impo…
+10 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
7 January 2026
Jury Trials
When the Justice Secretary gave evidence to the Justice Committee in December, he said that the evidence underpinning the 20% time saving that comes from Sir Brian’s report would be released. If that makes the proposition good—I understand that the hon. Gentleman disputes that—would he and his party…
Commons
Westminster Hall
7 January 2026
UK Town of Culture
Does the hon. Member agree that economic regeneration through the arts and culture is a powerful way of showing the link between the past and the future in our national story? If so, would she agree that Folkestone is a prime example of that? Having been a port from which our troops went to the fron…
Commons
Westminster Hall
5 January 2026
5 contributions
Free Bus Travel: Over-60s
I beg to move,
That this House has considered e-petition 702845 relating to free bus travel for people over 60.
Happy new year, Mr Mundell. It is, as always, a privilege to serve under your chairship.
I start by thanking the petition’s creator, Mrs Karen Hickman, and the 101,000 people who signed…
I completely agree with the hon. Member. Central Government have to support local government in properly funding bus services. As I will come on to say, that is exactly what this Government have been doing, but the critical question will be whether those local authorities spend the money in a way th…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
17 December 2025
2 contributions
Artificial Intelligence Skills
6. What steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for Education to support young people to develop AI skills.
Research commissioned by DSIT estimates that by 2035 approximately 10 million UK workers will be in jobs where AI will be part of their responsibilities. PwC estimates that 18% of existing UK jobs face a high probability of automation by 2035, so what steps are the Government taking to ensure that y…
Commons
Westminster Hall
8 December 2025
6 contributions
Digital ID
It is a privilege to serve under your chairship, Sir Edward. I thank the petitioner, Mr Sutcliff, and I thank the hon. Member for Keighley and Ilkley (Robbie Moore) for opening the debate.
The issue of digital identification has certainly added to my postbag in recent months. Many of my constituent…
Not at the moment.
Six per cent of the population do not have access to smartphones. Pensioners, the disabled and the homeless could be particularly affected. I believe it is vital that the Minister and the Government listen carefully to those concerns and that they be heard during the public consu…
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
25 November 2025
Immigration Reforms: Humanitarian Visa Routes
Does my hon. Friend agree that it is important that this policy framework distinguishes between immigration control on the one hand and, on the other hand, how we treat lawfully present migrants? Does he agree that we must restore order and control to the system for those coming into the UK, but tha…
Commons
Westminster Hall
24 November 2025
Gaza: Humanitarian Obligations
Given the ICJ ruled last year that there is a “plausible” case of genocide in Gaza, and given that the humanitarian situation has drastically deteriorated since then, does my hon. Friend agree that the UK must actively support efforts to ensure that every rejection of aid and refusal to allow trucks…
Commons
Debate
17 November 2025
Asylum Policy
I draw attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. I acknowledge the gargantuan task that the Home Secretary has to regain public confidence in our asylum system. We must ensure that reflected in our asylum system is not only fairness and contribution, but compassion, whic…
Commons
Oral Questions
13 November 2025
2 contributions
Water Pollution: Kent
5. What steps she is taking to help to tackle water pollution in Kent.
Littlestone and Dymchurch are two popular beaches in my constituency, but they are subject to no swim advisories, which are seriously harming local tourism, residents and businesses. What urgent measures will the Minister take to ensure clear accountability for water companies, rapid infrastructure …
Commons
Westminster Hall
12 November 2025
5 contributions
SEND Provision: Kent
I beg to move,
That this House has considered SEND provision in Kent.
It is a privilege to serve under your chairship, Sir John. Many dedicated people are working to support children with special educational needs and disabilities in my constituency—in schools, doctors’ surgeries and social servic…
My hon. Friend’s experience is similar to mine. My postbag reflects a kind of ongoing unresponsiveness, which results in people feeling that they are just lost in the system. That is entirely unacceptable.
On a slightly different theme, for SEND children who wish to access a grammar school educatio…
+3 more contributions in this session