Commons
Oral Questions
Home Department
13 July 2026
Topical Questions
I welcome the Minister’s explicit statement last month that he wants to see the Cladhan hotel, which was opened by the Conservatives, closed. When any hotel closes, will he confirm that the vast majority of those being moved out will have their accommodation needs met within existing capacity?
Commons
Oral Questions
Cabinet Office
25 June 2026
2 contributions
Civil Service Pension Scheme: Insourcing
6. What recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of insourcing the civil service pension scheme.
Capita has been fined millions for a multitude of past failures and has now failed to handle civil service pensions on a contract that the Tories signed off in November 2023, replacing MyCSP, which faced similar challenges. That has been to the significant detriment of many of my constituents, who a…
Commons
Westminster Hall
24 June 2026
2 contributions
Elections: First Past the Post
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Turner. I thank the hon. Member for Richmond Park (Sarah Olney) and congratulate the Richmond Liberal Democrats on their universal victory in last month’s Richmond upon Thames council elections. I declare an interest as a member of the all-party par…
I completely agree that there is a wider point about the culture of politics, especially in how we should drive everybody in this place and local government to work together collaboratively, rather than pursuing the most populist option or blaming every problem on previous Governments. That has to b…
Commons
Oral Questions
Treasury
23 June 2026
Topical Questions
T4. The loss of Grangemouth’s refinery was a loss to Scotland’s economy. The Chancellor rightly consulted on including refined products in the carbon border adjustment mechanism to level the playing field for domestic refining—a level playing field the Tories did not pursue before the closure of Gra…
Commons
Oral Questions
Treasury
23 June 2026
2 contributions
Cost of Living: Falkirk
3. What steps she has taken to help support people with the cost of living in Falkirk.
The cut to VAT for family days out this summer starts along with the summer holidays later this week. This is a Labour Government acting to bring down the cost for families visiting Falkirk’s fantastic tourism, leisure and hospitality attractions. Many families are anxiously looking at the other sid…
Commons
Oral Questions
Transport
11 June 2026
2 contributions
Buses: Tariff Harmonisation
8. What recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on harmonising import tariffs for diesel and electric buses.
Imported diesel buses have a 16% base rate tariff, yet electric buses have a tariff rate of 10%. As we seek to transition fully to electric after 2030, and considering the existential risk that the under-investigation Chinese competition currently presents to the 50,000 jobs that depend on UK bus ma…
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
10 June 2026
Oil and Gas Sector: Employment
Jobs were lost at Grangemouth following Jim Ratcliffe’s decision to close the refinery. The then Tory Ministers, half of whom are now members of Reform, treated it as a commercial decision, and did and delivered nothing. In contrast, the UK Labour Government invested £120 million in December to save…
Commons
Oral Questions
Home Department
8 June 2026
Topical Questions
The Government have cut the asylum backlog, reduced the number of people arriving illegally and shut more than half the hotels opened by Tory Ministers. Places in Scotland like Falkirk, Perth and Dundee must see further progress this year. When will we see the next phase of the hotel exit plan? How …
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
3 June 2026
Engagements
The 10-year bus pipeline published by the Department for Transport shows that demand for zero emission buses will double by the end of the decade. In Scotland, however, jobs are being lost in our bus manufacturing sector because overseas manufacturers are winning a greater number of orders and now c…
Commons
Oral Questions
Energy Security and Net Zero
2 June 2026
Topical Questions
T3. My constituents Gillian and Ross worked at INEOS Olefins & Polymers, and started retraining in 2024, following the announcement in 2023 that the Grangemouth refinery would close. However, they were recently denied support, due to limits on the Grangemouth workers training guarantee. Will the…
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
1 June 2026
2 contributions
Armed Forces Day
13. What plans his Department has to mark Armed Forces Day.
This year’s Armed Forces Day is as important as ever, and I look forward to attending Falkirk’s event on 4 July in Callander Park. It is important that Falkirk’s veterans are heard there and every day. I met Veterans Together Forth Valley last week, and I heard from many brave men and women who serv…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
21 May 2026
Topical Questions
Fifteen months on from the £200 million pledged for Grangemouth, and five months on from the Minister’s confirmation that prospective projects were being examined and shortlisted, what progress is being made to deliver new industry and jobs for Grangemouth?
Commons
Oral Questions
Justice
19 May 2026
Jury Trial Proposals
Hon. Members fairly hold strong views on these reforms. It is notable that, in Scotland, the right to elect between solemn and summary procedure for certain offences does not sit with the accused but with the procurator fiscal, but the people of Scotland are listening to this salient debate. Does th…
Commons
Oral Questions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
21 April 2026
Topical Questions
March was one of the deadliest months on record for settler violence in the occupied west bank. For communities such as Jayyous, life is becoming intolerable. Will the Government go further than the diplomatic pressure currently being exerted and expand sanctions on the many Israeli officials explic…
Commons
Oral Questions
16 April 2026
Business of the House
Following a decision last year to outsource care provision at Tygetshaugh Court in Dunipace, the community, residents and families have campaigned to highlight the significant stress and uncertainty it has caused. Following their persistent efforts, the ombudsman found serious operational failures i…
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
15 April 2026
2 contributions
Economic Growth
6. What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support economic growth in Scotland.
Given the state of our economy, taxpayer money must be used far more strategically. Phase 3 of the SNP’s Scottish zero emission bus challenge fund granted the majority of a taxpayer-funded subsidy to Chinese bus manufacturers, which directly contributed six days later to 115 jobs being put at risk i…
Commons
Debate
26 March 2026
Business of the House
Heritage is devolved, and the Scottish Government have not yet provided a replacement for the listed places of worship VAT reclaim scheme, causing significant distress and uncertainty for places of worship in my constituency. Angus Robertson has justified this by saying that the UK Government did no…
Commons
Oral Questions
24 March 2026
Heating Oil: Rural Homes
About 30% of households in the Braes villages use alternative heating sources such as heating oil—that is far above the district, constituency or Scottish nationwide average. The Scottish Government’s decision to deliver the scheme nationally rather than locally is creating anxiety in those communit…
Commons
Debate
23 March 2026
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
I refer hon. Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests and my position as chair of the responsible vaping all-party parliamentary group, in which I succeeded my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend (Mary Glindon).
As a member of the Bill Committ…
Commons
Debate
19 March 2026
UK Steel Strategy
I welcome the Government’s steel strategy. The welcome ambition for the steel sector will be shared by industrial communities across the country, especially in Motherwell. Industrial communities such as those in Falkirk and the Forth valley must see similar ambition. Today is the one-year anniversar…
Commons
Oral Questions
19 March 2026
Business of the House
I understand the bus manufacturing expert panel held its final meeting this week, following Monday’s release of the 10-year zero emission bus order pipeline. The next five years are pivotal for the ZEB market to deliver the buses that we need. Especially crucial is further support for our British ma…
Commons
Debate
16 March 2026
Heating Oil Support
It is imperative that this support reaches the most vulnerable heating oil households, such as those in the Braes villages in my constituency, who have seen astronomical price spikes. Can the Minister confirm whether the Scottish Government have yet signalled that they will administer this Governmen…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
12 March 2026
Topical Questions
Given the global energy crisis, manufacturers reliant on gas will struggle with the recent spikes in energy costs. Will the Secretary of State confirm whether his Department is considering a transitional dual fuel discount, alongside the British industrial competitiveness scheme, for industries that…
Commons
Oral Questions
Work and Pensions
9 March 2026
Topical Questions
Powering Futures is a fantastic social enterprise based in Falkirk, and its oven-ready project will deliver at least £1.6 million in quantifiable social outcomes, including addressing youth unemployment in every local authority in Scotland. Funders have been identified, so will the Secretary of Stat…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
5 March 2026
Energy Markets
I appreciate the Secretary of State’s incredibly important update to the House, especially on energy security. There have been reports in the media of PetroChina being barred from all exports of diesel and gasoline by the Chinese Government. With PetroChina’s co-ownership of the Grangemouth import t…