Commons
Oral Questions
16 December 2025
Topical Questions
T5. Following a string of shocking cases in which funeral directors did not treat the bodies of the deceased with the care and respect that they deserved, will the Minister update the House on the cross-departmental work being done to regulate the funeral industry?
Commons
Debate
15 December 2025
Sudden Cardiac Death in Young People
My hon. Friend is making a powerful speech, as my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Chris Vince) did earlier. May I pursue the question asked earlier by my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton West (Phil Brickell)? Defibrillators can be incredibly useful when they are rolled out to communities, for al…
Commons
Debate
15 December 2025
3 contributions
Employment Rights Bill
I will be brief. I proudly refer members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. I am a proud member of several trade unions, and have indeed received money from trade unions to remove the Conservatives from power.
Speaking of removing the Conservatives from power, on 4 Septemb…
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. The votes in the other place serve only to strengthen my resolve that we must get the Bill through Parliament and strengthen the rights of workers.
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
15 December 2025
Jimmy Lai Conviction
Given that the Chinese Communist party has clearly broken its promise in the joint declaration to protect freedom and the rule of law in Hong Kong, and that this judgment was handed down by a politically appointed judge in a sham or show trial, does the Foreign Secretary agree that those Members of …
Commons
Debate
15 December 2025
Sudan: Humanitarian Situation
Taking into account the Minister’s previous answers about the source of weapons, and given that civilians are being deliberately targeted, with murder, rape and starvation being used as weapons of war, what steps can the UK Government realistically take to disrupt the flow of weapons, drones and mil…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
11 December 2025
National Plan to End Homelessness
I thank the Minister for the strategy and I agree with its stated aims. I especially welcome the ending of the unlawful use of B&Bs for families. We have already heard the case powerfully made by my hon. Friends the Members for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Danny Beales) and for Doncaster East and…
Commons
Proceedings
11 December 2025
Business of the House
After a string of burglaries across Morley, Gildersome and Drighlington, in which the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals shop has been targeted more than any other, I am so pleased to report that four people are serving time in prison for these crimes. Will the Leader of the Hous…
Commons
Westminster Hall
10 December 2025
2 contributions
AI Safety
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Butler. I congratulate the hon. Member for Dewsbury and Batley (Iqbal Mohamed) for securing this timely debate.
In August, I created the first AI prototype of a British MP. It was made by my constituent, Jeremy Smith, who ran an AI start-up in my c…
My hon. Friend tempts me to say something I am not allowed to in this place, so I will say that they absolutely would prefer me—of course they would.
AI Mark could also be exploited to say things that just were not true. So I lifted the guardrails to reduce the risk before I released him to the pub…
Commons
Proceedings
2 December 2025
Government Procurement
My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech and a powerful argument. I have been dealing with an advanced manufacturer of metal and steel wires in my constituency that has been put off by the very thing he describes. That company stands ready to support the Government’s mission on clean and green e…
Commons
Debate
20 November 2025
Children with Serious Neurological Conditions
My hon. Friend is making an excellent argument for more support for children and families in this position. A family in my constituency wrote to me about their granddaughter who has Huntington’s disease. She is 10, and she desperately needs an education, health and care plan so that she can get to t…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
20 November 2025
Migration: Settlement Pathway
I am delighted to hear the Home Secretary announce that we will keep our promise to British national overseas visa holders from Hong Kong. That is something that I have worked with my constituents to lobby the Government on over the past few months, and I am delighted that the Government have listen…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
20 November 2025
Business of the House
Like my hon. Friend the Member for Southend West and Leigh (David Burton-Sampson), who is no longer in his place, my inbox is full to the brim with emails about fireworks. When they are enjoyed as part of professional displays on national holidays, they can be magnificent, but my constituents are co…
Commons
Westminster Hall
19 November 2025
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
The hon. Member is making an incredibly powerful speech. One of my constituents, an NHS nurse, suffers with ME. He cannot play with his children, walk his dog or undertake basic activities. When he went to the NHS, he got a referral, but was told that it would be nine months before he got an appoint…
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 November 2025
3 contributions
Video Games: Consumer Law
It is a privilege to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Mundell. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for South Norfolk (Ben Goldsborough) on opening the debate so aptly.
When I was elected last July, I did not imagine that one of my contributions in Westminster Hall would be on the subject of v…
When the boundary review took place a few years ago, I was very disappointed that Rockstar Leeds was not drawn into my constituency, so I am very jealous of that. However, I do have constituents who work there and I agree entirely with my hon. Friend’s point—it is as though he has read on a few page…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
30 October 2025
Infected Blood Compensation Scheme
I am very grateful to the Minister for his update. I am pleased to report that one of my constituents, the one whom I have been most in contact with the Minister about, has finally been fully compensated, which is a huge relief to him and his family. I spoke with him this morning, and he is watching…
Commons
Proceedings
30 October 2025
2 contributions
Business of the House
My knees nearly gave way when I ran the Morley 10 km last month, which is possibly the hilliest race in the UK.
It’s partly the bobbing, too.
I persevered, and I did so because Morley running club has raised £20,000 for good causes over the past four years. Will the Leader of the House join me in paying tribute to Morley running club, to the firefighters who were raising money for their charity—firefighters …
Commons
Proceedings
30 October 2025
Sudan: Protection of Civilians
Three days ago, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated that
“Member States with influence must act urgently to prevent large-scale atrocities”
by the RSF and allied fighters. But atrocities have happened: 460 people have died in a maternity hospital. What has the UK done since that state…
Commons
Debate
27 October 2025
Regulation and Inspection of Funeral Services
The hon. Gentleman is making an excellent speech on an incredibly difficult topic. Next month, I am bringing two mums from Leeds down to meet the Victims Minister. They tragically lost their babies in different circumstances, but both went to the same funeral director, who did horrific things with t…
Commons
Westminster Hall
27 October 2025
Statutory Maternity and Paternity Pay
Working families form the backbone of this country. They go to work, increase our prosperity and raise the next generation at the same time. It is a hard job. It always will be, and it should be, but it should not be this hard. Statutory maternity pay in the UK is one of the lowest in Europe—less th…
Commons
Westminster Hall
27 October 2025
Holidays During School Term Time
My hon. Friend will recall that we in the Education Committee held an evidence session in July about school attendance. One of the witnesses stated that fines are
“simultaneously too harsh and too soft”;
too harsh, because they damage the relationship between parents and schools, but too soft to m…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
15 October 2025
Pride in Place
I warmly welcome the £20 million for Old Farnley, but now is the time for action. Hundreds of people have already completed my survey. I have more than 100 volunteers for the neighbourhood board alone—it will not be that big—and we have plenty of ideas that we want to spend the money on. Given that …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
15 October 2025
Ukraine
The politicians, civilians and soldiers I spoke to last month in Kyiv were unambiguous when asked what was the best thing the UK could do to help them win the war. The hundreds of billions of dollars of frozen Russian assets that they currently cannot deploy could help them bolster their military an…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 October 2025
Manchester Terrorism Attack
I pay tribute to the Leeds Jewish Representative Council and the Jewish Leadership Council for organising moving tributes in memory of the victims of the Manchester attack. I also thank CST for its tireless work to keep the community safe. I am sorry to say that a few weeks ago a speaker on the stre…
Commons
Oral Questions
Justice
16 September 2025
2 contributions
Funeral Sector: Regulation
13. What steps he is taking to introduce statutory regulation of the funeral sector.
The Minister will be aware of the plight of Zoe Ward and Cody Townend, two mums from Leeds who tragically lost babies in different circumstances but who both went to the same funeral director, who did not treat their babies’ bodies with the dignity, care or respect that they deserved. Despite the sh…
Commons
Westminster Hall
8 September 2025
Indefinite Leave to Remain
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship today, Mr Pritchard. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for South Norfolk (Ben Goldsborough) on his opening remarks, and I welcome my hon. Friend the Minister to his place.
Earlier this year, I held a surgery with Hongkongers living in my cons…