Commons
Westminster Hall
14 July 2026
Support for Pig Farmers
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Christopher. I refer Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests.
Around one in five pigs in the country are reared in my part of the world: Norfolk and Suffolk. That means that when we talk about the future of the pig s…
Commons
Oral Questions
Church Commissioners
18 June 2026
2 contributions
Places of Worship Renewal Fund
8. What steps the Church of England is taking to ensure that rural churches are aware of the places of worship renewal fund.
There are 124 round-tower churches in Norfolk. In South Norfolk, we have St Peter’s church in Forncett and St Mary & St Walstan church in Bawburgh, to name just two. I have written to all my local churches to make them aware of the fund, but will my hon. Friend help to ensure that all rural chur…
Commons
Oral Questions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
16 June 2026
Topical Questions
The incarceration of Jimmy Lai and the persecution of Hongkongers in the United Kingdom by China is deeply wrong and disturbing. Will the Secretary of State set out what action the UK will be taking to ensure our concerns are heard and action is taken to protect Hongkongers living in the United King…
Commons
Proceedings
20 May 2026
Processed Russian Oil Products: Sanctions
I do welcome the new sanctions. My concern is over the temporary use of licence agreements, which goes to a bigger issue for the country. We keep talking about the supply side of petroleum instead of the demand side. We need to have a frank and honest conversation with our constituents and the publi…
Commons
Debate
22 April 2026
Government Procurement Strategy
I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. An important aspect of Government spending is food procurement in the NHS, on which £500 million is spent every year in England alone. May I stress to the Government that we must ensure that we back British farming and Br…
Commons
Debate
21 April 2026
Middle East: Economic Update
Because of the action of this Government, rural communities in Norfolk received the highest payment of support for heating oil, with more than £3 million in the whole of England. However, a huge concern is that more than 60% of the applications that have been made have not been completed by the loca…
Commons
Oral Questions
16 April 2026
2 contributions
Video Games Industry
10. What steps she is taking to support the video games industry.
Norfolk is home to a thriving games development community, with Norfolk games developers supporting over 500 members through mentoring, skills and business growth, contributing to a survival rate of small and medium-sized enterprises that is way above the UK average. What steps is the Department tak…
Commons
Proceedings
25 March 2026
Foreign Financial Influence and Interference: UK Politics
I thank Philip Rycroft for his review and for meeting me to discuss his report. I also thank the Government for the quick action that they are taking. On cryptocurrencies, what further action will the Government be taking to ensure that the influence does not move from politics into lobbying or, eve…
Commons
Oral Questions
19 March 2026
Business of the House
The constituents, businesses and residents of Wymondham are sick to the back teeth of not having a mobile phone signal for nearly a month now. The companies have fobbed us off with excuses and have given no information about this happening. Will the Leader of the House help me to secure a meeting wi…
Commons
Oral Questions
19 March 2026
Topical Questions
T8. One in five people face a vitamin D deficiency, with serious health impacts, but in South Norfolk we are part of the solution. The John Innes Centre is boosting vitamin D in tomatoes using gene-editing technology, and the Quadrum Institute is studying the impact. Will the Minister visit Norwich …
Commons
Debate
16 March 2026
Heating Oil Support
With one in four households in South Norfolk relying on heating oil, the announcement today will make a huge difference to my constituents and I thank the Government for their extremely swift action. As local discretion is to be exercised by local authorities, will the Minister make it clear to loca…
Commons
Debate
9 March 2026
Middle East: Economic Update
I thank the Chancellor and Treasury officials for working closely with the Labour rural research group to discuss the heating oil troubles that we are facing right now, with prices going up by over 200% in some parts. Can she elaborate on what action will be taken with the Competition and Markets Au…
Commons
Oral Questions
9 March 2026
Immigration Policy
South Norfolk expects our immigration system to be fair, open and transparent. The one problem we have come across, unfortunately, is that there is a lot of confusion online, as has been expertly shown by the shadow Home Secretary today. Can the Minister clarify that the process we are looking at wi…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
5 March 2026
Energy Markets
To follow on from that exact question, I, too, represent a very rural constituency, and there will be constituencies up and down the United Kingdom, particularly in Northern Ireland, that are heavily reliant on heating oil as our source of energy. Will the Secretary of State say what action will be …
Commons
Debate
2 March 2026
Representation of the People Bill
I strongly welcome this legislation. The proposals for votes at 16, streamlined voter registration and tightened political funding regulations are very welcome, and I applaud the Government for grabbing the bull by the horns. Others will want to address various aspects of the Bill, but for me the mo…
Commons
Westminster Hall
23 February 2026
11 contributions
Firearms Licensing
I beg to move,
That this House has considered e-petition 750236 relating to section 1 and 2 firearms licensing.
It is, as always, a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Alec. I refer hon. Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests.
In preparing for today’s debat…
I thank the right hon. Member for his intervention. I will be addressing those issues in my speech.
We need to be clear on what today’s debate is about. We are discussing a specific policy point: a proposal to merge sections 1 and 2 of the Firearms Act 1968—in other words, to align licensing contro…
+9 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
9 February 2026
3 contributions
Russian Influence on UK Politics and Democracy
I beg to move,
That this House has considered e-petition 744215 relating to Russian influence on UK politics and democracy.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Pritchard. In preparation for leading this debate, I met experts and researchers; I also spoke to Alex, the organiser of…
My hon. Friend hits the nail on the head. One of the experts I spoke to worked on that campaign, to make sure that loopholes were being closed to protect Moldovan democracy. We are no different from anybody else; he is completely right.
Disinformation relies on and deepens political polarisation in…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
5 February 2026
National Cancer Plan
Three hundred and eighty-eight days ago, the words were uttered to me, “You have stage 2C skin cancer.” I have had 388 days of scans, operations and treatments that did not need to happen, because preventive care could have stopped me getting skin cancer. That is why today’s statement is so importan…
Commons
Oral Questions
5 February 2026
Business of the House
Residents in Stoke, Holy Cross and Upper Stoke in South Norfolk have been terribly let down by Anglian Water. The company digs up the road every two seconds, which has meant that residents are cut off from the only bus service to Norwich. Can we have a debate in Government time about companies such …
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
4 February 2026
Engagements
Q12. From heat-tolerant rice trials to world-leading science at the Earlham Institute and the John Innes Centre at Norwich Research Park, South Norwich is helping to feed the world. Will the Prime Minister secure a clear carve-out for precision breeding in any future sanitary and phytosanitary agree…
Commons
Oral Questions
13 January 2026
Topical Questions
T3. My South Norfolk constituents welcome the Government’s commitment to 250 new neighbourhood health centres. For rural areas such as mine, where healthcare can be miles away, this is a real turning point. Long Stratton is a growing town, yet it is distant from Norfolk’s main health hubs. Will the …
Commons
Proceedings
8 January 2026
Business of the House
I have been working closely with local teacher and Labour Wymondham town councillor Lowell Doheny on the pressing issue of youth provision and wellbeing in our growing market town. Can we have a debate in Government time on youth provision, including access to affordable leisure and youth clubs, to …
Commons
Oral Questions
Transport
8 January 2026
Topical Questions
Consider this a pincer movement from South Norfolk to talk about Wymondham railway station and Access for All. I have already had a productive meeting with the Minister for Rail this week. Will the Secretary of State help me to bang some heads together with Network Rail to ensure that we shorten the…
Commons
Debate
7 January 2026
3 contributions
Rural Communities
I think the fact that South Norfolk has a Labour MP for the first time since 1950 goes to show— [Interruption.] This is a key point, to which Opposition Members need to pay attention. I think it goes to show that there has been a huge change in rural representation in this country, and I also think …
Would the right hon. Gentleman give way?
+1 more contribution in this session