Commons
Proceedings
14 July 2026
2 contributions
Future of Thames Water
We have a similar problem with South East Water, which is probably the second-worst water company in the United Kingdom after Thames Water. With South East Water, too, this Labour Government have been too timid. Does my hon. Friend agree that the Government, by acting, or not acting, in the way that…
Does the Minister think that the Secretary of State exercised those duties well when, under the Blair Government, Macquarie was allowed to come into Thames Water and South East Water and asset strip those companies?
Commons
Debate
8 July 2026
9 contributions
Rearmament and Warfighting Readiness
I beg to move,
That this House recognises the danger that Russia’s renewed illegal invasion of Ukraine poses to European and British security; further recognises the threat to the international order and the UK posed by China; also recognises the increasing uncertainty surrounding the reliability o…
This actually speaks to the delay. Had the DIP come out when it was meant to, in 2025, it would have been a 10-year plan, because it would have gone from 2025 to 2035. However, the Government were unable to get their ducks in a row and the DIP was delayed by a year. If we had waited for them to reji…
+7 more contributions in this session
Commons
Petition
7 July 2026
Water Supply Resilience in Tunbridge Wells
I rise to present this petition regarding water supply resilience in Tunbridge Wells. This is further to a local petition on the same matter started by the fantastic students at St John’s primary school, which has gathered 610 signatures—children’s signatures—and has since been shared with 15 other …
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
6 July 2026
High North
Protecting British interests in the High North requires a strong Royal Navy. Under the current DIP, the Type 45s will go out of service in 2035 and be replaced by some CCVs and other uncrewed systems that currently exist only on PowerPoint. The idea that it will be nine years from PowerPoint to powe…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
30 June 2026
Defence Investment Plan
This is a tale of two DIPs. The first DIP is covered by the period in the current spending review, up to about 2030, and the second DIP is the bit beyond that, from 2030 to 2035. The first has detailed spending commitments, and the latter has quite vague spending commitments. The former has small in…
Commons
Debate
20 May 2026
3 contributions
Defence Readiness
Madam Deputy Speaker, you do not normally introduce me like that, so thank you very much. It is an honour to share a constituency border with you and to follow the hon. Member for Liverpool West Derby (Ian Byrne), who made a heartfelt and powerful speech.
Wars are raging in Europe and in the middle…
I served on the Select Committee on the Armed Forces Bill, and as well as increasing the scope of who can be called up, it creates a consolidation of different types of reserves and allows zig-zag pathways for specialists who can come in and out of the reserves, so it is absolutely a step in the rig…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Proceedings
20 May 2026
Processed Russian Oil Products: Sanctions
Picking up the theme of mishandled communications, and the anxiety that they caused many of our constituents, the Financial Times is still reporting an easing of sanctions, as is the BBC. Those are not outlets known for hyperbole. Perhaps the Government could issue a correction to major media outlet…
Commons
Debate
15 April 2026
Strategic Defence Review: Funding
Following the comments by the right hon. Member for Tonbridge (Tom Tugendhat), may I make a plea that we put this political blame game to one side? The fleet halved under the previous Labour Government. We all have our fingerprints on the current state of the UK military. It is unedifying for us, fo…
Commons
Committee Stage
14 April 2026
Armed Forces Bill (Fifth sitting)
I can help out a little with the right hon. Gentleman’s question. The post was not filled. The Government were having some difficulty in filling the post, and—
Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 April 2026
North Atlantic Submarine Activity
I hope to give the Minister a focused question. He has rightly laid out the importance of the data cables to the UK as an island, and also highlighted Russia’s continued activity over many decades. The frigates that we have in the Royal Navy are really the centrepiece of the anti-submarine war, so m…
Commons
Debate
13 April 2026
Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill
This process is, among other things, about protecting British access to the communications spectrum. That is why the previous Government started it, and why the current Government are carrying it on. If we are not able to pass the treaty and ensure that access, what is plan B?
Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 April 2026
Middle East
This crisis has laid bare the parlous state of the British military. The three main parties of government should put aside the blame game and accept that we have all played our part in getting the British military into the state that it is in now. For over a year, the Liberal Democrats have been ask…
Commons
Proceedings
25 March 2026
Foreign Financial Influence and Interference: UK Politics
I thank Philip Rycroft for his review and the Secretary of State for the announcement today. I am particularly happy that we have this idea about it being retrospective and applying the measures from today because we do not know when the Bill will come through. May I encourage the Secretary of State…
Commons
Proceedings
24 March 2026
4 contributions
Defence
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. My hon. Friend is making a powerful speech, is he not? The egg is now on the other face, and Conservative Members are very excited. Which of the Tory cuts does my hon. Friend think was the most damaging—was it the cuts to the frigates, the destroyers, the minesweeper…
I thank my hon. Friend for giving way. I would just like to draw— [Interruption.] Do Conservative Members want to hear this?
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Proceedings
24 March 2026
2 contributions
Oil and Gas
I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on having the largest wind farm in Europe in his constituency.
Will the shadow Minister give way?
Commons
Committee Stage
24 March 2026
3 contributions
Armed Forces Bill (Second sitting)
It is a pleasure, after lunch, to continue serving under your chairship, Mr Efford. [ Laughter. ] That was not meant to be funny, but I suppose the best way to be funny is to be unintentionally funny.
I rise to speak in support of new clause 2, which would legislate for the establishment of a veter…
The shadow Minister is exactly right. We have used a few metaphors today, including that of mental health as a journey. Another metaphor is that mental health is a garden that has to be tended. Each of us has a responsibility to introspect and check in with ourselves to see how we are doing, but the…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Committee Stage
24 March 2026
4 contributions
Armed Forces Bill (First sitting)
In the same vein, we see the Bill as part of our constitutional duty, and one that will help us to deliver the best for our service personnel—an aim that we all share. I echo the shadow Minister’s thanks to the Clerks and you, Mr Efford. I, too, look forward to working collegially across the Committ…
Perhaps it would be helpful to explain that it is a floor, rather than a target.
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
23 March 2026
2 contributions
Ukrainian Refugees: Permanent Settlement
12. If she will take steps to provide Ukrainian refugees with a route to permanent settlement.
I know that the Minister will listen carefully to this question because he used to live in Tunbridge Wells. Elena is a Ukrainian woman who works in our local hospital. She has not been able to advance her career because her visa restrictions mean that she cannot study. I know that the Government do …
Commons
Debate
17 March 2026
Isles of Scilly: Transport
My hon. Friend is making a powerful case for his constituents. Does he agree that this is a problem not just for the Isles of Scilly, but for the Isle of Wight and the Western Isles? We are an archipelago. Those who live on the outer islands suffer from this inequity; they are as British as us, but …
Commons
Oral Questions
16 March 2026
Strait of Hormuz
Contrary to what some less well-informed voices from the Conservative Benches have been saying, short of putting ground troops into Iran, there is no military solution that enables us to open the strait of Hormuz. The Iranians are effectively placing civilian shipping at risk with missiles, drones, …
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
16 March 2026
Defence: UK Allies
TEK Military Seating in Tunbridge Wells designs and exports military seating. It risks losing a £400,000 order to a customer in the United Arab Emirates because it lacks the permissions in the export licence, and my understanding is that the Department for Business and Trade is waiting for an answer…
Commons
Westminster Hall
11 March 2026
3 contributions
UK-based Tech Companies
It is an honour to serve under your chairship, Mr Betts. I congratulate the hon. Member for Bromley and Biggin Hill (Peter Fortune) on securing this important debate. We have heard from both sides of the Chamber that the British tech sector spreads into all our constituencies, so it concerns us all.…
I thank my hon. Friend for her comprehensive intervention, which speaks to exactly the issues that I will raise.
The key example is DeepMind, which was the world-leading AI company. We, the Brits, failed to create the ecosystem, funding and risk-taking capital to enable it to scale fully. It was th…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
4 March 2026
2 contributions
Ministry of Defence
Other Members have articulated the threat we face, so I will not repeat those points. Suffice it to say, we are in jeopardy. Global threats are on the rise, but at the same time, UK capability is decreasing. The only way that we can close that gap is to re-arm. Rearming is the only credible way to d…
If we want to do that now, it would cost 3.5% of GDP—it is basically a 50% increase on our current defence budget. When we talk about £2 billion here or £5 billion there, that is peanuts. If we want to lead in the defence of the Euro-Atlantic area, we need an extra £30 billion for our defence budget…
Commons
Debate
2 March 2026
3 contributions
Representation of the People Bill
We have heard this argument a couple of times, and the right hon. Gentleman is making it well. He is making a grave accusation. Surely the easiest way to put this argument to bed would be for the Secretary of State to simply intervene on the right hon. Gentleman and state that auto-enrolment will be…
This is the key point: in an election, if someone has to vote against what they do not want, it poisons our whole democratic well, because voters feel that they end up with something they have not chosen. They have made a negative choice, rather than a positive choice.
+1 more contribution in this session