Commons
Ministerial Statement
1 September 2025
Borders and Asylum
I am grateful to the Home Secretary, as always, for advance sight of her statement.
Anyone with any sense knows that the Conservatives trashed our asylum system and left the backlog spiralling out of control, with applications for asylum routinely taking years to process. Some of the Home Secretary…
Commons
Debate
14 July 2025
4 contributions
Deprivation of Citizenship Orders (Effect during Appeal) Bill
I rise to speak in support of new clause 1, in my name. As I said on Second Reading, the Liberal Democrats believe there is a need for proper reform of the entire citizenship deprivation process. A transparent and accountable system for citizenship deprivation would ensure that this extraordinary po…
The hon. Gentleman is right that one of the most serious jobs of any Government is to keep their citizens safe—I completely agree. There is, though, a need for robust scrutiny. The Government must have confidence that the legislation they are putting forward has the support of this House and of the …
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
14 July 2025
UK-France Migration: Co-operation
I am grateful to the Home Secretary for advance sight of her statement.
We all want to stop these dangerous channel crossings, which first ballooned under the former Conservative Government. Cross-border co-operation will be key to achieving that, and clearly a lot of work is needed after the Conse…
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
14 July 2025
2 contributions
Elections: Participation
6. What steps she plans to take to help to increase participation in UK elections.
I recently had the pleasure of getting a robust grilling from some 16 and 17-year-olds from Aquinas sixth-form college in my constituency, which left me filled with optimism and a real sense that our democracy is in good hands. My worry, though, is that these sixth-formers and young people like them…
Commons
Westminster Hall
9 July 2025
3 contributions
Early Years Providers: Government Support
It is a pleasure to have you in the Chair, Mr Pritchard. I commend the hon. Member for Sherwood Forest (Michelle Welsh) on securing the debate and on her speech, much of which I really agreed with. High-quality early years education is the foundation of young people’s learning and makes an enormous …
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that important intervention. We spend a lot of time talking about the gender balance in various industries. My hon. Friend spent time in the armed forces, and I know that the armed forces think long and hard about how they recruit and retain women in particular. M…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
8 July 2025
Topical Questions
T8. My constituent Andy from Offerton often plays a caring role for his adult son, as his son has serious mental ill health. During his son’s recent stay in prison, Andy struggled to get quality information from the prison about his son’s health situation and living conditions. What more will the…
Commons
Oral Questions
7 July 2025
Asylum Accommodation
Enabling new refugees to prepare properly for life in the UK will be key to reducing the need for asylum accommodation. In my constituency we have seen the extension of the move-on period not only giving new refugees much-needed time to make those preparations, but protecting other public bodies suc…
Commons
Oral Questions
7 July 2025
Neighbourhood Policing
The best community policing is embedded within communities, responding to their needs. Whether it is attacks on Jewish-owned businesses or hateful chants at music festivals, there are too many sobering reminders of the reality of the antisemitism that too many within the Jewish community across the …
Commons
Debate
4 July 2025
Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill
My hon. Friend is laying out clearly the need for change. A number of my constituents, including Ann from Bredbury, Shannon from Marple and Ashley from High Lane, have been in touch to ask me to support him in his endeavours. People are staggered that some of these practices are not yet outlawed. Do…
Commons
Oral Questions
3 July 2025
Heritage Sector: Impact of Spending Review
The Secretary of State and I are lucky enough to represent Greater Manchester constituencies, in a part of the country that played a pivotal role in our industrial heritage. Now, although Wigan is lovely, it is not Hazel Grove, so she will not have the junction of the Macclesfield and Peak Forest ca…
Commons
Debate
2 July 2025
Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism
I am grateful to the Minister for taking the time to discuss this issue with me.
As has been mentioned, there are three organisations listed today, and the order before us is unamendable. Taking each of the three organisations in turn, the Russian Imperial Movement is an ultranationalist and white …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
1 July 2025
Parental Leave Review
It is of course to be welcomed that the Government are looking at how best to support families of all shapes and sizes in the early weeks and months of a child’s life. I know that the Minister is aware that there is currently a gap for those who are self-employed looking to grow their family through…
Commons
Debate
30 June 2025
Deprivation of Citizenship Orders (Effect during Appeal) Bill
The United Kingdom employs deprivation of citizenship orders more frequently than almost any other country in the world. While it is right, of course, that the Government should have the means to protect national security, both the current legislative framework and the Bill before us lack adequate p…
Commons
Debate
24 June 2025
8 contributions
Speed Cameras: Installation Criteria
Too many of my constituents feel they are being left to fend for themselves on unsafe roads. They are scared for their children, they are tired of reporting the same danger again and again, and they are angry that nothing changes until someone is seriously hurt, or worse. My message to the Governmen…
I absolutely agree. My constituency is suburban, but a number of our areas are semi-rural and have roads without pavements. When pedestrians are walking along a road because there is no pavement, the danger level is increased. I agree that communities need to be able to take proactive action to make…
+6 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
24 June 2025
2 contributions
Frozen Russian Assets
4. What recent steps his Department has taken to facilitate the seizure of frozen Russian assets.
I saw for myself the impact of Russia’s barbarism in Kyiv and Chernihiv last month, and I heard directly from some of the brave Ukrainians who had been subject to war crimes in Yahidne. There is a lot going on in the world at the moment, but what assurances can the Foreign Secretary give the House a…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
19 June 2025
UK Infrastructure: 10-year Strategy
A long-term approach to spending is really sensible and I, as a northern MP, particularly welcome the Treasury reviewing the Green Book to make sure that regional inequalities are not further entrenched by future spending. Stepping Hill hospital in my patch has a reported repairs backlog of £138 mil…
Commons
Westminster Hall
19 June 2025
Priorities for Water Sector Reform
I am grateful to the hon. Member for Hastings and Rye (Helena Dollimore) for that comprehensive overview of what is a really impressive piece of work by the EFRA Committee. It is shocking, but my Hazel Grove constituents will not be surprised, because they are subjected to United Utilities dumping s…
Commons
Debate
18 June 2025
4 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
Our communities have been plagued by crime and antisocial behaviour for too long. Change is clearly needed after the former Conservative Government failed to get even the basics right on stopping and solving crime. More than 4,500 police community support officers have been taken off the streets sin…
I do not know why anybody would be against a minimum level of neighbourhood policing. It was in this Government’s manifesto that they wanted to see a proper restoration of neighbourhood policing. It is the model that has the most trust and the most support from my community—and, I am pretty sure, ev…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
18 June 2025
HS2 Reset
Before I was elected to this place, I was a member of HS2’s independent panel for the community and environment fund and business and local economy fund. The Secretary of State’s statement makes for pretty shocking reading. There is talk of fraud and shambolic mismanagement—things that should bring …
Commons
Debate
17 June 2025
3 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
I rise to speak to amendment 160, which stands in my name, and briefly in favour of amendments 157 and 158, also in my name.
I wish to start by thanking all those who have campaigned over many years for some of the sensible changes to the Bill that we are discussing today. I also want to put on rec…
As is usual on matters of conscience, these votes will not be whipped by my party today, as I believe is the case across the House. That said, my party passed relevant policy at our party conference, and I will lay out that policy before talking a little about my predecessor’s work on the 1967 Act. …
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Proceedings
16 June 2025
3 contributions
Windrush Day 2025
There have been some incredibly powerful speeches this evening, and I feel really lucky to be participating in the debate. There is a lot to celebrate, but there is an awful lot to be really angry about as well.
We owe an enormous amount to the Caribbean and broader black-British community for thei…
I am very grateful to my hon. Friend for raising the huge contribution of Hongkongers in his constituency. I have asked the Minister before about some of the changes the Government propose to the time period for indefinite leave to remain. The Minister has answered that a consultation is under way, …
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
16 June 2025
Child Sexual Exploitation: Casey Report
Child sexual abuse and exploitation are among the most abhorrent crimes imaginable, and we must all support every effort to deliver justice for victims and prevent these vile acts from happening again. It is, of course, right that the Government follow the recommendations of Baroness Casey’s report,…
Commons
Oral Questions
Energy Security and Net Zero
10 June 2025
2 contributions
Energy Efficiency
10. What steps he is taking to improve the energy efficiency of homes.
Happy birthday, Mr Speaker. My Lib Dem predecessor, the much-missed Andrew Stunell, pushed for the zero carbon homes programme during his time in the 2010 to 2015 Government, having brought in his first Bill on that subject back in 2004. Sadly, those standards were scrapped as soon as the Conservati…
Commons
Westminster Hall
10 June 2025
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
My hon. Friend is laying out many of the issues that my constituents face. He talked about his constituent using the right to choose. A number of my constituents have taken that route and got a diagnosis, but they cannot access medication because of the shared care model. That is a problem my consti…
Commons
Debate
5 June 2025
Bank Closures and Banking Hubs
A point that has not yet been made is the importance of credit unions and access to responsible lending. One thing that people can do at a high street bank but cannot do at a banking hub is get a loan, so I am grateful to the hon. Member for mentioning credit unions. In my area, Nationwide on the A6…