Commons
Oral Questions
14 April 2026
Topical Questions
T4. Last week, the Secretary of State announced £10 million for the Royal Berkshire hospital to fund a new site, which is very welcome news. After years of Conservative neglect, £400 million is needed to maintain the existing Royal Berks until rebuilding starts in 2039. What is the Minister doing to…
Commons
Debate
26 March 2026
Business of the House
Two people a day are diagnosed with cancer during or right after pregnancy, yet their maternity leave cannot be deferred. That means that mums are missing out on precious time bonding with their baby—time they will never get back—as they undergo urgent and necessary treatment. It is clear that legis…
Commons
Oral Questions
26 March 2026
2 contributions
Pothole Repairs: Government Funding
4. What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of Government funding for repairing potholes.
Wokingham borough council is the lowest funded unitary authority. Between 2020 and 2022 when the Conservatives led the council, they cut the road maintenance budget by £2 million, although they seem to have no recollection of doing so. Now the Labour Government are cutting £43 million from the counc…
Commons
Westminster Hall
26 March 2026
Prison Officers: Mandatory Body Armour
It is an honour to serve under your chairship, Mr Betts. I thank the right hon. Member for New Forest East (Sir Julian Lewis) for securing this very important debate.
Our prison system has been pushed into a deep crisis by years of neglect and mismanagement under previous Governments. Prisons are o…
Commons
Westminster Hall
24 March 2026
Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir John. I thank the hon. Member for Rossendale and Darwen (Andy MacNae) for securing this very important debate.
First, I would like to recognise the work done by organisations such as SUDC UK that have campaigned on this issue to raise awareness of…
Commons
Oral Questions
23 March 2026
Violence against Women and Girls
One of my constituents suffered such coercive violence that her partner forced her to allow him back into the home. She could not tell anyone, and he continued to assault her daily. She reported the behaviour to the police, but they did very little. He is in prison for less than five years, and auth…
Commons
Debate
12 March 2026
International Women’s Day
I congratulate the hon. Member for Gorton and Denton (Hannah Spencer) on her maiden speech. It was an eloquent speech that made us think that she has been here for several years. I really enjoyed her description of her constituency, and of the people and organisations she now represents. I hope that…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
12 March 2026
Business of the House
Duncan-Lynch Precision Engineering is a successful specialist manufacturing company established over 60 years ago. It would like to take on a number of new apprenticeships—good, well-paid jobs for local young people—but is struggling to find apprentices and appropriate courses. That is a clear conce…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
12 March 2026
Trade with Europe
I have heard from so many businesses in Wokingham that have suffered post Brexit with masses of red tape limiting their exports. Losing key trade relationships in Europe has meant that many local businesses have seen their profits evaporate. What are the Government doing to develop and strengthen tr…
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 March 2026
NHS Capital Spending
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Western, and I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Bobby Dean) for securing this extremely important debate.
Let us make no mistake: what we are talking about today is a national scandal. Many parts of our hospitals are f…
Commons
Oral Questions
Transport
12 February 2026
2 contributions
Road Maintenance Funding
12. What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of funding for road maintenance.
The funding given to local authorities is woefully inadequate to maintain the roads, let alone improve them. While Department for Transport funding remains well below historical levels in real terms, local authorities such as Wokingham have also had their funding dramatically cut by the Government. …
Commons
Debate
11 February 2026
Local Government Finance
The settlement is unfair, and it is a disaster for my constituents. Wokingham borough council is already the lowest funded unitary authority per capita in the country, as it was under the Conservative Government for more than 10 years. As a result of this so-called fair funding review, the Labour Go…
Commons
Debate
11 February 2026
Police Grant Report
As my hon. Friend the Member for Cheltenham (Max Wilkinson) said earlier, Liberal Democrats have long called for a return to proper community policing. After years of Conservative chaos and mismanagement, it is clear in Wokingham and across the country that there are not enough police officers. Resi…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
10 February 2026
Local Power Plan
I thank the Secretary of State for his statement. My Liberal Democrat colleagues and I have long campaigned for community energy, but it is not enough to have a plan to deliver local power projects in the future, when there are projects around the country ready to go now, but sadly not supported by …
Commons
Proceedings
9 February 2026
Brain Tumour Survival Rates
I thank the hon. Member for Mitcham and Morden (Dame Siobhain McDonagh) and my hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Charlie Maynard) for securing this evening’s important debate. Brain cancer is a particularly nasty and lethal form of cancer, and one of the least improved cancers in terms of survival …
Commons
Oral Questions
9 February 2026
Jimmy Lai: Prison Sentence
As my hon. Friend the Member for Hazel Grove (Lisa Smart) said, Jimmy Lai’s conviction is a massive failure for the Prime Minister, who said that he could change outcomes. This sends a worrying signal to Hongkongers living in Wokingham and across the UK, many of whom face intimidation from China whe…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
5 February 2026
National Cancer Plan
I was the first MP in this Parliament to call for a national cancer plan back in October 2024, so I congratulate the Secretary of State and the Minister for publishing the plan. There are some good things in it: the concentration on children and young people’s cancers; the concentration on rare and …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
5 February 2026
Sudan
How are the Government engaging directly with Sudanese civilian coalitions, including the Somoud coalition, to ensure that their proposals inform international mediation efforts?
Commons
Oral Questions
5 February 2026
Business of the House
I thank the Leader of the House for his comments about the Westminster Hall debate. Yesterday, the Government finally launched a national cancer plan, which contained many ambitious targets. However, that plan requires us to have firm checks in place, so that we can ensure that promises on paper are…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
29 January 2026
Business of the House
Patients, cancer charities and healthcare professionals have been calling for urgent investment in oncology to prevent a postcode lottery of care. Unfortunately, regional inequalities exist, denying many patients access to effective treatment or quicker diagnosis. Will the House schedule time to con…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
22 January 2026
Business of the House
My constituents’ 11-year-old son perforated his eardrum in July and was referred for paediatric ear, nose and throat treatment, but they were then informed that the waiting time for standard referrals was 12 to 14 months and given no indication of when treatment might start. Understandably, they are…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
19 January 2026
Arctic Security
How many times do my Lib Dem colleagues and I need to come to the House and tell the Government that Trump cannot be trusted? His behaviour is that of a spoilt child, bullying his allies while looking to swell the coffers of those closest to him. By working with our European partners in NATO, we mus…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
15 January 2026
Business of the House
The upcoming national cancer plan is a vital opportunity to resolve chronic issues in cancer care and to improve survival outcomes after 10 years of neglect from the Conservatives. With the plan’s announcement likely to be just a few weeks away, can the Leader of the House confirm what time will be …
Commons
Debate
14 January 2026
Ukraine
A serious concern shared by Ukrainians in Wokingham relates to the crimes of the Russian army. Over 20,000 children have been abducted since the start of Russia’s invasion. This disgusting tactic of the Russian armed forces, authorised by Putin, threatens to rob Ukraine of its future. I would like t…
Commons
Debate
12 January 2026
Finance (No. 2) Bill
I rise to speak to clause 10. It is utterly unfair and shameful that this Government are raising taxes on struggling families by freezing or continuing the freeze of income tax thresholds, which was started by the Conservatives. The Conservative Government spent years hitting people with stealth tax…