Commons
Debate
2 March 2026
6 contributions
Representation of the People Bill
Our liberal democracy has become acutely vulnerable. Trust in our politics is being pulled apart at the seams. We face a flood of foreign money, and powerful men who hate our democracy, whether in silicon valley or the Kremlin, are working hard to undermine our social fabric and to interfere in our …
My hon. Friend is entirely right that one of the big ways foreign individuals can influence our democracy is through money. The other way is through influence, using money from companies, often not owned in the UK, that control a lot of the information that British citizens see. He is entirely right…
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Education
2 March 2026
Topical Questions
The children of Banks Lane junior school recently visited the parliamentary education establishment, and kindly invited me along. They were fizzing with enthusiasm and excitement for their learning. We know that attitudes to money are embedded at a really young age, so it is welcome that financial e…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
25 February 2026
Post Office Green Paper
I do not think it will have surprised any of us to hear the Minister talk about the response from our communities, who say how much they value services in a physical post office. My constituents in High Lane and around the Fiveways in Hazel Grove still mourn the loss of their post office branch, but…
Commons
Debate
24 February 2026
11 contributions
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
We have had an extremely powerful debate. I will address a number of the points raised, but I want to start by talking about how the revelations of recent weeks and months have been shattering for the British public and deeply, deeply distressing for many of those directly impacted.
We have listene…
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for her intervention, and to her constituent who has contacted her about that important point. My view, and the view of the Liberal Democrats, is that we should get to the bottom of how this role was created and the vetting that was done before the appointment, in ord…
+9 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
9 February 2026
Standards in Public Life
I thank the Chief Secretary for advance sight of his statement. We must remember that we are having this debate today because of the courage of the women and girls who spoke out against Jeffrey Epstein and those connected to him. Their bravery has forced us to confront uncomfortable truths about pow…
Commons
Oral Questions
9 February 2026
Jimmy Lai: Prison Sentence
The whole House shares my horror and disgust at the politically motivated imprisonment, conviction and sentencing of Jimmy Lai. Last week, following his trip to Beijing, the Prime Minister suggested that he could change outcomes for Jimmy Lai and Hong Kongers by speaking softly with President Xi. It…
Commons
Oral Questions
Home Department
9 February 2026
2 contributions
Police Services: In-person Access
14. What steps she is taking to help ensure in-person access to police services.
The community of Woodley in my Hazel Grove constituency has been plagued by shoplifting on the precinct. We have had far too much antisocial behaviour and recently we have had some really worrying violent incidents as well. Bredbury police station was closed by the mayor a few years ago, but we know…
Commons
Oral Questions
Solicitor General
5 February 2026
2 contributions
Child Abduction and Custody Act 1985
7. What discussions she has had with the Crown Prosecution Service on the adequacy of the Child Abduction and Custody Act 1985.
I am grateful to the Solicitor General for the work she and others are doing on this topic. I have had previous conversations with Justice Ministers who have outlined plans about initiating qualitative research on the operation of the 1980 Hague convention, particularly in domestic abuse cases, whic…
Commons
Oral Questions
5 February 2026
Domestic Animals: Welfare
One of the topics that constituents get in touch with me about a lot, particularly over the autumn, is the impact that fireworks can have on domestic animals—both the number and volume of displays and kids deploying fireworks in the street or their back gardens. Those cause distress to animals, and …
Commons
Debate
4 February 2026
16 contributions
Lord Mandelson
We are having this debate today solely because of the women and girls who found the courage to come forward and speak about the abuse they had endured over years at the hands of rich and powerful men. Without these women’s bravery in speaking up about their experiences at the hands of a paedophile s…
I agree with the hon. Lady’s characterisation of some of the individuals we are talking about today. We will be supporting the Leader of the Opposition’s motion to request the information that is sought. The Liberal Democrats would go further, looking to a public inquiry in order to get to the detai…
+14 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
26 January 2026
Police Reform White Paper
In Greater Manchester we love a bit of drama. We have the longest-running soap opera in the world—“Coronation Street”—we have some nail-biting derby matches, and over the weekend there was some pretty high-octane speculation about whether the current person responsible for policing in the city regio…
Commons
Oral Questions
Work and Pensions
26 January 2026
Topical Questions
My constituent Harry has a learning disability, and he is so brilliant that he has not one but two jobs. His mum, Helen, is his appointee, and she is not allowed to access his Access to Work paperwork online. This means she has to print out 24 bits of paper, get it manually signed and pay to post it…
Commons
Oral Questions
Cabinet Office
22 January 2026
2 contributions
UK-EU Relations
We expect an EU reset Bill in the coming months to update the arrangements around our relationship with our European neighbours. Following the terrible Brexit deal delivered by the Conservatives and cheered on by the hon. Member for Clacton (Nigel Farage), which trashed our economy and our internati…
Yesterday, the Trade Secretary was the latest senior Government figure to break ranks by saying that it would be “crazy” not to look at a customs union with the EU. That position is already supported by the Prime Minister’s economic adviser, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Health Secretary. Since …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
21 January 2026
Water White Paper
I am lucky enough to represent the constituency of Hazel Grove, which includes the junction of the Macclesfield and Peak Forest canals. My constituents value our canals because they are green veins throughout our area and a link to our industrial heritage, but they are concerned about the sustainabi…
Commons
Debate
20 January 2026
Chinese Embassy
I am grateful to the Minister for advance sight of his statement and for the time his officials took to brief me earlier today.
The Government’s decision to approve plans for the Chinese mega-embassy represents far more than a planning matter. It shows that Ministers have learned very little from t…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
14 January 2026
Northern Powerhouse Rail
Safe, reliable and affordable railways are vital for economic growth in communities like mine. I welcome the Secretary of State’s statement, because for too long we have not seen that investment in our northern communities. For too long, our infrastructure has been neglected and, as a result, our no…
Commons
Oral Questions
13 January 2026
Topical Questions
My local mental health trust is commissioned to deliver just 100 autism assessments and 88 ADHD assessments per year. The team is led by Clare, a constituent from Marple. There are approximately 1,600 people on the waiting list for ADHD alone—that is a 12-year waiting list. That is driving constitue…
Commons
Westminster Hall
12 January 2026
8 contributions
Call for General Election
Thank you very much, Dr Huq. It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair.
Across the country there is a clear and growing discontent, with many people expressing frustration over the way the country does—and, importantly, does not—work. Waiting times for doctors’ appointments are too long. Ever…
No Government is perfect, but I am immensely proud—and will be to my dying day—that some of my friends in a same-sex relationship can get married, when they were not allowed to do so under the previous Labour Government. I am immensely proud—I say this as a school governor for 20 years—that the kids…
+6 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
5 January 2026
Venezuela
I welcome the Foreign Secretary’s clarity on the UK’s approach to Greenland, which is that it is up to Greenlanders and Danes to determine its future, and no one else. Could she be equally clear on whether use of any US bases in the UK will be permitted in any potential military action towards Green…
Commons
Debate
5 January 2026
Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief
It is wholly unacceptable that farming families in places such as Mellor and High Lane have had over a year of uncertainty and anguish since the Government first announced these tax hikes. The Government got it wrong and the changes we are talking about today are welcome, but will the Minister commi…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
17 December 2025
Local Government Finance
Like others, I warmly welcome the multi-year funding settlement. As a former local councillor, I know the impact it will have on local councils, which will be able to plan when they are tackling some of the thorniest issues that affect our most vulnerable constituents. We in this country are blessed…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
16 December 2025
Planning Reform
My column for the Stockport Express is this week encouraging my constituents to respond to the Stockport local plan consultation—the deadline is Sunday—because the Government’s doubling of the housing target for Stockport will have an impact on our green belt and our community, and I am really keen …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
16 December 2025
Electoral Resilience
I warmly welcome the Secretary of State’s statement, and the establishment of the independent review, and I agree with colleagues across the House who talked about the importance of the resilience of our democracy as well as about its current fragility. I note that the Secretary of State does not se…
Commons
Oral Questions
16 December 2025
2 contributions
International Child Abduction: Domestic Abuse
11. What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the implementation of the Hague convention on the civil aspects of international child abduction in cases involving domestic abuse.
Two of my Hazel Grove constituents, who I will not name because they are going through active cases, have fled Australia and Poland with their children due to domestic abuse and coercive control from their partners. Many mothers in similar circumstances face the prospect of being compelled to return…
Commons
Westminster Hall
10 December 2025
Village Schools
In my Hazel Grove constituency, the most rural area is Mellor. We have children from primary schools looking to go to Marple Hall, which is their nearest secondary school. Marple Hall has recently joined an academy trust, and of course different rules about admissions come with that. It is causing p…