Commons
Westminster Hall
12 January 2026
11 contributions
Call for General Election
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his constructive comments about the need to change the political culture inside this place, but there is also a need to change it right across the country, including in our councils and devolved Governments. Does he agree that working to roll out proportional represent…
The hon. Gentleman talks about being sorry. Many people across the country voted Reform in local council elections on the basis that there would be either no increase in or perhaps even a cut in council tax. Now they face with rises at the very limit of what is legally possible. Is he sorry for that…
+9 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
8 January 2026
Road Safety Strategy
I welcome the strategy published yesterday. It will save lives and, as a secondary impact, reduce insurance premiums, which is a non-trivial challenge for many people. I want to talk about the notion of a cognitive test that is set out in the strategy. In 2020, Xander Irvine, who was just three year…
Commons
Oral Questions
Transport
8 January 2026
2 contributions
Illegally Modified E-bikes
19. What steps she is taking with delivery platforms to help reduce the use of illegally modified e-bikes.
I thank the Minister for her response and for her written statement this morning on pavement parking. The illegal use of e-bikes by delivery companies is a matter of real concern for people in Edinburgh South West. I wrote to the Just Eat delivery company this week, and it said in its reply that it …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
7 January 2026
Ukraine and Wider Operational Update
I thank the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister for the leadership they have shown both at home and internationally on this issue. I pay tribute to 3 Rifles from Edinburgh South West, which deployed to Finland late last year and trained right up to the border with Russia with their brothers an…
Commons
Debate
7 January 2026
Rural Communities
I think it is great that, rather than just criticising the Government, the hon. Lady is outlining a set of policies that the Lib Dems would take forward to support farming communities. What is not clear, however, is how it would all be funded. How much would that list of policies cost, how would it …
Commons
Westminster Hall
6 January 2026
Less Survivable Cancers
It is a pleasure to serve under you today, Mr Efford. I thank the hon. Member for Wokingham (Clive Jones) for securing this debate, a week ahead of Less Survivable Cancers Awareness Week.
The six less survivable cancers—those of the brain, liver, lungs, pancreas, oesophagus and stomach—take 67,000 …
Commons
Debate
5 January 2026
Middle East and North Africa
I thank the Minister for being so quick to condemn Netanyahu for yet again trying to block aid from getting into Gaza, and for his condemnation of the new settlements, which, I hope, will not actually go forward.
I want to talk about Iran. Before Christmas, I visited a few schools in Edinburgh Sout…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
5 January 2026
Venezuela
I thank the Foreign Secretary for her statement. She has been getting lots of advice in response, but I do not think any of us really envy her position. I thank her for talking to the leader of the opposition, María Corina Machado, which is the right thing to do. The Foreign Secretary outlined how s…
Commons
Westminster Hall
5 January 2026
Length of the School Week
This is a devolved issue, but I did post about it on my Facebook page, because it is an interesting question—I think the post had about 100,000 views and just under 400 comments. One of the challenges that people brought up, which I think my hon. Friend missed from his list, was the impact of longer…
Commons
Westminster Hall
5 January 2026
2 contributions
Free Bus Travel: Over-60s
I apologise for interrupting the hon. Gentleman’s flow. I do not think anybody would disagree with what he says; we would all love free bus travel for over-60s, and perhaps for even more people than that, but it is a question of cost. He talks about investment, but how much does he estimate that thi…
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Mundell. I thank my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Folkestone and Hythe (Tony Vaughan) for his introduction to the debate. His contribution, along with that of my hon. Friend the Member for East Thanet (Ms Billington), reminded me that I …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
17 December 2025
INEOS Chemicals: Grangemouth
No pressure, Madam Deputy Speaker. I thank the Minister for his statement and for not giving up on these workers. He was slightly generous in describing the situation inherited from the SNP and the Tories as “managed decline”, but perhaps that was because it is Christmastime. It is great to see my c…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
17 December 2025
UK-EU Common Understanding Negotiations
I refer colleagues to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. I thank the Minister for his statement, although I am trying hard to visualise him playing basketball at Hackney college this morning. Perhaps photographs are available to confirm that it actually happened—apologies for …
Commons
Proceedings
17 December 2025
Puberty Suppressants Trial
I thank the Secretary of State for his leadership on this issue. Nobody envies him the decisions he has to make, but he has made the right decision on this.
During my election campaign, I met a fantastic mother—no mother could have loved their daughter more. She told me about how, when her daughter…
Commons
Debate
16 December 2025
Finance (No. 2) Bill
I thank the hon. Gentleman for giving way at such an opportune point. I respect the fact that he is here and that his political ambition is Scottish independence. The Government negotiated that trade deal with the United States, and it is one of the best deals any country in the world has. I find my…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
16 December 2025
Electoral Resilience
I am really disappointed that none of the Reform MPs who were here at the start—most of them have gone—took the opportunity to utterly condemn Nathan Gill’s treacherous acts. We should all condemn what he did; he is an absolute traitor to our country.
I am pleased that the Secretary of State is tak…
Commons
Westminster Hall
16 December 2025
2 contributions
Quarries: Planning Policy
It is a pleasure to serve under you, Dr Murrison. I thank the hon. Member for South Leicestershire (Alberto Costa) for so fully introducing the debate. It is of real interest to me. I am always amazed, when I go to cities, that so much of what we see above ground was once below ground. I want to spe…
In my experience of dealing with Ravelrig quarry in Edinburgh South West, a 600-metre line on a map is not always the best way to proceed, because the impact of blasting on properties varies considerably depending on the underlying geology and so on. Does the hon. Gentleman accept that the policy ne…
Commons
Proceedings
11 December 2025
2 contributions
St Andrew’s Day and Scottish Affairs
In my previous life as an academic, I got a little bit involved in that project, but that was many, many years ago, so I am really surprised that it has not yet been delivered in some shape or form. I am sure that the local authority is working hard on it, but surely if the work had taken place much…
I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Dunfermline and Dollar (Graeme Downie) for introducing the debate. He is my mother’s MP, so I will be able to give a good account of him on Christmas day.
I want to talk about Scotland. I will talk a little bit about St Andrew, but above all else I will talk ab…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
11 December 2025
National Plan to End Homelessness
I thank the Minister for her statement. I hope she will accept my apologies for being a little bit late; I missed the first few seconds of her statement, although I have read it.
In a few hours’ time, I will be getting the train back to Scotland. This is a place where Scottish Labour recently force…
Commons
Debate
10 December 2025
2 contributions
Conduct of the Chancellor of the Exchequer
Will the Minister give way?
I always try to be helpful, and I thank the Minister for giving way.
There was a lot of speculation about the Budget, but a lot of that came from the Opposition Benches. Every single clickbait headline was repeated in the Chamber to fuel speculation. It was incredibly damaging—does the Minister not…
Commons
Debate
10 December 2025
2 contributions
Seasonal Work
In 2023, just under 4,600 licensed premises closed down across the UK. Was the 2024 Labour Budget to blame for that?
I am really looking forward to a tourist tax coming to Edinburgh next year. Like local authorities in England, we benefit greatly from tourism—it is fantastic for the city—but it does have impacts on the operation of the council with things like litter and so on. The tourist tax will help the counci…
Commons
Debate
9 December 2025
Railways Bill
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker—what a wonderful surprise.
I am a huge fan of rail. Every week I travel to this place via rail, and on my usual train, I am able to get to London in just four hours and 20 minutes. Since I came to the Chamber today, I have had an email from LNER saying that that time…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
9 December 2025
Grooming Gangs: Independent Inquiry
I thank the Secretary of State for her statement and the Minister for Safeguarding for the work that she has done in this area over many, many years. It should shame us that so many people have waited for many years for today’s announcement. Indeed, the right hon. Member for New Forest East (Sir Jul…
Commons
Debate
3 December 2025
2 contributions
Pension Schemes Bill
I thank the Minister for introducing the debate. I want to speak in support of Government new clauses 31 to 33, and in the context of new clause 22. Before I do so, let me say that I think it is really good that today’s debate has brought people together after four days of debate on the Budget. Ther…
This is a very slight aside, but is it not interesting that, when it comes to claiming benefits, there are so many silos and barriers to organisations, councils, Government agencies and Departments talking to each other, but they suddenly start speaking to each other and the benefits are stopped ove…
Commons
Proceedings
3 December 2025
Venezuela: US Military
One of my guilty secrets is that I like to listen to CNN in the evening, so I know that people in the United States are divided on this issue. The Minister started by talking about sanctions. Have we assessed the impact of the sanctions on Venezuela? What efforts are we making with civil society the…
Commons
Proceedings
3 December 2025
Official Secrets Act and Espionage
I thank the Minister for his responses. Throughout this affair, he has remained calm and consistent in answering points that—let’s be honest—have at times been smears from the Conservatives. I think the report from the Joint Committee has found them out, and that is why their Benches are empty today…