Commons
Oral Questions
Cabinet Office
10 September 2026
Topical Questions
T8. I welcomed the announcement that the First Secretary of State and the Prime Minister made over the summer on reforming procurement to benefit British businesses. On my summer tour of my constituency, I met large groups of local farmers, who have seen previous procurement reforms not quite benefi…
Commons
Westminster Hall
2 September 2026
EU Membership Referendum: Impact on the UK
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Butler. Before I start, I echo the comments of my hon. Friend the Member for Alloa and Grangemouth (Brian Leishman) on the media’s conduct in the referendum.
I will touch briefly on the issue of music. I was speaking recently to an orchestra member…
Commons
Westminster Hall
1 September 2026
Face-to-Face Banking: Rural Areas
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Wishart. I congratulate the hon. Member for South Devon (Caroline Voaden) on securing such a vital debate. We are obviously talking about a largely defensive issue—defending cash access for our communities and defending the banking services that our…
Commons
Debate
15 July 2026
2 contributions
A1: North Northumberland
As always, my hon. Friend is making a well-informed, passionate speech on behalf of his constituents. Is it not the case that dualling is necessary not just for the safety of his and my constituents, and those of all the north-east MPs in the Chamber, but for the economy of the north-east region as …
Just to pick up on the comments around Treasury engagement, what is the Minister’s opinion of recent changes to the Green Book and the approach that Members of Parliament should take to engaging with his Department possibly now that the king of the north-west midlands is due to take up office? What …
Commons
Oral Questions
Energy Security and Net Zero
7 July 2026
2 contributions
Community-owned Renewable Energy
12. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of community-owned renewable energy on energy security.
There are amazing developments in community energy, particularly across my constituency with the Northumberland solar-powered community buildings project, which is purchasing and installing both solar panels and battery storage for community buildings, including village halls, in our most remote com…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
2 July 2026
2 contributions
Farming Sector: International Trade
13. What steps he is taking through international trade policies to help increase the financial sustainability of the farming sector.
The effects on farmers and food standards are some of the most visible and felt impacts of trade policy, and obviously domestic agriculture is one of our sectors that are most sensitive to import shocks. Does the Minister agree that transition periods are vital when the Government are negotiating in…
Commons
Westminster Hall
23 June 2026
Fly-tipping: Residential Areas
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Stringer. Fly-tipping in residential and rural areas is a blight across the communities that I represent, whether it is the most rural communities, such as Belsay and Kirkley Hall, or areas such as Throckley, Newburn and Walbottle on the more urban …
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
15 June 2026
Topical Questions
Rural housing availability is in crisis, and all the tenants of an estate near Haltwhistle in my constituency, many of whom are elderly tenants in their 70s and 80s, received section 21 notices a week before the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 came into effect. In a rural community like that, there simply …
Commons
Westminster Hall
15 June 2026
Brain Cancer
A constituent of mine, Daniel, passed away while he was part of the BRAIN-MATRIX study. Daniel’s tumour progressed from stage 2 to stage 4 before the pathway could properly inform his care. Does my hon. Friend agree that much more needs to be done, not only to improve primary care recognition and re…
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 June 2026
Small Towns: Transport Links
As always, Sir Roger, it is a pleasure to serve under your chairship. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Rossendale and Darwen (Andy MacNae) on securing such an important and timely debate.
As the MP for the largest constituency in England, I spend a lot of time speaking about local trans…
Commons
Debate
20 May 2026
Defence Readiness
My hon. Friend is making an informed and well-made speech. Does she agree that we need to look at not only how we can expand international aid to deliver for the world’s poorest, but how we can regain moral leadership? A crucial part of that, as she and my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Chris Vi…
Commons
Westminster Hall
28 April 2026
2 contributions
National Accident Prevention Strategy
Will the Minister give way?
I apologise for my tardiness, Dr Murrison. I just want to pick up on the point about agriculture. As we are talking about national accident prevention, it is important to recognise that accidents in rural areas require a different level of promotion and public engagement. Will the Minister therefore…
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 April 2026
Hidden Credit Liabilities: Role of the FCA
I congratulate my right hon. Friend the Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell) on securing such an important and timely debate.
Catherine and Nigel Jarvis are of the type of local business owners who become the lifeblood of their communities and local economies. Creative, hard-working and…
Commons
Oral Questions
18 March 2026
2 contributions
Rural Broadband
1. What steps she is taking to help ensure reliable broadband services in hard-to-reach areas of rural constituencies.
Yesterday I spoke to my constituent Luca, who has spent months campaigning for the investment that is needed to secure a reliable internet and phone connection for his community in the village of Lambley. He has been pushed from pillar to post between private companies, national agencies and local g…
Commons
Westminster Hall
18 March 2026
Royal Mail: Performance
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Twigg. I want to put on the record my thanks to the posties across the Hexham constituency. They traverse extremely rural areas to deliver post in some pretty challenging circumstances. It is a pleasure to represent them and their families.
Unfortu…
Commons
Debate
16 March 2026
Heating Oil Support
I represent about 13,500 households that are off the grid. I welcome the recognition of the scale of the problem in these communities and getting them proper support. I urge the Minister to ensure that regulation for the heating oil sector is brought forward as quickly and effectively as possible, s…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
12 March 2026
Business of the House
Last summer, I did a tour across my constituency, holding 80 surgeries in four weeks, and the No. 1 issue in west Northumberland was potholes on rural roads. We are unfortunately lumbered with Conservative-run Northumberland county council, which manages to be both incompetent and neglectful of the …
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 March 2026
Environmental Protection and Biodiversity
Does my hon. Friend hope, as I do, that the Minister will work with expert organisations such as Northumberland national park to determine how we can best protect ground-nesting birds such as the curlew, which is mainly resident in my constituency of Hexham?
Commons
Westminster Hall
24 February 2026
Banking Hubs: Rural and Post-Industrial Communities
I thank the Minister for being exceptionally generous with her time. I want to emphasise the point on banking hubs. I have been particularly frustrated about the town of Haltwhistle in my constituency. It is a smaller town but has a huge area that looks to it, going from Slaggyford and Gilsland up t…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
10 February 2026
Local Power Plan
I thank the Secretary of State for his announcement. Community energy is incredibly powerful in rural Britain, particularly in the village of Humshaugh, where Humshaugh Net Zero set up the community-owned solar farm. I restate my invitation to the Secretary of State to join me on a visit to Humshaug…
Commons
Westminster Hall
21 January 2026
Animal Welfare Strategy for England
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. I stand here as the owner of Roy the dog, who we were originally told was a black lab but turned out to be the size of a cocker spaniel—we are still not entirely sure what happened there. When I told my wife that I was going to apply for sel…
Commons
Westminster Hall
20 January 2026
Water (Special Measures) Act 2025: Enforcement
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, as always, Dr Allin-Khan. I join colleagues in congratulating the hon. Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough (Tom Gordon) on securing such an important debate on a crucial topic, which concerns people across the country.
I am grateful to take the opp…
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 January 2026
Horse and Rider Road Safety
The highway code needs proper signage to remind drivers of their obligations. Does the Minister agree that it is important the council maintains signage properly, warning users of where there are likely to be horses—such as in Heddon in my constituency, where unfortunately the county council is drag…
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 January 2026
Science and Discovery Centres
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Harris. It is a shame that my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West (Dame Chi Onwurah) has departed, because I remember spending much of my time as a child in the Centre for Life, and to hear it was 25 years since it opene…
Commons
Debate
5 January 2026
Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief
May I put on record my thanks to farmers such as Nick, Mac, Debbie, James and Graham in the Northumberland branch of the NFU in my constituency? I was in contact with them regularly, and they welcomed the Minister to my constituency to hear at first hand about the potential impact of the policy had …