Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
6 July 2026
Topical Questions
In South Dorset, the Lantern Trust and the Veterans Hub have recently applied for Valour funding, which would make a huge difference to both organisations as they grow the services they offer to veterans—in particular the hub, which is the first port of call for many local veterans. Will the Ministe…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
2 July 2026
Topical Questions
T6. The Dorset Innovation Park already has a growing ecosystem of defence companies, including BattleLab and a proposed factory, which are developing cutting edge drone technology. The opportunities are truly immense. Will the Minister commit to working alongside DSIT and the Ministry of Defence to …
Commons
Oral Questions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
16 June 2026
Topical Questions
Every year, billions of pounds never make their way to the Treasury coffers because of British tax havens, such as the British Virgin Islands. The upcoming illicit finance summit offers us a real opportunity to tackle tax evasion and dirty money in these havens. Ahead of the summit, does the Ministe…
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
15 June 2026
2 contributions
Pre-candidacy Donations: Safeguards
11. What steps he is taking to implement safeguards for pre-candidacy donations.
What if I told you, Mr Speaker, that just before the general election, a soon-to-be MP had pocketed a £5 million cash gift from a crypto billionaire who lives halfway across the world, and that soon after receiving that lucrative gift, the very same politician announced a new policy of slashing taxe…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
15 June 2026
Russian Shadow Fleet
I thank the Secretary of State for his statement. I pay tribute to our armed forces and the NCA for successfully intercepting the Russian oil tanker off the coast of Weymouth and Portland yesterday. As has been mentioned, this was the first British-led operation of its kind, and it delivers a blow t…
Commons
Oral Questions
Health and Social Care
9 June 2026
Topical Questions
T8. I recently held a health roundtable in Purbeck and heard volunteers from Parkinson’s UK make it clear that more needs to be done so that all those living with the illness receive the robust support they need. There was particular concern that a shift away from routine check-ups could mean that m…
Commons
Oral Questions
Health and Social Care
9 June 2026
2 contributions
Mental Health Facilities: Dorset
5. What steps he is taking to improve mental health facilities in Dorset.
This summer, two new state-of-the-art mental health facilities are opening in Dorset: Chaddesley House in Poole and Seastone in Bournemouth. That is thanks to continued investment from this Labour Government. However, the Forston clinic in the west of the county requires fresh investment to upgrade …
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
1 June 2026
Topical Questions
Bovington camp in South Dorset has a long list of outstanding repairs—pothole-ridden streets, persistent fly-tipping and no working street lights on King George V Road, to name just a few. Will the Minister work with me to ensure that the Defence Infrastructure Organisation carries out much-needed r…
Commons
Debate
20 May 2026
Defence Readiness
The hon. Gentleman is right to point out the devastating record of the Conservatives, but does he share my sadness and frustration at the role played by the Liberal Democrats in hollowing out the size of our armed forces and waving through Budget after Budget that cut defence spending in this countr…
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
20 May 2026
Engagements
Q3. I welcome the steps taken to clean up British politics via the landmark elections Bill—the Representation of the People Bill—but we must go further. If I had received a £5 million gift from a billionaire living halfway across the world and had not come clean about what that money was for, my con…
Commons
Debate
28 April 2026
Referral of Prime Minister to Committee of Privileges
My hon. Friend is speaking wisely of the time when Boris Johnson was before the Privileges Committee. Does he believe the House should remember that that Prime Minister lost an anti-corruption champion, who resigned over the issue? Conservative Members would be well placed to remember what happened …
Commons
Oral Questions
Education
20 April 2026
2 contributions
Sports Facilities: Secondary Schools
6. What steps her Department is taking to fund sports facilities in secondary schools in South Dorset constituency.
Budmouth academy has received a record multimillion-pound investment from this Labour Government to rebuild many of the school’s buildings. However, its crumbling outdoor courts—which are home to the South and West Dorset netball league—are currently not included in the rebuild. More than 300 women …
Commons
Oral Questions
16 April 2026
Tourism Sector
In the heart of Weymouth, the Rectory is an iconic building, but it has stood empty for over a decade. We want to transform the Rectory building into a cultural and visitor centre, hosting art, boosting the local tourism economy and welcoming visitors to Weymouth all year round. With that in mind, w…
Commons
Oral Questions
14 April 2026
Topical Questions
Patients in Chickerell often struggle to access GP services in their area, and instead must travel long distances. Some years ago, it was confirmed that a new surgery should be built in Chickerell. However, significant delays mean that we are still waiting for that surgery. Will the Minister work wi…
Commons
Committee Stage
14 April 2026
5 contributions
Representation of the People Bill (Seventh sitting)
I will keep my remarks brief. As we start the afternoon sitting, it is worth putting on the record that clause 60 goes a significant distance towards finally tightening up the rules around corporate donations, which many campaigners, including in civil society, would argue have been left unaddressed…
I think there is a difference between corporate and non-corporate donations. However, what would be really interesting is to see how the Bill progresses in taking forward the Rycroft review. That is a really important point, but I will not go over it again, because it has already been well articulat…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Committee Stage
14 April 2026
3 contributions
Representation of the People Bill (Sixth sitting)
I will just make some very brief remarks on the record.
I welcome this landmark Bill, which does a great deal to bring our democratic landscape into the 21st century, but I will briefly put on the record some thoughts about new clause 47.
As we digest the Rycroft review, I think that the new claus…
Before I speak to clause 58, let me say in response to the hon. Members for Hamble Valley and for Hazel Grove that this game-changing legislation and the Rycroft review have both come in the first Session of a new Government. There is a clear understanding—the Minister has made it known here and in …
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
13 April 2026
Park Homes: Sales Commission Charges
I welcome the Government’s new call for evidence. Perhaps unsurprisingly, park home owners across South Dorset continue to be deeply frustrated with the unfair 10% sales commission slapped on all park homes. The current system feels unfair as it punishes one group disproportionately. With that in mi…
Commons
Oral Questions
17 March 2026
Topical Questions
Unlike in category A prisons, prison officers at HMP The Verne and HMP Portland are not routinely issued with protective body armour—namely, stab vests. Protecting our prison officers from harm is essential in all prisons, as has been made abundantly clear to me by local branches of the Prison Offic…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
12 March 2026
2 contributions
Job Creation
11. What steps he is taking to support the creation of well-paid jobs.
It is no secret that clean energy is creating the next generation of well-paid jobs, and it is essential that South Dorset gets its fair share of them. The development of offshore wind at Portland, including the exciting Morwind and PortWind projects, would certainly help to create much-needed marit…
Commons
Debate
10 March 2026
4 contributions
Courts and Tribunals Bill
I am delighted to speak as an enthusiastic supporter of the Courts and Tribunals Bill. I wish to put on record my thanks to both the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for Courts and Legal Services for their excellent work before the Bill came to this place, which included consulting with Back B…
I completely accept that there have been successes in some parts of the country, including in Liverpool, but that is not the case elsewhere, which is why a much wider package of structural reforms is essential. I firmly believe, in response to that point, that we must pull every lever at our disposa…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Treasury
10 March 2026
Topical Questions
I welcome the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s work to get the Leonardo helicopters contract over the line, as that will help protect defence jobs right across Dorset, Somerset and the wider south-west. Will the Treasury and Ministers continue to work with the Ministry of Defence to secure investment i…
Commons
Oral Questions
Transport
12 February 2026
Topical Questions
I will keep it short and sweet, Mr Speaker. Weymouth train station does not have a working toilet, which means that wheelchair users, passengers with heavy luggage and parents with a pram are left having to go 20 minutes to get to the nearest toilet. Will the Secretary of State work constructively w…
Commons
Oral Questions
10 February 2026
Topical Questions
Morwind recently received funding to conduct an important feasibility study for a major offshore wind hub at Portland. If built, the hub would be a key part of the west country’s manufacturing supply chain, and it would create hundreds of well-paid green jobs for local people. Will the Minister work…
Commons
Oral Questions
5 February 2026
2 contributions
Water Company Executives: Undisclosed Payments
6. What steps she is taking to prevent undisclosed payments to water company executives.
Just last month, The Guardian reported that the chief executive officer and chief financial officer of Wessex Water received around £50,000 in undisclosed payments from a parent company. Just weeks before, it was reported that a former Wessex Water boss was handed a whopping £170,000—again from a pa…
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
2 February 2026
R&D Defence Spending: Economic Impact
For the past few months, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth West (Jessica Toale) and I have been campaigning for a new drone centre to be designated at the Dorset Innovation Park. The park already hosts a strong defence ecosystem for testing, developing and researching drone technology. Along…