Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
2 July 2026
5 contributions
Employment Rights Act 2025
The Employment Rights Act 2025 is bringing employment rights into the 21st century, with phased implementation to give businesses and workers, including those in Cumbernauld and Kirkintilloch, time to get ready and understand their new rights at work. We have already repealed burdensome trade union …
Through the right to guaranteed hours, we are tackling one-sided flexibility. Qualifying workers are offered contracts that better reflect their hours, and they can then plan their lives and finances. Over 1.2 million people work on a zero-hours contract, and research published by the Living Wage Fo…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
2 July 2026
2 contributions
Topical Questions
I thank my hon. Friend for his question. We are working closely with various stakeholders to ensure that workers understand and claim their new rights under the Employment Rights Act. I know how vital trade unions are not just to organising, but to educating workers on their rights at work. I am so …
I thank my hon. Friend for her constant campaigning on this issue. I know how important it is and, I value working closely with her. Businesses producing or supplying those products must ensure that they are safe before they are placed on the market, including online marketplaces. Businesses should …
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
2 July 2026
2 contributions
Employment Costs: Impact on Recruitment
The UK was the fastest growing G7 economy in quarter 1 of this year, and we know that we will only achieve a thriving economy once people have a wage they can count on. We want to grow our economy with people in secure work. That is why we are giving greater certainty to more than half the UK’s work…
We are focused on fixing the issues in our labour market that the Conservatives neglected: poor working conditions, insecure work, inequality, the undercutting of good employers in brilliant SMEs, and the bad industrial relations that we inherited. Since July, real wages have grown. We have the thir…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
2 July 2026
2 contributions
Hospitality Sector: Employment
The hospitality sector remains a major UK employer. It supported around 2.1 million jobs last year, or around 6% of total employment. Employment has grown by over 18% in the past decade, and although growth has stabilised more recently, that follows a period of strong expansion, reflecting the secto…
I thank the right hon. Member for raising the vital role that the hospitality sector plays in providing those first jobs and opportunities for people. I work closely with hospitality businesses, and I am really keen to continue to listen to them, to understand the challenges they face. I know that t…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
2 July 2026
5 contributions
Hospitality Sector
It was a pleasure to hear the hon. Member’s contribution in the recent Westminster Hall debate on seasonal hospitality businesses, including those in his constituency. We are delivering permanently lower business rate multipliers for more than 750,000 retail, hospitality and leisure properties. That…
Unfortunately, we inherited an absolutely dire situation from the Conservatives when they left office. They left deep scars on our economy from a decade of stagnant growth. We know that hospitality thrives when our economy grows, wages rise and people have money to spend, which is why we are absolut…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
2 July 2026
2 contributions
Unpaid Carers: Workplace Support
I thank my hon. Friend for his continued advocacy for young adult carers. I have been honoured to visit Carers Count Calderdale in my own constituency of Halifax, and I know about the important and vital support that incredible unpaid carers across the country are providing to their loved ones. We a…
My hon. Friend is absolutely right to highlight the vital contribution that unpaid carers make to their loved ones and their communities, and the experiences of families in his constituency reflect the challenges faced by unpaid carers across the country. We want to ensure that carers can remain in …
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
2 July 2026
2 contributions
Alternative Dispute Resolution Regulations
The Department has not provided guidance on that matter. Fees relating to the accreditation and monitoring of alternative dispute resolution providers have not risen since 2015, and have been significantly eroded by the impact of rising costs. The intention behind the new fee structure is to ensure …
I thank the hon. Lady for her question. A well functioning ADR system makes markets work more effectively and drives economic growth. We are committed to ensuring that consumers and businesses are able to resolve disputes early, which helps to raise consumer confidence and compliance rates. We ackno…
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 June 2026
4 contributions
Seasonal Hospitality Businesses in Coastal Areas
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stuart. I congratulate the hon. Member for Isle of Wight East (Joe Robertson) on securing this important debate on Government support for seasonal hospitality and leisure businesses in coastal areas. I thank all hon. Members for talking about bus…
I am always happy to meet my hon. Friend and his brilliant local businesses. I thank him for his intervention.
I regularly meet local businesses from across the hospitality sector, and I hear at first hand about the pressures that seasonal and coastal operators face. I recognise the importance of h…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
3 June 2026
3 contributions
General Strike Centenary Commemorations
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham Northfield (Laurence Turner) on securing this debate on commemorations for the centenary of the 1926 general strike—a moment in our nation’s history that is not always recognised as I believe it should be.
I thank Members across the House for …
I thank my hon. Friend for that important intervention. I will come on to exactly that point about the importance of solidarity.
The next nine days became the largest expression of worker solidarity in British history. Some of the strongest support for the strike was found in industrial heartlands,…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
21 May 2026
4 contributions
Topical Questions
We recognise the vital contribution of hospitality businesses in the UK, including pubs in Carlisle, to supporting local employment and sustaining high streets and communities. They play a really important role in the cultural and social fabric of communities. I am always delighted to meet my hon. F…
Boosting opportunity and tackling youth unemployment in every area remains a priority, and helping young people into work is crucial for that. We know that some people value that flexibility, which is why I will be considering that as part of the regulations.
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
21 May 2026
3 contributions
Hospitality Industry
The Government recognise the vital role that hospitality plays in keeping high streets vibrant, driving footfall, supporting local jobs and sustaining town centre services. We know that many businesses, including the Swan Hotel, Bar and Grill in Maldon, are still facing real pressures, which is why …
The right hon. Gentleman will know that the decision on the overnight visitor levy is down to mayoral authorities. They will work really closely with businesses and stakeholders in making that decision, but he raises an important point. I recognise the significant pressures facing pubs, hospitality …
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
21 May 2026
2 contributions
Pubs: Bromsgrove
Pubs in Bromsgrove are vital to the local economy, supporting jobs and bringing communities together. I welcome success stories such as the Gate at Bournheath being named Bromsgrove and the villages’ pub of the year 2026, highlighting the strength of the sector. The Government are committed to backi…
I understand that rising energy prices and the wider supply chain effects can place particular strain on sectors such as pubs and the wider hospitality sector, which often rely on that discretionary spending, and operate on tight margins. I have met lots of such businesses up and down the country ov…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
21 May 2026
2 contributions
Opt-out Collective Actions Regime
The Government call for evidence on the opt-out collective actions regime closed in October last year, with almost 100 responses received. I welcome the input stakeholders have provided. We are committed to economic growth and robust competition enforcement, including private enforcement, which is g…
As the right hon. Gentleman knows, the PACCAR review involves complex issues, and it is important that we take the time needed to get it right. Great care is being taken to ensure that proposals for the opt-out collective actions balance the need to preserve a route to redress for consumers with ens…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
21 May 2026
4 contributions
Employment Rights Act 2025
My hon. Friend was an advocate for such legislation long before it was introduced in the House last year. I know how passionate he is about our wider Make Work Pay agenda, as I am too. The Employment Rights Act 2025 is bringing employment rights legislation into the 21st century. We have already rep…
The legal framework for the right of access in the Employment Rights Act 2025 provides an enforcement mechanism that applies to all parties involved in an access agreement. The Government are clear that the enforcement mechanism must be fair, proportionate and adaptable, and we have set out the fact…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
21 May 2026
2 contributions
Pubs: Broadland and Fakenham
Pubs such as The Crown and the Running Horse in the hon. Member’s constituency are a real asset, bringing people together and supporting community life. They are now benefiting from a 15% reduction in their business rates bill, with bills frozen in real terms for a further two years. Around three qu…
We absolutely want pubs and our hospitality sector to thrive. They are the backbone of our communities and often provide people’s first job. That is why they are so vital to our high streets, to the hon. Member’s constituency and to our local communities. As he will know, pubs in particular have bee…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
21 May 2026
3 contributions
Ticket Reselling
I welcome the keen interest in this issue that my hon. Friend has shown. I and my officials have regular discussions with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, including on the publication of the draft secondary ticketing Bill in the second Session of this Parliament. Consumer enforcement is …
I thank my hon. Friend for her work on this issue; I know that it has been close to her heart for many years. That is why we have committed to publishing a draft secondary ticketing Bill, as set out in the background to the King’s Speech. That shows our continued commitment on the issue and we are p…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
15 April 2026
Single Status of Worker
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Efford. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Ellesmere Port and Bromborough (Justin Madders) on securing this debate and on his impassioned contributions throughout it. I know that, as my predecessor, he knows this agenda well. It has been a…
Commons
Statutory Instrument
15 April 2026
3 contributions
Draft Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements (Amendment) Regulations 2026
Thank you for chairing, Mr Twigg, and I apologise for arriving late—I was confused about whether there was another Division in the Chamber. I thank the Government Whip for stepping in and the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Grantham and Bourne, for his remarks.
The regulations build on legisla…
I was getting to those points—I thank the hon. Gentleman for the nudge.
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
13 April 2026
2 contributions
Statutory Menstrual Leave
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Mundell. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Colne Valley (Paul Davies) for opening today’s debate and for bravely sharing his wife Leah’s experience of living with endometriosis. I also thank Michelle, who joins us in the Gallery, for creating…
I thank my hon. Friend for her contribution and for her powerful speech during this debate. She is a tireless campaigner on this; I really look forward to working with her and the APPG on lots of these issues, and particularly on that stigma. She raises an excellent point about the role of employers…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
12 March 2026
2 contributions
Topical Questions
I thank my hon. Friend for her work in this area. The Government believe that trade unions are absolutely essential for tackling insecurity, inequality, discrimination, enforcement and low pay. We are providing a legal framework for businesses and unions to negotiate access to the workplace. We reco…
My hon. Friend is a real champion for her local breweries, especially Moot Brew in Halling, which produces excellent beer—I know she visits regularly. We recognise the importance of independent breweries and pubs, and we are of course committed to ensuring that the sector remains diverse, competitiv…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
12 March 2026
2 contributions
Hospitality Sector: Business Confidence
The Government closely monitor business confidence across the hospitality sector and recognise that businesses face real and sustained pressures. That is why we have announced targeted support measures to help the sector remain resilient. They include: permanently lower business rates for eligible r…
Business confidence depends on economic stability, and that is exactly what this Government are delivering: a stable economy where businesses can invest in growth. The hon. Member will have heard my commitment to the hospitality sector—both my personal investment and my absolute determination to wor…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
12 March 2026
2 contributions
Micropubs: Bexleyheath and Crayford
Pubs and micropubs like the ones in my hon. Friend’s constituency are at the heart of all our communities. From April, every pub will receive a 15% reduction on its business rates bill, with bills then frozen in real terms for a further two years. Three quarters of pubs will see their bills stay the…
What a champion my hon. Friend is for micropubs in his constituency. From Anchor Bay to Bakewell Tart Stout, Bexley Brewery showcases an excellent range of beers, and small brewers and micropubs such as the Bird & Barrel play a vital role in supporting local communities and economies. Alongside …
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
12 March 2026
7 contributions
Hospitality Sector
The Government recognise the central role the hospitality sector plays in supporting jobs, sustaining high streets and strengthening community life. That is why we have significantly increased the hospitality support fund, providing £10 million over three years to help hospitality businesses become …
I recognise that energy costs remain one of the biggest pressures facing hospitality businesses. I meet them regularly—including just this week—to make sure I am aware of their concerns and experiences on the ground. The real risk to businesses is dependence on volatile international gas markets, wh…
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
12 March 2026
6 contributions
Parental Rights at Work
This Government are committed to strengthening rights for parents. In April, we are introducing bereaved partner’s paternity leave and making unpaid parental leave and paternity leave day one rights, bringing more than 1 million parents into scope. Next year, we will further improve protections for …
I recognise the enormous contribution that kinship carers such as my hon. Friend’s constituent make to the lives of children. The Government are committed to helping more children grow up in safe, stable and loving homes in their family network, whenever it is in the children’s best interests. I ack…
+4 more contributions in this session