Commons
Committee Stage
29 January 2026
3 contributions
Finance (No. 2) Bill (Fourth sitting)
On reading the clause, I too was concerned about the costs for SEND. Devon, which is a very rural county, spends something like—from memory—£50 million a year on taxis to move children across the county who require special schools in different areas. A 20% tax on that would equate to £10 million. Wi…
Will the Minister address the SEND concerns, please?
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Committee Stage
29 January 2026
Finance (No. 2) Bill (Third sitting)
The Minister mentions that our suggestion would add complexity to the system, but the system, in and of itself, is becoming overly complex. It started very simply: “Here is a winter fuel allowance for a harsh winter.” Every winter is harsh. Would it not be much simpler and more efficient to wind thi…
Commons
Westminster Hall
29 January 2026
Ukraine: Non-recognition of Russian-occupied Territories
I thank the hon. Gentleman for initiating this important debate and laying before us the scope and scale of the atrocities going on specifically in the occupied areas, as well as in the whole of Ukraine. We have to remember that when—on the blessed day—peace arrives, it will take some time before Uk…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
22 January 2026
Business of the House
We hear an awful lot from the Government about building sovereign digital capabilities in the UK, and this morning we heard about Britain becoming Britain’s biggest customer, yet Government procurement contracts continue to go to giant American providers—in the Ministry of Defence, in the NHS and ev…
Commons
Oral Questions
Cabinet Office
22 January 2026
Government Insourcing
I have been trying to get records from the Cabinet Office of a meeting held between Peter Thiel of Palantir, then Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings on 28 August 2019. I am getting conflicting data back. Is it in the public interest that the management of this information is being out…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
21 January 2026
Water White Paper
I welcome the White Paper and a more effective regulator, which is really good. However, I am concerned by the lack of urgency on clean water supply capacity. The report talks of a shortage of 5 billion litres a day by 2050. Meanwhile, we read warnings that seven English regions will be in serious w…
Commons
Debate
19 January 2026
Disclosure and Barring Service
My hon. Friend raises very good points on this matter. There are two issues that I have always seen with the DBS check. First, like an MOT, it is only as good as the date when it is issued, and people do not have to subscribe to the update service. Does she agree that updates should be mandatory? Se…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
19 January 2026
Arctic Security
I agree with the Foreign Secretary that we should be working with our allies—I welcome that approach—but I fear that Donald Trump does not agree with her. What are the Government doing to harden our infrastructure? We are heavily dependent on several American IT systems, including Palantir, controll…
Commons
Proceedings
19 January 2026
Iran: Protests
For me, this is personal. It reminds me of what I saw when I was in Tehran nearly 50 years ago, at the beginning of the revolution. My father was appointed naval attaché to the British embassy in Tehran before and during that revolution, and we saw some awful things. What kept us going when the nigh…
Commons
Debate
14 January 2026
Ukraine
Like many in this House, I stand with Ukraine and its defence of the frontline of Europe, and I am proud to do so.
A couple of weeks ago, I was helping some of the local Ukrainians who are living in my constituency under the Homes for Ukraine scheme to move home. They were being visited by their fa…
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
12 January 2026
Topical Questions
T6. In February’s Government consultation on local government reorganisation, will the Minister consult on all four—I think it is four—options put forward by Devon, and how will she weight the criteria, so that she can decide on a selected, amended or perhaps new proposal in June?
Commons
Westminster Hall
7 January 2026
Rural Fuel Duty Relief
Does my hon. Friend agree that the relief scheme could be complemented by a pumpwatch scheme, whereby the petrol price comparison platform has rapid publication of all fuel costs for forecourt prices? That is approved by the Competition and Markets Authority and the RAC estimates it could take up to…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
5 January 2026
Venezuela
What message does the Foreign Secretary think that this weekend’s outbreak of unilateral acts of violence, kidnap and taking assets outside of international law sent to Valdimir Putin, particularly with reference to Russia’s view of the need to seriously negotiate peace with Ukraine? Will the Foreig…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
17 December 2025
Local Government Finance
I draw the attention of the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests; I am a sitting councillor in Teignbridge. Looking at the figures—which I have been desperately trying to do, although they are tiny—it looks to me like Teignbridge is getting a negative change in this year…
Commons
Westminster Hall
16 December 2025
Quarries: Planning Policy
The hon. Member’s situation sounds very familiar to me. In my constituency, in the middle of Kingsteignton, we have a large clay quarry called Zitherixon, whose operators are trying to extend their permission for mining, even though it has been established for some 300 years and planning permissions…
Commons
Westminster Hall
10 December 2025
Village Schools
It is a similar story in rural Devon. In my constituency, schools in Broadhempston and Bishopsteignton are seeing falling roll numbers. Without the critical input of a core funding floor and help with transport, those schools may eventually close, which will kill those villages. We must not allow th…
Commons
Westminster Hall
10 December 2025
AI Safety
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Butler. We have had some interesting contributions so far. I fully agree that we need to look at regulation, but I question whether we can regulate a technology. Today, every search we do is already powered by AI. To regulate a technology is a bit l…
Commons
Westminster Hall
9 December 2025
3 contributions
Net Zero Transition: Consumer-led Flexibility
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Vickers. My hon. Friend the Member for Thornbury and Yate (Claire Young) has made the case extremely well. I think I have heard unanimous opinion around the Chamber that we should not only do this, but do it now with some urgency. Flexibility fir…
That had not occurred to me, but it is an amazing idea; people taking their mobile power source with them—fantastic.
That brings me on to other solutions that we should be looking at, particularly community energy generation, community networks and community power consortia, as well as business inc…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
8 December 2025
9 contributions
Digital ID
Will the hon. Member give way?
Will the hon. Member give way?
+7 more contributions in this session
Commons
Proceedings
3 December 2025
Venezuela: US Military
I thank the Minister for his answers so far. I reiterate the question of the legality of the US bombing ships that are simply accused of carrying drugs. Is the Minister willing to actually say whether he thinks that is legal or not legal in international waters?
Commons
Debate
25 November 2025
2 contributions
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
In addition to that very welcome general power of competence for the national park authorities, will the Minister consider tabling amendments to ensure that the new unitary authorities surrounding those park authorities do not dominate the membership of the board with a majority?
There is another aspect in which this Bill is lacking. In Devon, where we have a county and district system, the city of Exeter is ruled by a district council, which will be absorbed into the unitary council, leaving Exeter—unlike the rest of Devon—without a town or parish council. The same thing wo…
Commons
Debate
24 November 2025
4 contributions
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
It has been a long afternoon. I thank my Lib Dem colleagues in Committee who bravely stood up for towns and parishes and would like the role of town and parish councils to continue. I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests as I am still a sitting district council…
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker; it has been a long day. The previous Minister was talking about neighbourhood area committees, and yet I was surprised when I looked at the Bill that there is nothing in there about neighbourhood area committees. They are not mentioned in any way, shape or form. Devo…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
24 November 2025
Critical Minerals Strategy
I welcome the ambition and importance of this new strategy, and I congratulate the Minister on recognising that Devon is the source of more than just cream teas and tourism. The Devon minerals plan has more in it than the critical minerals: my constituency has an application for an extension to dig …
Commons
Debate
17 November 2025
Asylum Policy
I thank the Home Secretary for sharing her experiences earlier and thoroughly condemn the sort of behaviour she described. It is unacceptable in any case.
The Secretary of State described rapid decisions on appeals. Does she also believe, as I do, that rapid decision making on the initial applicati…
Commons
Debate
12 November 2025
Energy
The biggest issue in my inbox is the cost of living and the cost of energy in particular. In the south-west, we are a net contributor to renewable energy, and we could do even more with tidal power investment. Yet our energy bills are higher than the national average. In my Newton Abbot constituency…