Commons
Oral Questions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
2 September 2025
Topical Questions
I welcome the sanctions that the Government have put in place on the Israeli Government, as in their current form they are not a reliable or trusted partner. Has the Foreign Secretary ordered a review of the UK’s relationship with the Israeli Government over the last 13 months? If not, why not?
Commons
Westminster Hall
2 September 2025
Violence against Women and Girls: Pornography Prostitution
I must congratulate and thank my hon. Friend for securing this important debate. This debate should be difficult to listen to, but it still does not compare to the violent impact of pornography on women and girls. Does she agree that the upcoming violence against women and girls strategy should expl…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
21 July 2025
Infected Blood Inquiry: Additional Report
I thank my right hon. Friend for his statement. One of my constituents, who is now in her 80s, cared for her husband, who was a victim of unethical research in Edinburgh. Her son now fears that she will die before receiving recognition or redress for what she endured. Does my right hon. Friend recog…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
21 July 2025
Middle East
The ground invasion of Deir al-Balah is the latest to add to the daily attacks on Gazans, and it is further evidence that the conflict has gone too far. Israeli Foreign Ministers have already rejected the joint statement signed by 31 countries, including ours. Can the Foreign Secretary outline what …
Commons
Oral Questions
15 July 2025
Topical Questions
Nova Innovation in my constituency is pioneering floating solar, which is generating clean energy. Will my right hon. Friend outline what steps the Government are taking to support the development of floating solar?
Commons
Ministerial Statement
14 July 2025
State of Climate and Nature
Today’s Met Office report says that we need to put in place a highly localised network of rain gauges, as extreme rainfall can be very dangerous. In July 2021, Stockbridge in my constituency faced flooding after a torrential downpour one afternoon, following several days of soaring temperatures. A n…
Commons
Debate
10 July 2025
Electricity Market Review
I warmly welcome my right hon. Friend’s decision today. Zonal pricing sounded like a good idea, but the reality is that the uncertainty about future arrangements was risking investment and would not lead to jobs in green manufacturing in my constituency of Edinburgh North and Leith, or indeed across…
Commons
Debate
4 July 2025
5 contributions
Absent Voting (Elections in Scotland and Wales) Bill
I beg to move amendment 1, in clause 2, page 4, line 37, at end insert—
“(3A) In section 114 (subordinate legislation: particular provisions), in subsection (1), after ‘sections’ insert ‘12B,’”.
This enables regulations made under new section 12B of the Scotland Act 1998 (as inserted by clause 2) …
Yes, I agree. There has been support from the Scottish Government and we have been working in co-operation. How the Bill will be implemented by the Scottish Government is a core part of the amendment.
Without the amendment, the Bill could still deliver on its purpose. However, the Scottish Governme…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
4 July 2025
Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill
Will my hon. Friend join me in thanking the volunteers across Cats Protection and at Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home for the work that they do every day to keep rescued animals safe? Does he agree that those charities need our help and support, and that the Bill will help to amplify the work that they do…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
3 July 2025
Business of the House
I am sure many hon. Members have received a number of emails in relation to e-bikes. E-bikes are a great way to help people switch to active travel, and they keep many of my constituents fit and healthy and able to get from A to B. However, several constituents have raised concerns about the increas…
Commons
Westminster Hall
26 June 2025
IVF Egg Donation: Young Women
I congratulate the hon. Member on securing this debate. Is he aware that the adverts that the Scottish Government and NHS fertility centres put out do not convey the associated risks, and that some have used disingenuous language? Does he share my concern about those advertising campaigns, and does …
Commons
Oral Questions
Work and Pensions
23 June 2025
Child Poverty
As is the case for my hon. Friends the Members for Livingston (Gregor Poynton) and for Gloucester (Alex McIntyre), a number of my constituents are affected by the two-child cap, with the latest statistics showing that 330 households in my constituency are impacted. I absolutely agree with a number o…
Commons
Proceedings
19 June 2025
Business of the House
Young people from the Citadel youth centre in my constituency have been shortlisted for an Into Film award for their animation “Can we talk about Mental Health?”. The group will be here in London next week for the award ceremony, and I will be pleased to welcome them to Parliament. Will the Leader o…
Commons
Oral Questions
19 June 2025
Topical Questions
UK flour millers, including ADM in my constituency, are already contributing to our food security. However, there are fears in the industry that trade deals could curtail that progress. Will the Minister outline the steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that the welcome trade deals st…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
16 June 2025
Iran-Israel Conflict
I am sure the whole House is behind the diplomatic efforts of the Prime Minister and the Government to avoid any further escalation of this conflict, and I thank my right hon. Friend for the reassurances he has given about not taking his eye off the horrors that continue to unfold in Gaza. Can he gi…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
10 June 2025
Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories
I welcome the sanctions outlined by my hon. Friend today, and I thank him for all the work he has done. I know his commitment to the Palestinian people and the concerns he has, which he shares with us on a regular basis. Action has been required for some time. The up and coming UN conference on a tw…
Commons
Westminster Hall
10 June 2025
5 contributions
Prostitution and Sex Trafficking: Demand
I beg to move,
That this House has considered the matter of tackling demand for prostitution and sex trafficking.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Hobhouse. There is a group of people who do not get talked about enough in Parliament. In fact, they are rarely mentioned in public …
I will come to that later, and yes, I do agree with those comments.
The most recent research into the scale of paying for sex found that 3.6% of men in the UK report having paid for sex in the previous five years. Men who are most likely to have paid for sex are single, aged from 25 to 34, in manag…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Treasury
20 May 2025
Topical Questions
T2. Last month, Firth Ports officially opened the Charles Hammond berth at the port of Leith, in a £100 million private investment to create Scotland’s largest renewables hub. Will my right hon. Friend join me in welcoming that investment in Leith and set out how she is working with Cabinet colleagu…
Commons
Westminster Hall
19 May 2025
4 contributions
Gender Self-identification
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Mundell.
In 2016, the Scottish Government announced their intention to reform the Gender Recognition Act in Scotland and to introduce self-ID. Years followed, and Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill was introduced to the Scottish Parliament i…
Absolutely, and I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention. Were those councillors really saying that trans people wanted to see vital support for women fleeing violence and abuse withdrawn? Those politicians do not represent the views of any trans person I have met.
Self-identification has an im…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Proceedings
15 May 2025
Business of the House
Overnight, the Israeli Government have issued one of the largest evacuation orders seen in the last 20 months. The Minister with responsibility for the middle east, my hon. Friend the Member for Lincoln (Mr Falconer), has appeared before this House to make statements and respond to questions on nume…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
12 May 2025
Immigration System
A report on the economic impact of the University of Edinburgh found that its education exports alone amounted to £1.8 billion in the 2021-22 academic year. What engagement will my right hon. Friend have with the university to ensure that the proposals brought forward today do not have any adverse i…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
6 May 2025
Middle East Update
I thank my hon. Friend for his statement following yet another appalling turn of events towards Gaza by the Israeli Government. In a Westminster Hall debate in February, I said I feared that
“if the occupation continues, it will become increasingly difficult to apply international law to the situat…
Commons
Westminster Hall
30 April 2025
2 contributions
Gender Incongruence: Puberty Suppressing Hormones
Are the Liberal Democrats supportive of the views in the Cass review? I do not think that that has been stated on the public record as yet.
Dr Cass was clear in her review that the model of care for people with gender incongruence, and particularly for children and young people, needs to be changed to take into account their holistic care needs. Will the Minister update us on her Department’s progress in implementing those findings?