Commons
Proceedings
20 October 2025
Alleged Spying Case: Home Office Involvement
The Minister has repeatedly said that he is extremely disappointed that this case did not proceed to trial. That is thin gruel if all the steps necessary to ensure that it got to trial were not taken. With that in mind, can he set out whether the report in The Sunday Times over the weekend that the …
Commons
Oral Questions
Education
20 October 2025
SEND Provision
I have spoken to many anxious parents whose children have not been in receipt of an EHCP or local authority funding but would historically have benefited from independent education provision because of their SEND needs. One of their concerns is that such provision can no longer be afforded because o…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
14 October 2025
Northern Ireland Troubles
Will the Secretary of State set out how many of the proposed six protections for veterans will also be available to former paramilitaries?
Commons
Oral Questions
Justice
16 September 2025
Topical Questions
In July this year, alongside a cross-party group of parliamentarians and others, I wrote to the then Lord Chancellor seeking a meeting regarding improving gatekeeping and alternative dispute resolution in family court matters. I have not received a response. Can the Lord Chancellor give me the reass…
Commons
Debate
15 September 2025
Employment Rights Bill
I am grateful to have the opportunity to speak to two specific Lords amendments proposed in turn by Lord Burns and Lord Sharpe in the other place. While addressing different clauses, both amendments essentially come down to the same principle: defending fairness, transparency and democratic legitima…
Commons
Oral Questions
Home Department
15 September 2025
Topical Questions
T9. When will levels of shoplifting finally reduce rather than rise, as they have under this Government?
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
8 September 2025
Topical Questions
For many veterans, hearing loss is one of the hidden scars of service, and in a number of cases, it has been linked to defective 3M hearing equipment. Will the Minister use their arts of persuasion on the Prime Minister to ensure an independent inquiry, so that we can find out the extent of this, an…
Commons
Westminster Hall
8 September 2025
Indefinite Leave to Remain
Like the hon. Gentleman, I have a significant Hongkonger population in my constituency of Solihull West and Shirley—there are about 4,500 across the borough. Does he agree that they had a legitimate expectation that the rules of the game would not be changed part way through, and that to do so would…
Commons
Westminster Hall
2 September 2025
2 contributions
Defibrillators
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I also congratulate the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland (Sam Rushworth) on securing this important debate, and I start by sending my condolences to George Smith’s family at this very difficult time.
Many Members may know that, before c…
The hon. Member makes a really important point. The consequences of vandalism or damage to this equipment can be life-changing—it can end a life. The ramifications have to be clearly pointed out and reflected in the law of the land.
Secondly, my hon. Friend the Member for Dumfries and Galloway (Joh…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
1 September 2025
Borders and Asylum
In her statement, the Home Secretary set out that the Government would establish an independent body to process asylum appeals. That will work only if it is delivered at pace, resourced and well-staffed, so can she set out when that independent body will start recruiting arbitrators and support staf…
Commons
Proceedings
9 July 2025
Trial by Jury: Proposed Restrictions
The Minister will know the high regard in which I hold her. With that in mind, does she, in her own heart, believe that intermediate courts will fix the criminal court backlog, or does she agree with the legal profession that that risks being a costly distraction from investing in the existing syste…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
7 July 2025
Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life
In her statement, the Secretary of State said that every child deserves a great education, including children with SEND. I do not think anybody could disagree with that, but for parents and pupils in my constituency, and up and down the country, warm words are one thing but concrete outcomes are ano…
Commons
Proceedings
7 July 2025
Actions of Iranian Regime: UK Response
The Minister has set out a desire to get Iran back to the negotiating table. Can he say what steps he and his colleagues at the Foreign Office are taking to ensure that they get that outcome?
Commons
Westminster Hall
2 July 2025
Space Weather
I beg to move,
That this House has considered the impact of space weather on the UK.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Turner. There are debates in this House that deal with the visible challenges of our time, such as conflict, inflation and public services, and then every so o…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
26 June 2025
Business of the House
Brilliant organisations such as citizenAID, which was co-founded by two of my former bosses, Major General Tim Hodgetts and Professor Sir Keith Porter, provide brilliant education about civil resilience and emergency preparedness. In an increasingly uncertain world, will the Leader of the House comm…
Commons
Debate
25 June 2025
National Armaments Director
Today this House is quite properly considering the scale and seriousness of the threats we face, from those requiring conventional deterrence in Europe to those of strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific. The case for strengthening our armed forces is not just compelling but essential. However, we…
Commons
Debate
25 June 2025
Criminal Justice
The hon. Gentleman raises an important point about court backlogs. Another factor is having the appropriate magistrates, legal advisers and so on to hear these cases. The Magistrates’ Association has raised concerns that the spending review allocation is insufficient to tackle that. Does he share th…
Commons
Proceedings
25 June 2025
Nuclear-certified Aircraft Procurement
In response to an earlier question, I was pleased to hear the Minister commit to seeking to compress the timetable between delivery and the in-service date. I believe I heard the Minister say that the delivery date was the back end of the 2020s. Can she confirm the anticipated in-service date?
Commons
Ministerial Statement
24 June 2025
China Audit
Given that China represents one of the defining geopolitical challenges of our age, I am somewhat sceptical about reports this morning that this much-touted, long-awaited year-long audit has significantly downgraded that challenge. Under this Government, there has been a significant increase in mini…
Commons
Proceedings
24 June 2025
National Security Strategy
Given the scale of foreign-influence operations, particularly those of China, does the Minister accept that Britain’s societal resilience remains far too limited? Without clear Government messaging, how can institutions or the public properly play their role? Will the Minister commit to expanding th…
Commons
Debate
23 June 2025
UK Military Base Protection
When organisations such as Palestine Action break into military bases, damage secure facilities and put our personnel at risk, they are not just protesting but sabotaging. With that in mind, if any other extremists had carried out those tasks they would rightly be described as domestic terrorists. D…
Commons
Committee Stage
17 June 2025
7 contributions
Mental Health Bill [ Lords ] (Sixth sitting)
My hon. Friend makes a pressing point. Does she agree that if the amendment is accepted, there will be a requirement for additional training to deal with financial and social support, which goes outside the current scope of these important advocates?
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship this afternoon, Mrs Harris. I rise to speak on clauses 30 to 33, which go to the core of the rights architecture that surrounds mental health law in this country—namely, the oversight and challenge mechanisms available to individuals subject to deten…
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons
Committee Stage
17 June 2025
Mental Health Bill [ Lords ] (Fifth sitting)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Desmond. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak to amendments 54 and 55, which propose that where a nominated person is appointed to represent the interests of a patient under the age of 16, that individual must hold parental responsibility.…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
16 June 2025
Child Sexual Exploitation: Casey Report
The sexual exploitation of vulnerable children in this country is a stain upon our society, and the victims want not just the truth out but transparency. With that in mind, will the Home Secretary confirm whether the Government asked Baroness Casey to change any elements of her report—yes or no?
Commons
Committee Stage
12 June 2025
2 contributions
Mental Health Bill [ Lords ] (Fourth sitting)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Vickers. I rise to speak briefly to clause 7, which in many ways is a tidying up of the other changes in the Bill to ensure alignment. In that sense, it is a necessary part of this legislation.
For too long, mental health tribunals, which have a…
I rise to address three broad points on clause 19. I entirely understand where this is coming from—it is to improve accessibility, efficiency and flexibility in delivering assessments. It reflects the broader observations from the independent review and aligns with the NHS digital transformation goa…