Commons
Proceedings
19 January 2026
Business Rates: Retail, Hospitality and Leisure
Hospitality is the UK’s third largest employer; when the sector is hit, jobs are affected at scale. Pubs sit at the heart of the hospitality industry. In Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr, we have 136 great pubs, employing more than 1,100 across the constituency, including the Eagles in Acrefair, where my…
Commons
Debate
15 January 2026
Covid-19: Financial Support
I thank my friend the hon. Member for Stratford-on-Avon (Manuela Perteghella) for securing this incredibly important and long-overdue debate, and for being such a strong voice for those excluded from covid-19 financial support.
The gaps in covid-19 financial support all-party parliamentary group, w…
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 January 2026
8 contributions
Science and Discovery Centres
I beg to move,
That this House has considered the impact of Science and Discovery Centres on national science and technology priorities.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Harris. I am pleased to have secured this debate and look forward to contributions from hon. Members represen…
I am in full agreement. As the hon. Member will see, one of my key asks is that we look at the funding for SDCs moving forward.
As a teacher, nothing matters more to me than ensuring that people have access to opportunity. As a drama teacher, STEM was never my strongest suit, but the importance of …
+6 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
5 January 2026
Venezuela
President Trump has behaved like a member of a criminal gang—bombing Venezuela, a sovereign country; kidnapping its Head of State and his family; and killing many in the process. Where next—Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, Greenland, here? Does my right hon. Friend agree that if we do not stand up to…
Commons
Debate
5 January 2026
Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief
This month marks 12 months since I first called on the Government to raise the APR threshold. I strongly welcome their decision to do so, and thank NFU Cymru and the Farmers’ Union of Wales for their tireless campaigning. Can the Minister assure me that the Government will continue to listen to rura…
Commons
Oral Questions
Wales
3 December 2025
2 contributions
Job Creation: Wales
5. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help create new jobs in Wales.
Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr is home to the largest one-day livestock market in Europe, just off the Buttington roundabout in Welshpool. Will my right hon. Friend join me in welcoming the 55 jobs that have been created on the roundabout in the last month alone, and would she consider joining me for a…
Commons
Proceedings
1 December 2025
2 contributions
Budget Resolutions
Does my hon. Friend agree that rises in the national minimum wage are among the most important of pay rises because of the money they put into the pockets of the poorest workers in our society?
For many people struggling with the rising cost of living, this Budget provides real relief. Above all, the Chancellor has committed to scrapping the two-child benefit cap. That is a testament to the campaigners, who have worked tirelessly for years, and to hon. Members across the House who have rep…
Commons
Oral Questions
27 November 2025
2 contributions
Access to Arts and Culture
1. What steps her Department is taking to increase access to arts and culture.
In Wales, expressive arts is a mandatory part of the curriculum, helping to develop pupils’ creative, artistic and performance skills while also improving cognitive development, attainment in maths and English, behaviour and wellbeing. Given that England has seen a 42% decline in expressive arts GCS…
Commons
Westminster Hall
25 November 2025
Immigration Reforms: Humanitarian Visa Routes
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Edward. I am also grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (James Naish) for securing this important debate, which could not have come at a more pressing time following last week’s announcements.
These suggested reforms are unlikely to…
Commons
Debate
17 November 2025
Asylum Policy
The proposal to raise the threshold for indefinite leave to remain from five years to 20 years is deeply concerning. At a time when far-right groups are exploiting fear and spreading misinformation, our Government should lead with compassion and fairness, instead of forcing some of the most vulnerab…
Commons
Oral Questions
Women and Equalities
5 November 2025
2 contributions
Violence against Women and Girls
5. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle violence against women and girls.
Survivors of domestic abuse and violence, along with their children, must be able to access affordable housing. The local housing allowance, introduced by the last Labour Government to cover the lowest 50% of private rents, now covers only 1% of private rents in Wales and 2.4% in England. Does the M…
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 November 2025
Cross-border Healthcare
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Dowd. I thank the hon. Member for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe (David Chadwick), with whom I share a health board, for securing this important debate.
Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr is served by two of the three Welsh local health boards that directly …
Commons
Oral Questions
Work and Pensions
27 October 2025
Topical Questions
One in three children in my constituency is growing up in poverty. With the Budget approaching, what discussions has the Secretary of State had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer about scrapping the two-child limit—a policy widely recognised as one of the biggest drivers of child poverty in Britai…
Commons
Westminster Hall
22 October 2025
Coal Tip Safety and New Extraction Licences
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Twigg.
I thank the hon. Member for Caerfyrddin (Ann Davies) for securing this important debate to ensure that the Government’s proposed ban on new coal licences stays true to its legislative aim, while putting the safety of our constituents over pr…
Commons
Westminster Hall
15 October 2025
3 contributions
Educational Assessment System Reform
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell.
Before being elected, I spent nearly two decades as a teacher. I know all too well the realities of working in a system that prioritises teaching to the test at the expense of a creative curriculum, broader educational experiences and, most…
Yes, I agree 100%.
In 2025, more than 75% of pupils with SEND and over 90% of those with an education, health and care plan did not meet expected standards in their end-of-primary SATs. Many carry that label of failure into secondary school before they have even had the chance to flourish. As someo…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
15 September 2025
2 contributions
Children with SEND: Assessments and Support
Does my hon. Friend agree that, when a class element applies with less favourable outcomes for those who cannot pay, the very concept of universalism is in jeopardy?
Although education is devolved in Wales, I speak in my capacity as chair of the all-party parliamentary group for education and parliamentary convenor of the Socialist Educational Association. Before getting elected, I was a teacher for nearly two decades, so I know all too well the realities of our…
Commons
Proceedings
10 September 2025
Qatar: Israeli Strike
In the past month alone, Israel has bombed Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen. Yesterday, for the first time, it bombed Qatar. What is the Government’s legal assessment of the strikes on Qatar, and do they consider them to be a violation of international law?
Commons
Oral Questions
Treasury
9 September 2025
2 contributions
Topical Questions
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
New polling by the Trades Union Congress shows that the public overwhelmingly support packages of taxes on wealth, on banks and on gambling companies. It also found that 74% of 2024 Labour voters who are now leaning towards Reform back those measures. Will the Chancellor commit to protecting working…
Commons
Westminster Hall
8 September 2025
Indefinite Leave to Remain
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Jeremy. Indefinite leave to remain marks a defining moment for individuals seeking to make Wales and the UK their permanent home. It grants the right to work, access to NHS healthcare and eligibility for the benefits system, enabling people to p…
Commons
Oral Questions
15 July 2025
Topical Questions
T9. The Vyrnwy Frankton project, which aims to connect onshore wind to the grid, would cut across my constituency and affect local communities and cherished countryside, posing a threat to businesses and tourism. Will the Minister assure me that the impact of the project and its associated lifetime …
Commons
Oral Questions
Science, Innovation and Technology
25 June 2025
Rural Mobile Coverage
In my constituency—one of the most rural parts of the UK—whole areas are without mobile phone coverage. People are forced to cope with unreliable phone lines and, most worryingly, are sometimes unable to call 999. Can the Minister assure me that after the withdrawal of the public switched telephone …
Commons
Oral Questions
Education
16 June 2025
2 contributions
School-based Nurseries
5. What steps she is taking to expand school-based nurseries.
The Government have announced £37 million for the first round of schools to expand nursery provision, supporting the roll-out of the extended 30 hours childcare offer in England, but the Public Childcare Now campaign points out that nearly two thirds of the funded schools are part of multi-academy t…
Commons
Debate
2 June 2025
7 contributions
Arms and Military Cargo Export Controls: Israel
I rise to speak about British arms and military cargo export controls—specifically, our exports to Israel amid one of the most devastating conflicts in modern memory. “It’s horrific. Gaza has become a slaughterhouse. That’s what it is: a slaughterhouse.” Those are the words of Tom Potokar, a British…
I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention, which is easy for me to respond to—yes, I agree wholeheartedly. Since October 2023 there have been at least 14 shipments of military goods from the UK to Israel. Those include over 8,500 munitions, bombs, grenades, missiles, and 146 armoured vehicle parts…
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Work and Pensions
12 May 2025
Topical Questions
More than 9 million people in the UK are not actively seeking work, with long-term illness cited as the single largest reason. Does the Minister agree that rather than penalising those who are sick or disabled, the Government should introduce a wealth tax to fund a genuine transformation of our publ…