Commons
Debate
23 February 2026
Schools White Paper: Every Child Achieving and Thriving
I thank Bournemouth’s parents and teachers for shaping this plan—I can see their views in it. I thank in particular Andrew, Claire, their lovely son and his lovely grandparents. Teachers in Bournemouth have been calling out for national support, and now they have it. Some £165 million of Bournemouth…
Commons
Debate
12 February 2026
2 contributions
LGBT+ History Month
It is a pleasure to speak in a debate that was opened with such excellent speeches by my hon. Friends the Members for Nottingham East (Nadia Whittome) and for Jarrow and Gateshead East (Kate Osborne).
It is also an honour to speak having listened to my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow North (Mart…
The shadow Minister is talking about the introduction of same-sex marriage, and I want to emphasise that that was a moment of cross-party history. The Liberal Democrat Baroness Featherstone worked as part of the coalition Government with the Conservatives to introduce that legislation, which was car…
Commons
Oral Questions
Transport
12 February 2026
Commuter Safety
At the last minute, with spades set to go in the ground this summer and the design works within the financial envelope, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council is axing the money to improve safety and accessibility at Pokesdown railway station. I am left wondering what it is about Pokesdown, Bos…
Commons
Debate
11 February 2026
Police Grant Report
Over the weekend I went on a walkaround with my local police officers in Boscombe and Springbourne, and they were talking about the need to make sure that, particularly over the summer months, neighbourhood police teams were not seeing—in their words—significant abstractions of police officers from …
Commons
Oral Questions
Home Department
9 February 2026
Topical Questions
T3. I respect everyone’s democratic right to protest within the law. In Bournemouth, Dorset police is being forced to spend around £100,000 policing protests at the three asylum hotels, which were opened by the Conservatives at eye-watering expense. Often protests have to be managed by neighbourhood…
Commons
Westminster Hall
9 February 2026
2 contributions
Russian Influence on UK Politics and Democracy
War may not be declared as before and warfare may not be defined by the weapons of old—we may not, for instance, have Russian bombers over the skies of London—but does the hon. Member agree that this country is being forced to fight back against Russian disinformation, spying and sabotage every day?…
My hon. Friend is making an eloquent point about how Reform’s Nathan Gill, who has been jailed for 10 years, was pushing out Putin propaganda in return for funding, and Reform has the most worrying of relationships with Russia. Is it also the case that Reform will ultimately do whatever its paymaste…
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 February 2026
Civil Service Pension Scheme: Administration
Public servants in Bournemouth East who gave decades of their lives are struggling after providing service to all of us. Probation officers, youth justice workers, prison staff and court clerks are struggling while Capita makes mistake after mistake. Does my hon. Friend agree that being good at winn…
Commons
Westminster Hall
29 January 2026
2 contributions
Ukraine: Non-recognition of Russian-occupied Territories
I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds Central and Headingley (Alex Sobel) for securing this debate, and for all his work to advance the rights of the Ukrainian people. I also thank all hon. Members here today to debate non-recognition of Russian occupied territory.
It has now been more than 1…
The point about democracy and elections is important. The Government have launched an investigation into external influences on our own democracy, particularly financial influences, in the wake of the Old Bailey sentencing Nathan Gill, the elected Reform politician, to 10 and a half years in prison …
Commons
Westminster Hall
29 January 2026
4 contributions
River Habitats: Protection and Restoration
I start by thanking my hon. Friend the Member for South Dorset (Lloyd Hatton)—my Dorset neighbour—for securing this really important debate. This issue matters an awful lot to him, and he represents it perfectly on behalf of his constituents. I note that this is the debut of the Liberal Democrat spo…
I will very happily, at this point, give way.
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
28 January 2026
6 contributions
British Indian Ocean Territory
I can assure the right hon. Gentleman that, as a Labour Member, I have had zero conversations with other Labour Members about this deal being motivated by some kind of post-colonial guilt—that is absolutely not a motivation, and I want to dispel that impression once and for all. He talks about consi…
rose —
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
26 January 2026
Armed Forces Bill
The right hon. Gentleman gives me a very good prompt, because this morning I was at the war memorial in Bournemouth, where two new plaques were unveiled for the 12 Indian soldiers who died at No. 8A Indian general hospital, which is now Bournemouth town hall. The plaques mark their contribution to B…
Commons
Oral Questions
Work and Pensions
26 January 2026
Topical Questions
My constituent Stephen Sherwood has complex needs and learning difficulties. He could not understand changes to universal credit, needed guidance that never came, and so lost financial support that he badly needed. Stephen and his mum, Nicola, rightly want to know whether the DWP involves people wit…
Commons
Westminster Hall
26 January 2026
Animal Rescue Centres
I thank the 145 signatories to the petition from Bournemouth East; I also thank Staffie and Stray Rescue, Waggy Tails Rescue Dorset and Margaret Green Animal Rescue, alongside Cats Protection and the RSPCA, for all that they do in my constituency. My hon. Friend mentions the Government’s recently an…
Commons
Westminster Hall
26 January 2026
2 contributions
Key Stage 1 Curriculum
Play is firmly back on the agenda in this Parliament, as symbolised by the new APPG on play. On Wednesday last week, we heard from, among others, Ruth Lue-Quee—My Mummy Teacher—about the importance of this petition.
In England, we rightly pride ourselves on an early years foundation stage that plac…
This is a debate about whether play ought to be a mandatory part of key stage 1—do the official Opposition support that?
Commons
Ministerial Statement
22 January 2026
Business of the House
In the last 20 minutes, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council’s planning committee has approved the Cherries’ plans to enable work to expand Vitality stadium. There is an agreement that there will be staff to marshal traffic and parking, and a council working group to abate the concerns of res…
Commons
Oral Questions
Cabinet Office
22 January 2026
Topical Questions
Boots has stores in Castlepoint, Southbourne Grove and Boscombe high street in my constituency. I met Boots in Parliament to hear about what it is doing to tackle shoplifting. In London, it is working with the Metropolitan police, who plug into Boots’s own reporting system to avoid the need for dupl…
Commons
Oral Questions
Cabinet Office
22 January 2026
UK-EU Relations
This week the Prime Minister hit the phones again to protect our interests; meanwhile, the Leader of the Opposition risked undermining those efforts, acting almost like a Trump Trojan horse in this Chamber. Diplomacy is paying off: tariff threats are receding and Greenland solutions may be emerging.…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
21 January 2026
Warm Homes Plan
It was interesting to hear the Liberal Democrats really struggle to say that they admire this policy, given that they seem to be getting everything they want from it, and it is disappointing to see the deserted Conservative Benches for this statement. [ Interruption. ] Oh, I offer my apologies to th…
Commons
Debate
20 January 2026
6 contributions
Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill
I am too young to have seen that scene in “Dallas”, so that went slightly over my head. Does the right hon. Member agree that we cannot read too much into a social media post? After all, the hon. Member for Clacton (Nigel Farage) has said about the right hon. Member for Newark (Robert Jenrick):
“Je…
My hon. Friend the Member for Halesowen (Alex Ballinger) has said much of what I was going to say, thankfully, so I will try to be brief. The shadow Foreign Secretary, the right hon. Member for Witham (Priti Patel), made a set of arguments predicated on the case for national security. It is therefor…
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
19 January 2026
Sale of Fireworks
Nearly two hours into this debate, I am pleased to have the chance to speak. The fact that so many have spoken shows just how much this issue matters to our constituents. I thank the 497 people in my constituency who signed the two petitions, showing just how much this matters to Bournemouth East.
…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
15 January 2026
Business of the House
Told mistakenly that he was £472 in arrears for child support, my constituent Daniel White was then told that his situation was resolved, only to hear months later that he was in fact £1,800 in arrears. Diagnosed with leukaemia and unable to work, my constituent Nader Nouripanah found out months aft…
Commons
Oral Questions
15 January 2026
Topical Questions
T5. AFC Bournemouth has just said goodbye to Antoine Semenyo. He has been a superstar on the pitch and a gentleman off it, taking out a full-page ad in the Bournemouth Daily Echo to thank fans for the memories as, sadly, he left for Manchester City. Bournemouth need more players like him, and that m…
Commons
Debate
14 January 2026
Ukraine
At the outset, may I acknowledge your staunch and consistent support for the people of Ukraine, Madam Deputy Speaker? You have most recently represented Mr Speaker at the international Crimea platform to reinforce Ukraine’s sovereignty.
My heart goes out to the people of Ukraine both in Ukraine and…
Commons
Westminster Hall
13 January 2026
Universities: Statutory Duty of Care
It is a pleasure to see a constituency neighbour in the Chair, Sir Christopher. My constituency has three universities: Bournemouth University, Arts University Bournemouth and the Health Sciences University. They are committed to achieving zero suicides, and have a joint strategy intended to ensure …
Commons
Proceedings
12 January 2026
New Medium Helicopter Contract
As the Member of Parliament for Bournemouth East, I am passionate about renewing British military aircraft. After all, my constituency hosted the Bournemouth air festival until it was scrapped by the Liberal Democrat-led council, with no plans to return it—something that I am trying to reverse.
I w…