Commons
Oral Questions
11 March 2026
Royal Mail: Universal Service Obligation
Residents in Ardsley, Robin Hood, Lofthouse, parts of Tingley and Morley are complaining that they have been waiting up to three weeks for their postal service. It is obviously not the posties’ fault—it is a question of leadership and management. Following the Minister’s meeting with Ofcom, will he …
Commons
Westminster Hall
11 March 2026
UK-based Tech Companies
I recently visited the Nexus innovation hub at the University of Leeds, which does the things that my hon. Friend was just describing, with innovative spin-outs and companies genuinely innovating in really challenging areas. However, they struggle to access Government procurement because they do not…
Commons
Westminster Hall
10 March 2026
English Rugby
The hon. Member is making a very powerful speech about the power of rugby in our communities. As a proud northerner, I am here to speak about league. The Rugby League Foundation and the Leeds Rhinos Foundation both do excellent work with local community clubs. Every £1 that they invest in community …
Commons
Debate
9 March 2026
2 contributions
Funeral Directors: Regulation
The hon. Lady is making a powerful speech on an incredibly difficult topic. On behalf of my constituents, Cody and Liam Townend and Zoe Ward, who had horrific things happen to their babies’ bodies as a result of the lack of regulation, I spoke to both main professional bodies, which cover 80% of the…
Can the Minister tell me whether any meeting has taken place between those Departments, or whether one is going to take place, and if so, when?
Commons
Ministerial Statement
4 March 2026
China: Foreign Interference Arrests
I thank the Minister for his update on this difficult case. In his statement, he confirmed that the Government are working on a
“proscription-style tool to disrupt proxy organisations undermining our security.”
When will this tool be ready and does it include the recommendations set out by Jonatha…
Commons
Oral Questions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
3 March 2026
2 contributions
Iran: Human Rights Violations
10. What steps her Department is taking to help ensure accountability for human rights violations against protesters in Iran.
Not content with suppressing its own people, the Iranian regime now lashes out at civilians and our allies across the region. The new head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is an internationally wanted terrorist, implicated in the 1994 attack on the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina in Bu…
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 March 2026
5 contributions
Funeral Premises: Environmental Health Inspections
I beg to move,
That this House has considered Government support for environmental health inspections of funeral premises.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Roger. At the outset, I will say that we must keep firmly in mind the needs of grieving families: people who, in their most…
I absolutely agree. There have been too many cases in recent memory of people not being cared for with the dignity that they deserved.
This topic first came to my attention when my constituents Cody and Liam Townend contacted me, along with another mum, Zoe Ward. They lost babies in different circu…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
2 March 2026
Middle East
The Iranian regime kills its own people, funds terrorist proxies in Hamas and Hezbollah, backs Putin’s aggressive war in Ukraine, and now puts British civilians and our armed forces in the firing line. By some accounts, it is already a failed state. I absolutely back the Prime Minister’s decision to…
Commons
Westminster Hall
25 February 2026
Student Loan Repayment Plans
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. Fundamentally, I think it is right that graduates contribute to their education. I did so via a plan 1 loan and a subsequent postgraduate loan, too. For all its faults, that system ensured that universities could accommodate record numbers o…
Commons
Proceedings
23 February 2026
Kinship Carer Identification
The Minister is giving a comprehensive answer to the speech of my hon. Friend the Member for Worcester (Tom Collins). My constituent Natalie had seven nephews and nieces brought to her door and was told by the police and social services that it would be really good if she could take them in. She was…
Commons
Debate
23 February 2026
Schools White Paper: Every Child Achieving and Thriving
As a teacher and now an MP, I know how broken our current SEND system is. Many parents are deeply scarred by their fights with it, and will understandably treat any reforms with scepticism, no matter our intention. I absolutely welcome the introduction of individual support plans alongside EHCPs to …
Commons
Proceedings
12 February 2026
Business of the House
On Tuesday, I joined civic leaders in Leeds, and Leeds United football club, in celebrating the £650 million expansion of Elland Road stadium. It will bring enormous benefits to my part of Leeds, including jobs and opportunities. It will also ensure that those of us who have been on the season ticke…
Commons
Oral Questions
9 February 2026
Jimmy Lai: Prison Sentence
Parallel to the terrible injustice inflicted on Jimmy Lai, my constituent Chloe Cheung still has to live with a £100,000 bounty on her head. I spoke with her this weekend, and her resolve has never been stronger, despite knowing that anyone in the UK can claim that bounty. In the spirit of keeping t…
Commons
Westminster Hall
2 February 2026
2 contributions
Indefinite Leave to Remain
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Edward.
Controlling our borders is a basic function of the state. The Government inherited open borders and are now undertaking the serious work required to fix them, so I welcome the Minister’s efforts. However, I think there are some tweaks we c…
I completely understand where my hon. Friend is coming from. The people I was speaking about just before he intervened will find themselves trapped, and effectively shut out from university education altogether, even though they are already integrated into this country.
I urge the Government to con…
Commons
Debate
20 January 2026
Chinese Embassy
Even if we accept that the national security concerns about this new embassy have been mitigated, as evidenced by the letters from the security agencies today, and even if we accept that consolidating the seven properties that China owns into one gives us a security advantage, that is still cold com…
Commons
Oral Questions
20 January 2026
Topical Questions
I proudly declare that I will be visiting the Falkland Islands as a guest of their Government next month. What can the UK Government do to alleviate EU tariffs of between 6% and 18% on their fishing exports, so that the Falklands Government have more money to spend on health, education and their tre…
Commons
Westminster Hall
19 January 2026
Sale of Fireworks
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Jardine. I love watching fireworks, whether it is at East Ardsley cricket club, Morley rugby club for bonfire night or at the Gildersome and Drighlington Christmas lights switch-on events. They are spectacular, certainly when part of an organised di…
Commons
Debate
14 January 2026
West Midlands Police
I genuinely welcome the content of the Home Secretary’s statement and her answers to other Members. It is clear that the west midlands chief constable’s position is no longer tenable, but I accept the Home Secretary’s explanation of why she cannot remove him today and I am pleased that she will rein…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
14 January 2026
Northern Powerhouse Rail
As chair of the all-party parliamentary group for Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire, I absolutely welcome the news that phase 1 of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project prioritises Yorkshire. It will generate growth and opportunities for people in my region, and it is a development for which member…
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 January 2026
2 contributions
Horse and Rider Road Safety
Will the hon. Gentleman give way?
Very briefly, a young woman from my constituency described the scenario that the hon. Gentleman talks about. She is insured and wears hi-vis clothes, but now faces regular intimidation and abuse, so she has to go out with a camera. Despite that, she still faces those problems. Does the hon. Gentlema…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 January 2026
Iran
The people of Iran are courageously fighting for their freedom against an oppressive regime, and we all stand with them. The brutal response from Tehran highlights the need to take action against the IRGC. I know it has been addressed multiple times during this session, but when do the Government pl…
Commons
Proceedings
13 January 2026
Chinese Embassy
My constituent, Chloe Cheung, has to live with the fact that she has a £100,000 bounty placed on her head under the national security law in Hong Kong. She walks around every day knowing that anyone here could claim that bounty by taking her to the Chinese embassy and handing her over to the authori…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
8 January 2026
Road Safety Strategy
I commend the Minister on this strategy; I know how much tireless work she has put into it. I represent residents on Stonebridge Lane in Farnley, Dixon Lane in Wortley, Green Lane in Lofthouse and Westerton Road in Tingley. They all tell me that the speeds on their roads are far too high, but they a…
Commons
Proceedings
8 January 2026
Business of the House
I recently met the Morley Indian community, who raised concerns with me about the proposed changes to the indefinite leave to remain rules. Many of these people are highly skilled and highly qualified, work in key sectors and claim no benefits, but they are seriously worried that their families will…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
7 January 2026
Ukraine and Wider Operational Update
I welcome this evening’s statement. I say, primarily to those outside this Chamber, that any deployment of British forces in Ukraine is not going to be a tripwire to a wider conflict. If we do not deploy those forces, put that deterrent in place and back Ukraine—if we allow Putin to take Ukraine eit…