Commons
Debate
15 June 2026
NHS Dentistry
Almost half of children in Cambridgeshire have not seen a dentist in the last 12 months. That will have many impacts that we can only imagine, but one of them is that one in every eight children in East Cambridgeshire have tooth decay by the time they are five. That should be utterly unacceptable to…
Commons
Debate
13 April 2026
2 contributions
SEND Provision and Reform
One of the things that shocked me most when I was elected was how much we are failing children with special educational needs. We all get those emails in our inbox, and they are heartrending. When we meet those parents, we can see the stress and the strain etched in their faces, and we can only imag…
I agree; we must not set things up in competition.
I would like to ask the Minister three questions. First, what is she going to do to make sure that every school in every area has the specialist resources it needs to deliver for its children? How is she going to make sure that rural areas such as …
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 March 2026
Healthcare in Rural Areas
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Huq. I congratulate the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire (Blake Stephenson) on securing this important debate.
The delivery of quality rural healthcare has been neglected for too long. After years of chronic underfunding, and a pandemic from which …
Commons
Debate
12 February 2026
2 contributions
Rural Mobile Connectivity
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Helen Morgan) on securing this important debate. I agree with much of what she said in her speech, and much of what other hon. Members have said.
My hon. Friend’s constituency shares many similarities with mine: they are a comparable si…
I entirely agree with my hon. Friend. Our constituents do not want compensation or apologies: they want a mobile signal that they can rely on. How can they have confidence that their digital connectivity will improve if Ofcom does not engage with a reliable reporting system to direct investment in r…
Commons
Proceedings
5 February 2026
Point of Order: Rectification Procedure
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I would like to apologise to the House for failing to declare an interest when tabling three written parliamentary questions to the Treasury and one written parliamentary question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. When I tabled those questions…
Commons
Debate
3 February 2026
2 contributions
Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill
Like so many Members from across the House, I welcome the Government’s decision finally to scrap the two-child limit on benefits—I just wish they had done so much earlier. The two-child limit is a cruel and unfair penalty on those in the most urgent need of welfare and support. The cap does not tack…
I commend Cotswold district council for that work. Unfortunately, when I tried to get East Cambridgeshire district council to condemn the two-child cap, the Conservatives refused.
This policy was poorly conceived from the outset and has amounted to little more than attacks—not on parents, but on vu…
Commons
Westminster Hall
2 February 2026
Indefinite Leave to Remain
I congratulate the petitioners on bringing forward this important debate. The Government’s immigration White Paper has caused no end of confusion, anxiety and distress since its publication last year. To me, and to countless constituents who have contacted me because they are worried for their livel…
Commons
Westminster Hall
26 January 2026
Key Stage 1 Curriculum
It a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Barker. I congratulate the petitioners on securing the debate and my hon. Friend the Member for South Cotswolds (Dr Savage) on her excellent speech introducing it.
We have already heard some great speeches on the benefits of including play in key sta…
Commons
Debate
15 January 2026
2 contributions
Covid-19: Financial Support
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Stratford-on-Avon (Manuela Perteghella) on securing the debate and I thank the Backbench Business Committee for making time for it.
As we approach the six-year anniversary of the first lockdown, I am sure that many colleagues will agree that the time of …
I agree. When we set up something to deal with an initial crisis, it is really important that we do not take it away too quickly when the crisis may be over but the economy, as the hon. Member said, still has not bounced back.
After facing the turmoil of the pandemic, small businesses, many of whos…
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 January 2026
Science and Discovery Centres
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Harris. I congratulate the hon. Member for Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr (Steve Witherden) on securing the debate and on his excellent opening speech. Indeed, his speech and all the speeches we have heard today have been really enthusiastic, and that…
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 December 2025
Acquired Brain Injury Action Plan
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dame Siobhain. I congratulate the right hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Sir John Hayes) on securing this debate and thank him for his hard work as chair of the APPG.
I want to pay tribute to Brainkind Fen House in my constituency of El…
Commons
Debate
3 December 2025
5 contributions
Ely: Railway Upgrade
I draw Members’ attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests as a district councillor for East Cambridgeshire.
The outline business case for the Ely area capacity enhancement scheme shows that for every £1 invested, there will be a return of £4.89—so you may wonder, Madam D…
I absolutely agree. This gives us a real opportunity to sort out quite a lot of network issues in Cambridgeshire. I would be delighted if we could resolve them all; that would make a significant difference to rail in the area.
The scheme would support sustainable, long-term economic growth. The upg…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 December 2025
2 contributions
Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Jeremy. I refer Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests as an East Cambridgeshire district councillor. I congratulate the hon. Member for Cambridge (Daniel Zeichner) on securing this important debate and on his excellent…
I agree that we need to have the wider transport network, and I will touch on that later in my remarks.
Local communities must have a genuine voice in infrastructure decisions that affect them. As we have heard, big projects like East West Rail benefit them in some way, but what would really help c…
Commons
Proceedings
1 December 2025
2 contributions
Budget Resolutions
I, too, welcome the Chancellor’s decision to remove the two-child benefit cap. I was proud to stand on that policy from the Lib Dem manifesto, because it will lift at least 350,000 children out of poverty. It will go a long way to helping families with the cost of living, but it is no good if the Ch…
I actually think we need both. Lifting the two-child benefit cap is really important.
I was also disappointed that there was no help for farmers in the Budget. The Chancellor is maintaining the inheritance tax, which will destroy many family farms in Ely and East Cambridgeshire and across the count…
Commons
Debate
17 November 2025
Asylum Policy
I agree that the asylum system is broken, and I welcome the commitment to safe and legal routes for people to seek asylum, but there is much in these measures that I think is cruel, impractical and will not work. One example is making people have reviews every two-and-a-half years for 20 years. It i…
Commons
Debate
13 November 2025
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
I also have a chalk stream in my constituency, the River Snail. Does my hon. Friend agree that it is important that we give these chalk streams statutory protection through measures such as those set out in Lords amendment 38, rather than relying on national planning frameworks that can be changed w…
Commons
Westminster Hall
11 November 2025
Support for Dyslexic Pupils
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Butler. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Yeovil (Adam Dance) and the hon. Member for Broxtowe (Juliet Campbell) on securing this debate. I thank them for their excellent speeches, and I echo their calls for a national dyslexia strategy.
…
Commons
Westminster Hall
5 November 2025
Bronze-age Heritage: Cambridgeshire
I thank the hon. Member for securing this debate. I draw attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests as an affiliate member of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists. Cambridgeshire Scouts’ Archaeology Squad in my constituency gives children a chance to get involved in …
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 November 2025
Official Development Assistance Reductions
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Desmond. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for West Dorset (Edward Morello) on securing this debate and on his excellent speech.
As we have heard today, Britain’s aid budget supports international development in countries facing extreme pov…
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
3 November 2025
2 contributions
Women in the Armed Forces: Defence Committee Recommendations
15. Whether he is taking steps to implement the outstanding recommendations of the Defence Committee’s report entitled “Protecting those who protect us: Women in the Armed Forces from Recruitment to Civilian Life”, published on 25 July 2021.
Our servicewomen urgently need investment in female-specific tactical equipment, particularly bras and body armour. What steps is the Minister taking to provide funding for research, development and implementation of kit for the female anatomy and to ensure that fitting services and task-appropriate…
Commons
Westminster Hall
29 October 2025
International Baccalaureate: Funding in State Schools
I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing the debate. Students in my constituency are served by Impington Village college for the IB. They are deeply unhappy that the college received a letter from the Department announcing the change with no warning or consultation. Does my hon. Friend agree that t…
Commons
Debate
16 October 2025
Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill
The Venerable Bede first wrote of the “Isle of Eels” back in the 8th century. He explained that the Isle of Ely is known as such because it was surrounded by water, with an abundance of eels, but these eels do not spend their whole life in Ely or, indeed, in the UK.
The biological story behind eels…
Commons
Westminster Hall
15 September 2025
Children with SEND: Assessments and Support
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Allin-Khan. I thank the petitioners and my hon. Friend the Member for South Cotswolds (Dr Savage) for leading this important debate.
We all know from our inboxes that the system is not working and that change is necessary. It is incumbent on all of…
Commons
Debate
10 September 2025
Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [Lords]
I rise to speak in support of new clause 2, which was tabled by my hon. Friend the Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough (Tom Gordon) and has cross-party support. I really hope that that cross-party support holds up in the vote.
As we have heard, disability does not stop at peak times. I represent…
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
10 September 2025
Engagements
Sunnica solar farm, which runs through my constituency, was given permission by this Government, and there are more solar farm applications in the pipeline. My constituents are concerned that these applications are being made without a land use framework, which would have provided reassurance that t…