Commons
Debate
4 September 2025
4 contributions
BBC Monitoring Service
rose—
I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for giving way, even if he chose my hon. Friend the Member for Halesowen (Alex Ballinger) before me. I wish to congratulate the right hon. Gentleman on the report, which I have in front of me. I note that only three colleagues who were on the Committee in 20…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
4 September 2025
2 contributions
House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill
rose —
I am grateful to my hon. Friend, although the moment has passed slightly. I wanted to thank him for acknowledging the work of the PLP Back-Bench committee. I will happily bring him some oatcakes from home on Monday morning.
Commons
Proceedings
4 September 2025
Business of the House
It was a very busy summer recess in Newcastle-under-Lyme, with 70 engagements in 34 days; my office was delighted to put me on the train on Monday. One of the highlights was attending the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Newcastle-under-Lyme branch of the Royal Air Forces Association. Will the L…
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 September 2025
Procedure Committee
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his statement, and I am grateful to all Committee members. He will not be surprised to see me here in a statement on this issue. Colleagues will know that my father-in-law died on 20 June, which is the day we had the vote on assisted dying. I was unable to seek a …
Commons
Debate
22 July 2025
Changing Places Toilets
I thank my hon. Friend for giving way and I congratulate him on securing this important debate. It is typically human-focused, compassionate and decent, which sums him up in every way. Will he join me in highlighting the current Changing Places toilets in Newcastle-under-Lyme at Keele services on th…
Commons
Debate
22 July 2025
3 contributions
Sir David Amess Summer Adjournment
rose—
One of the highlights of my first year has been being confused with the hon. Gentleman on several occasions, including being left with his dinner receipt in the Members’ dining room. So, if I do go to Eastbourne, I hope that he will pick up the bill for once.
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
22 July 2025
Humanitarian Situation in Sudan
I thank my hon. Friend not only for securing this debate, but for her leadership on these important issues and for ensuring that in this House we do not forget what is happening in many other parts of the world. She has spoken about the horrors that we see on our TV screens, which speaks to the expe…
Commons
Debate
21 July 2025
2 contributions
Extending the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme
rose —
Will the Minister join me in doing two things? The first is congratulating the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) on his excellent tie action this evening, which is massively on point. Secondly, and more importantly, will she join me in paying tribute to all those in Newcastle-under-Lyme who h…
Commons
Debate
21 July 2025
2 contributions
Victory over Japan: 80th Anniversary
It is a huge honour to represent the ancient and loyal borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in this House, and all those who served our country—the veterans and their families—to whom we owe so much. We are a patriotic community, which is why I was honoured to attend the recent reopening of the Tri Servi…
I would be really interested in the hon. Member explaining a bit more about the veteran to whom he just referred.
Commons
Debate
16 July 2025
7 contributions
Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life
rose—
I am very grateful to my constituency neighbour for giving way to me over my other constituency neighbour. My hon. Friend makes an important point about the vital role that county councils and local authorities can play in providing services to my constituents, his and those of my hon. Friend the Me…
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
14 July 2025
2 contributions
Deprived Areas: Funding
10. What steps her Department is taking to ensure that areas with higher levels of deprivation receive adequate funding.
Newcastle-under-Lyme is at the heart of our industrial heartlands. In communities such as Silverdale, Knutton and Cross Heath, we see higher levels of health inequality and lower levels of life expectancy than in many wealthier areas. These communities were let down by those who went before us and w…
Commons
Debate
10 July 2025
3 contributions
Children’s Health
On air quality, will my hon. Friend join me in paying tribute to the Stop the Stink campaigners in Newcastle-under-Lyme, who fought so hard to clean the air around schools such as St Mary’s primary school on Silverdale Road? Their work helped to make the lungs of our young people that bit healthier.
Will my hon. Friend join me in calling on the Government to adopt World Health Organisation levels for particulate matter 2.5?
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Proceedings
10 July 2025
Business of the House
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. May I extend my sympathies to you and your family on the recent death of your mother?
Last Sunday, people from across Staffordshire, including many from the heart and soul of our ancient county, Newcastle-under-Lyme, came together at Lichfield cathedral for a celebr…
Commons
Debate
9 July 2025
Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill
My hon. Friend will know, as do many Members, that my father-in-law died from Parkinson’s two and a half weeks ago, so this is a personal issue for both me and my family, and for many constituents who have written to me in recent weeks regarding their concerns about the lack of clarity. I add my sup…
Commons
Oral Questions
8 July 2025
2 contributions
Crown Court Backlog
7. What steps her Department is taking to reduce the Crown court backlog.
The people of Newcastle-under-Lyme want thugs and criminals to be held to account and to feel the full force of the law, and victims of crime to get the justice they deserve. In the west midlands—my home region and the Lord Chancellor’s—the Crown court backlog has increased by over 3,000 cases since…
Commons
Proceedings
7 July 2025
Actions of Iranian Regime: UK Response
People across Newcastle-under-Lyme watch events in the middle east week in, week out with anger, horror, sadness and frustration. I am grateful to the shadow Foreign Secretary for bringing this urgent question to the House this afternoon.
May I ask the Minister two things? First, what specific enga…
Commons
Debate
4 July 2025
2 contributions
Space Industry (Indemnities) Bill
I am enjoying my hon. Friend’s speech on space. I must declare that I prefer to have my feet firmly on planet Earth, but none the less I am enjoying his contribution. I have been advised that men are from Mars and women are from Venus. Where does my hon. Friend think those on the second Opposition B…
Where they are from, not where they are.
Commons
Debate
4 July 2025
5 contributions
Absent Voting (Elections in Scotland and Wales) Bill
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh North and Leith (Tracy Gilbert) on getting this Bill to its Third Reading and getting both sides of the House behind it, although I note that there are no SNP Members in the Chamber. I am a proud Member for an English constituency, but we in New…
My hon. Friend makes an important point. I am an English MP; we are talking about Scotland and Wales; and my wife is from Northern Ireland. Our four nations are very much represented in my short contribution to this debate.
I have seen personally the ease of the postal and proxy vote system. I love…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
4 July 2025
Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Bill
I apologise to the Bill’s promoter, the hon. Member for Chester South and Eddisbury (Aphra Brandreth), for being late; I had hoped to be here earlier.
The Minister talked about the importance of animal welfare to people up and down the country, not least in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Will she give us a …
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 July 2025
3 contributions
Music Education
Let me start by saying that I completely echo the points made by my hon. Friend the Member for Southgate and Wood Green (Bambos Charalambous) about recruitment. It is important that we get that right. I enjoyed him reminding me of my previous life, as he took us through many parts of his constituenc…
SoundCloud—there you are. The point is made: he is cooler than I am.
I am grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Southgate and Wood Green for securing this important debate, and I refer hon. Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. This is an important subject, and ho…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
13 June 2025
4 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
I am grateful to you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for giving me my first opportunity to speak in the Chamber on this most important of issues. As I do so, I think of all those who were killed in the horrendous plane crash in India yesterday. I think of their families, their friends and the lives they have…
My hon. Friend makes a very good point.
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
11 June 2025
2 contributions
British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme
I have two quick points. First, as the Minister carries out those meetings—I wish her well—will she consider meeting some of us from coalfield communities, to facilitate that conversation? Secondly, she has just touched on the industrial strategy. She knows my views on the BCSSS and its importance t…
I am mindful of the fact that hon. Members do not have to be present at Adjournment debates, but does it not say everything that there is not a single Conservative MP here this evening—although there is a former one—to discuss this issue of importance not just to Newcastle-under-Lyme but to the whol…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
5 June 2025
Free School Meals
Tackling poverty and inequality is in our DNA, and it is why many Members on the Government Benches are in this place. I welcome this announcement, as I know the more than 3,000 children and their families who will benefit in Newcastle-under-Lyme will welcome it, too. It is good for health, good for…
Commons
Debate
4 June 2025
5 contributions
Product Regulation and Metrology Bill [Lords]
In Staffordshire.
I am pleased to have put my name to the new clause tabled by my neighbour in Stoke-on-Trent Central. Does he agree, notwithstanding his comments, that much of this is also about pride? It is about pride in our people, pride in the skill of our people and pride in the vital ceramics industry, not jus…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Proceedings
22 May 2025
2 contributions
Points of Order
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I rise in my role as chair of the all-party group on Ireland and the Irish in Britain regarding yesterday’s Opposition day debate on business and the economy in which the shadow Secretary of State the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs (Andrew Griffith…
indicated assent.