Commons
Proceedings
8 July 2026
Maritime and Coastguard Agency
I am very grateful to hear that the Minister has engaged with coastguard rescue officers in Southampton, which is typical of his diligent manner and his approach to difficult issues like this. I invite him to interact with my constituents who are part of the Plymouth coastguard rescue team, who tell…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
30 June 2026
Defence Investment Plan
The investment plan lays out that this country will spend £63 billion on our nuclear deterrent over the next few years, but that is not just to keep the UK safe; we offer that as an umbrella protection across our European NATO allies. That is a massive point. It is extremely expensive; it is more th…
Commons
Debate
22 June 2026
2 contributions
Armed Forces Bill
Which would you do?
The hon. Member mentions bomb disposal. He may not know that we have seen two significant bomb disposal events in Plymouth in the last couple of years. Does he agree that Armed Forces Day this Saturday is a great opportunity to thank our military community for keeping safe everyone who lives in resi…
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 June 2026
Youth Mental Health Support
Does my hon. Friend share the concern I have from conversations in Plymouth about the deep harm caused to mental health by some social media? Is she aware that the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges has warned of an epidemic of harm to children
“continuously exposed to hateful, addictive and grossly…
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
1 June 2026
Armed Forces Recruitment and Retention
In all the years that I served as a regular in the military, the continuous attitude survey showed that morale was dropping year on year. Since Labour has come into government, that has reversed; the continuous attitude survey is at last going in the right direction under this leadership. Can the Se…
Commons
Debate
20 May 2026
Defence Readiness
My hon. Friend speaks passionately about Estonia. Britain has troops deployed in Estonia providing a tripwire, as he well knows, having no doubt spent some time with them recently. Will he join me in encouraging the Government to make every effort to arm and equip those troops with the capabilities …
Commons
Oral Questions
Science, Innovation and Technology
20 May 2026
2 contributions
Growing up in the Online World: Consultation
4. What steps her Department has taken to help ensure that parents and children are able to engage with the consultation entitled “Growing up in the online world: a national consultation.”
I speak to parents in Plymouth on this topic regularly. Ninety-two per cent of parents are concerned about the impact of social media, but many just do not have time to take part in a lengthy consultation. I also note concerns raised about the framing of some of the questions in the consultation, in…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
14 May 2026
Supreme Court Dillon Judgment
In Plymouth I represent very many veterans, lots of whom served in Northern Ireland, and I reflect on the fact that the state asked our people to do incredibly difficult things, at enormous personal risk and sacrifice, in a very particular context and with a particular political direction that they …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
14 May 2026
National Security
I join colleagues across the House in strongly condemning the ongoing campaign of attacks and intimidation against our British communities, and I thank the Minister for his leadership on those and other security matters. He said that he has initiated a review of the national threat level system, whi…
Commons
Debate
27 April 2026
2 contributions
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
I congratulate and thank the Minister for her brilliant leadership throughout the passage of the Bill. It is fantastic to see this Labour Government delivering for children. In Plymouth, the free breakfast clubs have made an enormous difference. The measures in the Bill, including those with amendme…
I politely disagree about dithering and delay. The Government are getting on as quickly as possible. The consultation was launched rapidly and is taking place right now, and the Government have committed to implementing the findings of the consultation as quickly as possible. I can assure the hon. L…
Commons
Proceedings
24 March 2026
2 contributions
Defence
The hon. Member celebrates the Labour Government’s decision to create Team Plymouth. She celebrates the Labour Government’s decision to designate Plymouth the National Centre for Marine Autonomy, and she celebrates the countless defence technology companies crowding into our wonderful, vibrant city.…
The hon. Member mentions quite rightly the brave men who served in Operation Banner. Does he agree that women also served in that operation?
Commons
Oral Questions
23 March 2026
2 contributions
Financial Abuse
10. What steps she is taking to help tackle financial abuse.
Abusive ex-partners often continue their abuse by withholding funds from children and former partners, deliberately causing financial hardship. That has a huge impact on survivors, forcing them into contact with the perpetrator and enabling their abuser to continue to influence their lives. In Plymo…
Commons
Debate
9 March 2026
Middle East: Defence
I strongly welcome my right hon. Friend’s leadership at this time. One of the defining characteristics of the UK’s response to the crisis when Russia started its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was the political unity that this party, the Labour party, offered our country. Does he find it ext…
Commons
Debate
4 March 2026
Ministry of Defence
The hon. Gentleman mentions that, given what has happened in the past few days in the middle east, the country needs to spend more on defence, but does he agree with me that the country needs to spend differently on defence? When drones cost barely tens of thousands of pounds, we need to start buyin…
Commons
Oral Questions
Science, Innovation and Technology
4 February 2026
2 contributions
Social Media Ban
3. Whether her Department's consultation on children’s use of social media will include the implementation of a potential social media ban.
Every day that children are exposed to harmful and addictive content is another day of preventable harm. Yesterday, the Spanish PM, Pedro Sánchez, announced that Spain will ban social media for under-16s, pledging to protect children there from the digital wild west. Expectations are that the Govern…
Commons
Debate
2 February 2026
Tolled Crossings and Regional Connectivity
My hon. Friend makes the important point that regional connectivity, including tolled crossings—especially between her constituency of South East Cornwall and mine in Plymouth —is integral to our nation’s defence and our ability to carry out its taskings. Does she agree that this type of regional co…
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
21 January 2026
Engagements
Q13. I strongly welcome the Government’s decision to consult on introducing a social media ban for under-16s. That is something that the Tories did not do in office and did not even support until last week. The average 12-year-old spends 29 hours a week on a smartphone, with more than 500 children…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 January 2026
Iran
Reform Members should note that the Iranian regime, which they have decided to be against, very much supports their Russian friends with the Shahed drone.
I welcome the news that we are working with allies to discuss using Starlink to overcome some of the communication barriers. The British-Iranian…
Commons
Debate
15 December 2025
NHS: Winter Preparedness
I want to place on the record my immense thanks to staff at Derriford hospital in Plymouth, who are working tirelessly to keep people safe during the busiest winter yet. I am sure that the Secretary of State will want to join me in giving those thanks. The south-west has seen a 93% increase on last …
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
15 December 2025
2 contributions
Uncrewed Defence Systems
4. What steps his Department is taking to increase the speed of the development and adoption of uncrewed defence systems.
Britain’s future security depends on developing, testing and, crucially, adopting uncrewed systems quickly and safely, but the regulation is immensely complex. It spans many Departments, including the Ministry of Defence, the Department for Transport and the Department for Science, Innovation and Te…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
8 December 2025
Ajax Armoured Vehicle
To scrap the Ajax programme completely would be a very bold move, considering that the UK has sunk over £6 billion into it and it is nine years late. The vehicle is still making soldiers ill every time they get in it, even though Ministers both current and former have been repeatedly briefed that it…
Commons
Oral Questions
11 November 2025
2 contributions
Rehabilitation: Unspent Convictions
12. What steps his Department is taking to help improve rehabilitation outcomes for people with unspent convictions.
In my first surgery as an MP in Plymouth, I met a constituent who had received an unspent conviction for a one-off crime committed 34 years ago when they were a child. Since then they have served their time, turned their life around and been a constructive member of society, in employment for 12 yea…
Commons
Debate
4 November 2025
Welfare Spending
We have heard a lot of nonsense from the Conservatives; we have had a nursery rhyme and the claim from the hon. Member for South Northamptonshire (Sarah Bool) that the first instance of welfare in this country was the monasteries under Henry VIII. But to take that example, when Thomas Cromwell came …
Commons
Proceedings
20 October 2025
Alleged Spying Case: Home Office Involvement
Personally, I am very clear that China remains an active, persistent and everyday threat to our country and has done so for many years. In the light of this, what steps is the Minister taking on behalf of the Government to ensure that parliamentarians across this House are much better protected in t…