Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 October 2025
Manchester Terrorism Attack
The horrific terrorist attack at Heaton Park follows a decade during which antisemitism has increased nearly every year, and the CST has confirmed that antisemitism is increasing on university campuses. In York we have two fantastic universities where antisemitism has no place. Will my right hon. Fr…
Commons
Debate
8 September 2025
Defence Industrial Strategy
Today’s blockbuster strategy completely rewires many of the institutions at the heart of our defence financing: the National Wealth Fund, the British Business Bank and UK Export Finance. With the news that the Chinese bond market may now be open to Russian defence companies, does my hon. Friend agre…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
4 September 2025
Early Education and Childcare
“Paw Patrol” lunchbox in hand, my son Robin started at a new preschool yesterday, and I can tell the House that I am so proud of him. Will my hon. Friend join me in thanking the staff at York’s preschools and nurseries for their work in expanding free childcare?
Commons
Proceedings
4 September 2025
Business of the House
British passenger railway turns 200 this month, so let us give it the proper birthday present it deserves: European rail in the north. Can we have a debate on using disused High Speed 2 land for a Leeds to Lille line, which could transform the visitor economies in Leeds, Manchester, York and beyond?
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 September 2025
Pavement Parking
Whether it is wheelchair users in Wheldrake, children walking to school in Skelton or Mrs Charters pushing baby Louis, does the hon. Lady agree that pavement parking pushes vulnerable road users on to the roads? Does she also agree that we need to look at local councils fining those persistent pavem…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
1 September 2025
Ukraine
To secure peace in the long term for Ukraine we need to support its defence industrial base and therefore the financial sector that underpins it, but I am concerned that UK Export Finance red tape could be limiting UK-Ukraine defence partnerships. I also believe that we could launch new joint defenc…
Commons
Oral Questions
1 September 2025
Topical Questions
T7. It is great to be back after taking paternity leave, and thank you for your support, Mr Speaker. I welcome the Government’s parental leave review, but currently partners only get unpaid time off work for two antenatal appointments. Does my hon. Friend agree that this is a gap, and can he confirm…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
26 June 2025
G7 and NATO Summits
I praise the Prime Minister for his work on the new 5% target and on ensuring that we reach it for our national security and core defence. Does he agree that just as the Labour Government in the 1940s helped to found NATO, this Labour Government could help found a multilateral defence development ba…
Commons
Debate
25 June 2025
Department for Transport
Up north, we are chuffed about the record investment in the trans-Pennine route, and chuffed about Northern Powerhouse Rail. Will my hon. Friend back my calls for better train wi-fi, so that our constituents can check their emails speedily, and my little boy Robin can stream “Paw Patrol”?
Commons
Proceedings
23 June 2025
Pride Month
May I celebrate my wonderful hon. Friend for his role in founding Basildon Pride? Will he join me in commending York Pride and its 17,000 visitors for celebrating the wonderful LGBTQ+ community that we have in York? Will he also join me in condemning any abuse, harassment or intimidation—at any Prid…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
23 June 2025
UK Modern Industrial Strategy
My hon. Friend the Member for Aldershot (Alex Baker) and I have published a report highlighting the persistent scale-up gap for defence SMEs. I welcome the increase in funds for NSSIF—the national security strategic investment fund—but red tape is holding back investment in British single-use milita…
Commons
Oral Questions
Work and Pensions
23 June 2025
2 contributions
Welfare Fraud: Organised Crime
1. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to tackle fraud in the welfare system by organised criminal groups.
Having spent my career before entering this place tackling fraud, I recognise the scale of the challenge, so I commend the Secretary of State for her leadership, with the biggest ever crackdown on benefit fraud. Given the success of whistleblower reward schemes in tax and financial crime, does my ho…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
19 June 2025
UK Infrastructure: 10-year Strategy
Through my work on the Public Accounts Committee, I have seen just how severe the public estate maintenance backlog has become. In fact, the Conservatives had their heads so deep in the sand on building maintenance that I am surprised they did not apply for planning permission. Can my right hon. Fri…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
18 June 2025
HS2 Reset
On the Public Accounts Committee, I asked HS2 bosses what I thought was a relatively simple question: how much are they spending on newt mitigation? However, they could not give an answer. Similarly, I can confirm to the House that I have information suggesting that the cost of the so-called bat tun…
Commons
Westminster Hall
11 June 2025
Theft of Tools of Trade
My hon. Friend is a champion for the grafters of this country, who are fed up with having the tools of their trade nicked. Does she agree that the action and sentencing changes that she is asking for must apply to the tools of any trade, be they the GPS on tractors, which we have heard about, or the…
Commons
Debate
21 May 2025
Regulation of Bailiffs (Assessment and Report)
I beg to move,
That leave be given to bring in a Bill to require the Secretary of State to publish an assessment of the effectiveness of current regulation of the debt collection and civil enforcement sectors and to report to Parliament on the potential merits of statutory regulation of those secto…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
20 May 2025
UK-EU Summit
I congratulate the Prime Minister and the Paymaster General on this deal, which makes the people of York Outer better off, and, in particular, on the agreement on e-gates, which the Conservative party could never achieve. Will the Government prioritise e-gates talks with member states in popular hol…
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
19 May 2025
2 contributions
Defence Procurement: SMEs
6. What steps his Department is taking to increase support for SMEs in the defence sector.
I have met outstanding UK SMEs, such as Supacat, 4GD and many others, which contribute to the sovereign industrial base that our security depends on. However, under the last Government, the percentage of Ministry of Defence direct expenditure going to SMEs fell, from 5% to 4%. Will my right hon. Fri…
Commons
Proceedings
15 May 2025
Business of the House
This Government are getting on with building new railway lines across the country: High Speed 2, East West Rail and, of course, the TransPennine route upgrade, which will benefit my constituents. Does my right hon. Friend agree that one of those lines should be named the Turing line to honour Alan T…
Commons
Oral Questions
15 May 2025
Topical Questions
My constituents in Bishopthorpe and Copmanthorpe are sick of putting up with unsafe HGV movements. Children walking to school have been involved in near misses, yet the traffic commissioner cannot take that into account, so will my hon. Friend meet me to discuss this case?
Commons
Proceedings
13 May 2025
4 contributions
UK-EU Summit
Next Monday is a really important day, as the UK rebuilds our relationship with Europe. This is a big issue for my constituents, because they were failed for far too long.
Let me be clear: I cannot believe that the Conservatives think that they have the credibility to run an Opposition day debate o…
My hon. Friend is spot on. That is why the Conservative party is completely irresponsible. Conservative Members are so out of step with reality that I may as well be asking them to take advice from the stone age. They said that they wanted to take back control once upon a time, but the reality is th…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
7 May 2025
8 contributions
Defence Sector Financing
I beg to move,
That this House has considered barriers to defence sector financing.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Edward. I thank my hon. Friend the Minister for responding today. Every era has ideas that capture imaginations, but only some give birth to institutions that gen…
I thank my hon. Friend for his sterling work on the Defence Committee. Through our collective industrial strength, what greater deterrent could there be to our adversaries?
+6 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
6 May 2025
Victory in Europe and Victory over Japan: 80th Anniversary
In York Outer, we will be celebrating VE Day and the peace we cherish today as a result of the tenacity of the wartime generation.
May I take just a moment to set the scene of what VE Day was like in York? After nearly six long years of war, the city burst into life with spontaneous celebration. Fo…