Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
15 July 2026
Engagements
Thank you, Mr Speaker. May I take this opportunity to thank the Prime Minister for his many years—
Commons
Proceedings
15 July 2026
Oral Answers to Questions
Thank you, Mr Speaker. May I take this opportunity to thank the Prime Minister for his many years—
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
6 July 2026
2 contributions
Operation Valour
2. What progress his Department has made on Operation Valour.
Westhoughton is home to a fantastic local veterans charity called the Darren Deady Foundation. Darren bravely served in the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, but, sadly, died following injuries he sustained on the frontline in Afghanistan. I had the privilege of visiting the foundation back in April. I …
Commons
Westminster Hall
1 July 2026
2 contributions
MPs’ Second Jobs: Prohibition
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Western. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds East (Richard Burgon) on securing the debate and on his extremely powerful speech. Despite being members of the same party, we come from very different traditions within the labour movement…
The shadow Minister is making an important point about the distinction between outside employment and paid advocacy. Could he expand on what seems to be his view that Members of this House should be treated differently from serving members of the armed forces, members of the judiciary, civil servant…
Commons
Westminster Hall
9 June 2026
Sir David Attenborough: Permanent National Monument
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Roger. I start by congratulating the hon. Member for North Norfolk (Steff Aquarone) on securing this vital debate, and on his comments about opaque property ownership. I said that this is a vital debate, but let us remind ourselves of the figures: …
Commons
Westminster Hall
9 June 2026
Summit on Illicit Finance
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Roger. I start by congratulating the hon. Member for North Norfolk (Steff Aquarone) on securing this vital debate, and on his comments about opaque property ownership. I said that this is a vital debate, but let us remind ourselves of the figures: …
Commons
Proceedings
4 June 2026
Russian Attacks on Civilian Infrastructure
May I take this opportunity to commend the Minister and her colleagues in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on the continuing ratcheting up of sanctions, whether it is on Russian hydrocarbons, crypto-networks or other illicit financial flows? I was not a Member of this House in the la…
Commons
Oral Questions
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
4 June 2026
2 contributions
Topical Questions
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
The Secretary of State may know that I am a passionate white water kayaker and a firm believer in the healing power of time spent in, on and around water. England and Wales have some of the most restrictive rights of access anywhere in the world; less than 4% of inland waterways have an uncontested …
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 June 2026
High Street Businesses: Government Support
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. I congratulate the hon. Member for Didcot and Wantage (Olly Glover) on securing this debate.
I want to focus on an important lever that the Government should pull to regenerate our high streets: tackling the illicit financial activity that …
Commons
Oral Questions
Northern Ireland
3 June 2026
2 contributions
Supreme Court Dillon Judgment: Policy Implications
7. What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department’s policies of the Supreme Court judgment in the Dillon case [2026] UKSC 15.
As the proud son of a Northern Ireland veteran myself, I wish to put on the record my eternal gratitude to the brave men and women of our armed forces who served our nation in Operation Banner. With that in mind, can the Secretary of State reiterate to the House how many veterans have been convicted…
Commons
Proceedings
20 May 2026
Processed Russian Oil Products: Sanctions
As someone who has been sanctioned by the Russian state and worked on tackling financial crime in British business for more than a decade, it was apparent to me after only a cursory review of the gov.uk website that this is a new general licence to allow the roll-out of the new regime that the Minis…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
14 May 2026
National Security
I thank the Minister for his careful and considered remarks and for setting out very clearly in his statement that the safety and security of Hongkongers in the UK is paramount. I also thank him for his remarks about new legislation announced in the King’s Speech to tackle hostile state threats and …
Commons
Debate
28 April 2026
4 contributions
Referral of Prime Minister to Committee of Privileges
May I start by saying that I take serious exception to the remarks made by the hon. Member for Beaconsfield (Joy Morrissey), who I see is just about to leave the Chamber? She complained about us spending an afternoon talking “laboriously” about process. It is process that is on the face of the motio…
My hon. Friend makes a valid point. He is a noble campaigner on cleaning up the House and the public sector more broadly.
The Opposition’s motion supposes that the PM may have misled the House due to statements he gave in this place about due process and about pressure. This is a complex topic. Giv…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
23 April 2026
Business of the House
May I wish you a happy St George’s day, Madam Deputy Speaker?
Reform-run Lancashire county council, which borders my Bolton West constituency, has threatened residents with care home closures, put gritting depots on the chopping block and attempted to withhold money given by this Labour Government …
Commons
Oral Questions
23 April 2026
Topical Questions
Happy St George’s day to you, Mr Speaker. Can the Minister set out what progress the Government have made in cracking down on fraudsters who seek to defraud the public sector and what success they have had in clawing back money on behalf of hard-working taxpayers?
Commons
Westminster Hall
22 April 2026
3 contributions
Mountain Rescue
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. I congratulate the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Lisa Smart); as a fellow Greater Manchester MP, I share her determination that our constituents should be able to enjoy the nearby countryside safely and responsibly. I hope she agrees that, wh…
The hon. Member makes an excellent point about mental health support for volunteers, and I will come to that shortly.
Volunteers are giving up their time to keep others safe. Our mountain rescue teams respond to thousands of incidents every year, from missing persons to injured walkers, and support…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
21 April 2026
Topical Questions
Businesses in my constituency including trailer manufacturer Indespension are labouring under a mountain of repetitive, costly and unnecessary paperwork because the last Government failed to negotiate a regime for mutual recognition of conformity assessments. What progress has the Foreign Secretary …
Commons
Debate
20 April 2026
Security Vetting
When Sir Olly Robbins came before the Foreign Affairs Committee on 3 November last year, he was asked by my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool Walton (Dan Carden) whether, in the context of vetting, Lord Mandelson’s appointment was escalated. Citing a need to maintain the integrity of the vetting …
Commons
Oral Questions
16 April 2026
Business of the House
There are almost 26,000 unpaid carers in Bolton, providing vital support to individuals across the borough who would otherwise struggle to manage. Will the Leader of the House join me in thanking the hard-working staff and volunteers at the local charity Bolton Carers Support? They include Melanie a…
Commons
Debate
13 April 2026
SEND Provision and Reform
Will my hon. Friend join me in welcoming the £4.8 million of extra investment that this Government have put in to support SEND adaptations in Bolton, but also acknowledge the recognition that came from parents at my SEND roundtable last week that this cannot just be about extra investment in the sys…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 April 2026
North Atlantic Submarine Activity
Building on the remarks of my hon. Friend the Member for Widnes and Halewood (Derek Twigg), I commend my hon. and gallant Friend on his statement and encourage him to do all he can to continue to raise awareness of the subversive actions of Russia, whether in the grey zone or through hybrid activiti…
Commons
Debate
26 March 2026
National Savings & Investments
I have very fond memories of the National Savings & Investment savings account that I held as a child—I regularly paid money into it at Little Lever post office. I understand how important it is for the Government to right historical failings at NS&I, and to reassure my constituents. I comme…
Commons
Debate
26 March 2026
Business of the House
In Bolton West, my constituents are concerned that proposed funding for a section of link road called Park Avenue has been trumpeted as unlocking a further 4,000 homes near Westhoughton. The link road will only take traffic so far, causing congestion elsewhere. My constituents do not object in princ…
Commons
Proceedings
25 March 2026
Foreign Financial Influence and Interference: UK Politics
As an individual who has dedicated my life to tackling corruption in all its forms and as the chair of the all-party parliamentary group on anti-corruption and responsible tax, I thank the Secretary of State and the Minister for Security, my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Barnsley North (Dan…
Commons
Debate
11 March 2026
Finance (No. 2) Bill
I will speak to new clause 4 in particular, and to the wider issue of tax dodging and enforcement in this country. I make these remarks as chair of the all-party parliamentary group on anti-corruption and responsible tax.
I begin by congratulating the Government on the action they have already take…