Commons
Debate
13 October 2025
Digital ID
The people of Mid Bedfordshire, in response to my survey, said that they do not want digital ID, and nor do I. Does the Secretary of State agree that the individual freedoms of British people are an unacceptable price to pay for failures to enforce existing laws, protect our borders and stop illegal…
Commons
Proceedings
17 July 2025
NHS Pensions: Frontline Patient Care
The Minister knows that I have a keen interest in NHS reorganisation and the impact on frontline services, particularly in Mid Bedfordshire. Given the failures of NHSBSA, has consideration been given to reorganising that authority? I also repeat the question asked by my hon. Friend the Member for No…
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
16 July 2025
Engagements
Q7. Government plans for English devolution and NHS reform suggest that integrated care boards should align with new strategic authorities. The Government’s plan for Bedfordshire will not currently achieve that, so what assurances can the Prime Minister provide that local NHS reorganisation will be …
Commons
Debate
15 July 2025
5 contributions
Welfare Spending
We must have a fair welfare system—one that provides vital support to those who need it but does not create a barrier to finding work. We need a financially sustainable system that delivers fairness for the taxpayer and does not entrench dependency. The Government’s Universal Credit and Personal Ind…
I will happily give way—the hon. Lady has been trying for some time.
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
15 July 2025
Topical Questions
T7. The latest central estimate from the Office for Budget Responsibility puts the cost of achieving net zero by 2050 at £803 billion, with half that cost attributed to lost fuel duties. Does the Secretary of State accept that the Government will need to increase duties elsewhere, including on renew…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
8 July 2025
Road and Rail Projects
I welcome the commitment to deliver East West Rail. Sticking with the railways, will the Secretary of State provide assurance to my constituents that she is committed to delivering step-free access—in particular, at Harlington and Flitwick stations? On roads, junction 13 of the M1 is desperately in …
Commons
Westminster Hall
8 July 2025
Local Government Reform: Cambridgeshire
I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this important debate. Part of the Government’s plan for local government reform is to align the ICBs with new mayoralties, as he just mentioned. Does he share my concern that the plan to merge Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB with Bedfordshire, Hertfords…
Commons
Debate
7 July 2025
Pension Schemes Bill
We all share in the ambition to ensure the sustainability of pensions, and to provide the best possible income for all our constituents in retirement. Given the time, I will keep my comments reasonably short, but having come to this place from the City—though I did not work in the pensions industry—…
Commons
Oral Questions
7 July 2025
Topical Questions
T3. Does the Home Secretary agree with Labour police and crime commissioners that the money allocated by the Chancellor at the spending review is insufficient to deliver the Government’s policing priorities?
Commons
Oral Questions
Treasury
1 July 2025
Topical Questions
From responses to my written parliamentary questions, we know that the median earner can expect to pay £273 more in tax this year under Labour. When the Chancellor sat on the Opposition Benches, she described freezing tax thresholds as “picking the pockets” of working people. Does the Chancellor acc…
Commons
Debate
24 June 2025
Planning (Flooding)
I beg to move,
That leave be given to bring in a Bill to make provision about the consideration of flooding risk in the planning process; to make internal drainage boards statutory consultees for certain planning decisions; and for connected purposes.
During this Parliament, we have heard a lot ab…
Commons
Oral Questions
24 June 2025
Topical Questions
T4. At the Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday, the Minister for the overseas territories, the hon. Member for Cardiff South and Penarth (Stephen Doughty), was unable to give clear guarantees about the future of the Chagos marine protected area once the sovereignty of the Chagos islands is surrender…
Commons
Proceedings
19 June 2025
Business of the House
The Government’s English devolution plans are intended to simplify local accountability. The reforms could be critical to improving democratic accountability for our integrated care boards and unlocking the delivery of much-needed healthcare facilities, such as a GP surgery in Wixams in my constitue…
Commons
Oral Questions
Solicitor General
19 June 2025
2 contributions
Immigration: Government Legal Advice
3. Whether the Attorney General has provided the Government with legal advice on immigration matters.
The Attorney General has recently been forced to apologise for his comments about those who believe the European convention on human rights is impeding efforts to tackle illegal migration. Does that not call into question the credibility of any advice given by the Attorney General and whether we can…
Commons
Oral Questions
19 June 2025
Topical Questions
It was reported today that the Treasury may be planning to siphon money off from the water restoration fund for “unrelated purposes”. What assurance can the Secretary of State provide that money in the restoration fund will be used to clean up our waterways, not to cover rising Government debt inter…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
18 June 2025
HS2 Reset
East West Rail is due to travel through my constituency, on the historic Marston Vale line. How will the Secretary of State ensure that the mistakes made on HS2—we have heard some shocking stories today—will not also be made on East West Rail? I am afraid that there is very little confidence in the …
Commons
Oral Questions
Health and Social Care
17 June 2025
Topical Questions
The Secretary of State will know that my local ICB in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes is set to merge with Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. The new ICB will cover a population of about 3 million people. Given the difficulties we have had securing a GP surgery in Wixams, will the…
Commons
Debate
11 June 2025
Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill
The UK has a real opportunity to lead the world in the production of sustainable aviation fuels, and this Bill aims to provide the investment certainty needed to scale up domestic SAF production and achieve just that.
My constituency is located a stone’s throw from London Luton airport. It is a rap…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
10 June 2025
Nuclear Power: Investment
Global tech giants such as Microsoft and Amazon have announced plans to use SMRs to power their data centres, so they have trust in SMRs. I happen to believe that they should be the future of nuclear in this country. I have a couple of questions for the Secretary of State. The announcement states th…
Commons
Debate
9 June 2025
3 contributions
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
I rise to speak in support of new clauses 43, 44, 52, 53 and 81, if I have time. Mid Bedfordshire is a fast-growing area and has accommodated more than its fair share of new homes in the past decade. Since 2012, the two districts that my constituency covers have delivered over 35,000 new homes, incl…
I absolutely agree with my right hon. Friend. Those green spaces on the edge of and between towns are at risk. It is not just the fields that are at risk but people’s access to green space, which is vital for mental health and wellbeing.
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
22 May 2025
Independent Sentencing Review
Under these proposals, foreign criminals will be deported after serving 30% of their sentence, which I appreciate is an improvement. The public want them to be deported right away—does the Lord Chancellor?
Commons
Oral Questions
Electoral Commission Committee
22 May 2025
2 contributions
Local Government Boundary Commission for England
3. If he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the resources available to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England to deliver electoral arrangements under the “English Devolution” White Paper.
I declare an interest: I am a Central Bedfordshire councillor.
It is important that the boundary commission delivers electoral arrangements that provide strong local representation throughout English devolution. Will the hon. Member assure the House that resources available to the commission with b…
Commons
Debate
21 May 2025
2 contributions
Business and the Economy
I know the hon. Member was about to conclude, but it is notable that she decided not to talk about hospitality, leisure and retail businesses, private schools or all sorts of other industries in her constituency. Businesses talking to me are deeply worried about the policies of this Government. Will…
I am being closely supervised by the Whips, as I have been told to keep this speech quite short, so there will be no 25 minutes from me.
Hard-working British people are losing their jobs. Is it any wonder when every policy that this Government announce seems designed to make it harder for British p…
Commons
Westminster Hall
13 May 2025
Flooding: Planning and Developer Responsibilities
In places such as Maulden in Mid Bedfordshire, we too often see inappropriate or poorly maintained sustainable drainage, which contributes to worsening flooding. Does my hon. Friend agree that the Government’s plans for 1.5 million homes can be considered a success only if they can tackle such probl…
Commons
Oral Questions
Work and Pensions
12 May 2025
2 contributions
Private Pension Pots: Young People
9. What steps she plans to take to encourage young people to increase their private pension pots.
I thank the Minister for that response. Thanks to the introduction of auto-enrolment, millions of young people are now saving for their retirement, but I have heard worrying reports in Mid Bedfordshire that increases in employers’ national insurance, which have resulted in pay freezes, are now causi…