Commons
Oral Questions
Transport
8 January 2026
Topical Questions
T2. Happy new year, Mr Speaker. Traffic jams at junction 1 of the M5 are a nightmare for residents, businesses and West Bromwich Albion FC fans. We have already had a traffic light upgrade, which has improved things slightly, and the Government have now given Sandwell council yellow box enforcement …
Commons
Westminster Hall
6 January 2026
BBC Charter Renewal
I spoke to representatives of BBC Arabic in Amman in the summer, and they talked about the fact that when cuts to the BBC meant that BBC Arabic radio was turned off in 2023, Russia’s Radio Sputnik stepped into that space and started broadcasting false and fake news in the English language. That is v…
Commons
Oral Questions
16 December 2025
Jury Trials Proposal: Impact
I have heard heartbreaking stories of women from my constituency who have waited years for their abuser to be brought to trial. The crisis that has developed in our courts is having a devastating impact on victims. Given that many of the previous reforms to judge, jury and magistrate trials over the…
Commons
Debate
15 December 2025
NHS: Winter Preparedness
The Government were elected to pick the NHS up off its knees, and that is exactly what we are doing by putting tens of billions extra into the NHS—that includes giving a 28.9% pay rise to doctors. That money is delivering a 20% reduction in NHS waiting lists in my area. However, despite that progres…
Commons
Proceedings
27 November 2025
Business of the House
Solar geo-engineering is the idea of injecting particles into the Earth’s atmosphere to dim or reflect the light of the sun and cool the planet, and it has been the subject of science fiction and conspiracy theories for many years. However, recent reporting by the respected Politico journalist Karl …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
25 November 2025
COP30
I was part of that same cross-party delegation to COP in Belém. We were proud to meet parliamentarians from all over the world who are absolutely invested in the COP process and still absolutely believe in its importance. I was struck by how many conversations we had about the UK’s enduring global l…
Commons
Proceedings
20 November 2025
Russian Ship Yantar
The first duty of any Government is to keep our citizens safe, which is why this Labour Government are delivering a historic uplift in defence spending, in stark contrast to the cuts of the Conservative Government. The Minister set out a potent example of the rising threats to our country. Will he s…
Commons
Oral Questions
20 November 2025
2 contributions
Topical Questions
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
Ghost number plates are a scourge on our roads and must be tackled. Part of the problem is the thousands of rogue traders who are very happy to sell ghost and cloned number plates to criminals with no questions asked. Despite this number plate wild west, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has r…
Commons
Westminster Hall
28 October 2025
8 contributions
Connected and Automated Vehicles
I beg to move,
That this House has considered connected and automated vehicles.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Vaz. Yesterday, I jumped in a car with a couple of other people near King’s Cross station. It was a pretty normal journey. We watched the world go by, chatted and g…
Definitely. Safety has to be paramount. Britain is a leader in universities and institutes such as the Institute for Safe Autonomy, to ensure that as this new technology rolls out, it is safe and has public confidence.
On accessibility, 30% of my constituents in West Bromwich do not have a car; the…
+6 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Education
20 October 2025
Topical Questions
T6. Five primary schools in Sandwell now have free breakfast clubs, including St Mary Magdalene, which I visited earlier this year, and I was delighted to hear the Secretary of State announce that 2,000 more primary schools would benefit next year. Can the Minister say more about how the free breakf…
Commons
Debate
16 September 2025
2 contributions
Sentencing Bill
In the spirit of honesty, does the shadow Minister recognise that it was the previous Government who left our prisons at 99% capacity for most of the recent years? They let out 10,000 prisoners, largely in secret, and brought our criminal justice system to the brink of collapse. Does he take respons…
When this Government came into power last year, we inherited a prison system on the brink of collapse. After 14 years of Tory neglect and underfunding, our prisons were at breaking point. If we had not acted, prison places would have run out within weeks. When our prisons are full, violence rises, p…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
11 September 2025
Business of the House
The Sikh Helpline is a fantastic charity in my constituency that supports Sikhs and people from all backgrounds with abuse, addiction and mental health issues. Over the summer, it did a 350-mile bike ride from Scotland to West Brom to raise money. Will the Leader of the House congratulate all the ri…
Commons
Proceedings
11 September 2025
UK Ambassador to the US: Appointment Process
I agree with the Minister’s utter condemnation of all the horrendous crimes of Jeffrey Epstein. Does he agree that as soon as this new information came to light, the Government took decisive action very swiftly, which is different from the Conservatives? When they were in government and there were s…
Commons
Debate
3 September 2025
Hospitality Sector
Last week, saw the opening of West Bromwich’s brand-new indoor market and the return of the much-loved Firkins bakery. People were queuing from 7 am for the famous lemon iced buns that Firkins has sold for many years. Does the Minister agree that food and hospitality are at the heart of our high str…
Commons
Proceedings
17 July 2025
Strategy for Elections
The Conservative Government seemingly tried to do everything possible to destroy trust in politics and to make it harder for people to vote. In my constituency, that led to just a 49% turnout at the last election. Will the Minister set out more about how the announcement will make it easier for peop…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
30 June 2025
Welfare Reform
My borough, Sandwell, has one of the highest rates in the entire country of young people not in education, employment or training. This generation of young people have been let down by years and years of system failure by the Conservative party. As we go through this necessary piece of reform, we mu…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
26 June 2025
G7 and NATO Summits
I thank the Prime Minister for his leadership in representing us around the world in the last two weeks—exactly where he should be. Does the Prime Minister want to remind the Conservatives that it was a Labour Government who last spent 2.5% of GDP on defence, and can he set out how increasing our de…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
23 June 2025
UK Modern Industrial Strategy
The Black Country has been an industrial powerhouse for hundreds of years; it is famous for making everything from the glass in the White House to the Big Ben clocktower and the chemical odorant that people will smell when they turn on the gas hob. Will the Secretary of State set out how this 10-yea…
Commons
Debate
16 June 2025
2 contributions
Air India Plane Crash
This Air India crash was a devastating tragedy and my thoughts are with all those who were affected. Many of my constituents in West Bromwich have family in India and they are deeply shaken and saddened by what has happened. I am grateful to the Minister for setting out all the work that the British…
Will the Minister say a bit more about our ongoing support for the Indian Government and how we can give my constituents in West Bromwich confidence when they go to visit their family in India?
Commons
Ministerial Statement
4 June 2025
Regional Growth
May I welcome this Government’s £2.5 billion investment into the west midlands? It will allow our Mayor Richard Parker to make strategic decisions such as the extension of the tram, enabling my constituents in West Brom to get to east Birmingham, which is fantastic. Does he agree that that will driv…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
22 May 2025
Independent Sentencing Review
I am amazed by the gall of the Conservatives, who left our prisons in utter crisis, failing victims. I thank the Lord Chancellor for her work. Five years ago, my constituent Diane had her world changed when her husband was killed by a driver who was on her phone. Not only did the driver do that, but…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
20 May 2025
UK-EU Summit
I spent this morning with British metal manufacturing businesses, which are so important in my constituency and across the west midlands. Like so many other sectors, this industry welcomes the deal, particularly the emissions trading scheme linkage and the steel safeguarding that will boost jobs, bo…
Commons
Proceedings
15 May 2025
2 contributions
Solar Farms
Last year, I got elected on a Labour manifesto that pledged to make Britain a clean energy superpower that will create jobs, cut bills, boost our energy security and reduce the carbon emissions that are killing our planet. I have had so many conversations with people in West Bromwich who agree that …
The hon. Member and I have nearby constituencies. The companies in my constituency that put solar on their roofs will see their energy bills reduce, and they could put more energy back into the grid. They think this will be a big benefit to their businesses.
There are no formal estimates of the amo…
Commons
Oral Questions
15 May 2025
2 contributions
Vehicle Registration: Compliance
10. What steps she is taking to help improve compliance with vehicle registration regulations by drivers.
I recently spoke to a roads policing officer about drivers who use illegal number plates, such as ghost number plates that cannot be read by police and speed cameras. He told me:
“The scale at which this problem now exists is frightening. These plates are on every street, in every town and they are…
Commons
Proceedings
1 May 2025
Energy Prices: Energy-intensive Industries
My constituency has many brilliant metal manufacturing companies that supply critical UK industries in defence, automotive and construction. However, many of them are struggling because the last Government left us with sky-high electricity prices and a dependence on foreign gas imports. Last month, …