Commons
Westminster Hall
14 July 2026
Coastal Communities: Isolation and Hidden Deprivation
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Alec. Despite countless studies showing gaping disparities in everything from employment to life expectancy, coastal towns are neglected in discussions about geographical inequality. There are a few reasons for that. They often sit within otherwise…
Commons
Westminster Hall
23 June 2026
Fly-tipping: Residential Areas
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship today, Mr Stringer. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes (Melanie Onn) for bringing forward this important debate.
Fly-tipping is not only damaging to our environment—it makes our communities worse places to live. No one …
Commons
Westminster Hall
8 June 2026
3 contributions
Progression of Bills through Parliament
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Edward. I want to speak about the process of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which was prevented from completing its parliamentary journey by a small number of unelected peers who showed through their actions that they had no respect …
I am sorry; I will not give way, as I want to finish this speech.
The House of Lords at its best provides detailed scrutiny of legislation, proposing amendments to make it more workable and addressing criticisms of it. But this was not the House of Lords at its best; this was the House of Lords tha…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
21 May 2026
Women’s Health and Wellbeing: Online Censorship
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship today, Mr Stringer. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Milton Keynes Central (Emily Darlington) for securing this important debate.
Getting accurate health information is essential, and it is a fact that most people go online to get it. Some 48% of …
Commons
Debate
19 May 2026
Energy Security
My constituency has the Heysham 1 and Heysham 2 power plants. The reason why nuclear power will possibly go down is because plants are coming to the end of their lives and the right hon. Lady’s Government did nothing about that for 14 years. Why did she not deliver when she was in government?
Commons
Westminster Hall
20 April 2026
2 contributions
Maternity Commissioner
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Alec. I thank my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Folkestone and Hythe (Tony Vaughan) for introducing this important debate.
It is hard to fathom but, over the course of this speech, at least four babies will be born in England—they will com…
I absolutely agree. There is work to do to prioritise the actions that have come out of all those inquiries, because trying to do too much will lead to it all being done badly. There must be a real focus on what will make the difference to women’s safety and experience.
Countless national and local…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 April 2026
Middle East
My constituents are horrified by the civilian toll of US-Israeli and Iranian military attacks, including the threats to basic civilian infrastructure. They are also very concerned about the long-term domestic impact of the closure of the strait of Hormuz, for example on food prices. First, can the P…
Commons
Proceedings
24 March 2026
5 contributions
Oil and Gas
We know that we will be using North sea oil and gas for some time to come. I welcome the Chancellor’s announcement about short-term and medium-term measures to address the crisis in the middle east and the inevitable impact on our energy costs, as well as her quick action on heating oil.
The motion…
The hon. Lady is absolutely correct. The central premise of the motion simply does not stand up to any scrutiny.
Secondly, the Opposition want to talk about levies to pay for the cost of new clean energy infrastructure, but they conveniently forget that all energy infrastructure needs to be renewed…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
16 March 2026
Heating Oil Support
I thank the Minister for his statement and the swift response to the need of my rural constituents who are reliant on heating oil and LPG. This crisis has shown that our strategic approach of getting off the reliance on global fossil fuel markets is absolutely the right one, but it has also exposed …
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
16 March 2026
2 contributions
Middle East: UK Armed Forces Personnel
7. What steps he is taking to protect UK armed forces personnel in the middle east.
I thank the Secretary of State for his answer. About 10 days ago, we saw alleged attacks by both US and Iranian forces on water desalination plants in the middle east, which is in direct contravention of international law. Civilians in the middle east are reliant on desalinated water for survival, a…
Commons
Oral Questions
11 March 2026
Royal Mail: Universal Service Obligation
People across Morecambe and Lunesdale are suffering from late Royal Mail deliveries. In fact, one constituent was told by a frustrated, overworked postie that second class letters were being delivered once a week, at most. What steps is the Minister taking to address that problem?
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 March 2026
Healthcare in Rural Areas
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Huq. I thank the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire (Blake Stephenson) for securing this important debate.
I represent a semi-urban, semi-coastal, semi-rural constituency, and I know that delivering healthcare across a wide and dispersed population b…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
3 March 2026
Spring Forecast
We know that the volatility of oil and gas prices has driven the high cost of living over the last decade. We also know that renewables cut the wholesale costs of electricity because they reduce the amount of time for which electricity prices are driven by gas. Does the Chancellor agree that, given …
Commons
Debate
2 March 2026
Small Religious Organisations: Safeguarding
I believe that Alexis Jay told the Home Affairs Committee that this mandatory reporting was one of the most important recommendations. Does my hon. Friend agree that it is really important that we deliver on the recommendation in full, and do not allow any leeway when there is reasonable evidence th…
Commons
Oral Questions
24 February 2026
2 contributions
NHS Dental Services: Morecambe and Lunesdale
9. What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of access to NHS dental services in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency.
One of my constituents contacted me because their spouse is bedbound and cannot get dental care at home, so he gets no routine care. He recently waited three months for an emergency extraction—something he could have had on the same day if he was not disabled. What work is going on to help my consti…
Commons
Westminster Hall
24 February 2026
2 contributions
Gaza Healthcare System
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Jeremy. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Dr Opher) for bringing forward this important debate.
It has been 137 days since the ceasefire started in Gaza, and although attention has drifted in the media, the humanitarian crisis rages on…
The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. The deregistering of international organisations is abhorrent. They are absolutely vital to this response, and I will touch on that point later.
Despite these unsurmountable barriers, healthcare workers have absolutely persevered. They have rebuilt health cen…
Commons
Westminster Hall
23 February 2026
3 contributions
Firearms Licensing
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Alec. I thank the hon. Member for South Norfolk (Ben Goldsborough) for his excellent introduction.
I came here today because I want to listen to the arguments and help inform my thinking about gun licensing. This debate is about one very narrow as…
The hon. Gentleman makes a very interesting point. We already have backlogs for firearms licensing. Some people rely on firearms for their living. If there are changes to the licensing laws, those need to come with proper resourcing to make sure that they are actually enforceable. As we have heard i…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
11 February 2026
2 contributions
Hughes Report: Second Anniversary
It is a pleasure to serve here today under your chairship, Ms Allin-Khan. I thank the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Sarah Green) for securing this important debate.
I am going to focus on sodium valproate, which was prescribed for decades without proper warnings about the effect on unborn c…
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. This scandal follows a pattern that we have seen far too many times before: early warnings ignored, information withheld or downplayed, measures to protect people not effectively enacted, and public bodies closing ranks rather than being open and honest when thing…
Commons
Debate
3 February 2026
4 contributions
Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill
When the Labour Government came to office, 4.5 million children were living in poverty, and I believe that that is a moral stain on our nation. It has been a central mission of this Labour Government to tackle child poverty in all its forms. They are taking a range of measures, like introducing brea…
My hon. Friend is entirely right. Parents, in my experience, will do anything to protect their children from the harsh realities of life. It is parents who go without food. It is parents who have to go to the food bank. I remember the first time I met the people running the food bank in Morecambe, i…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 February 2026
2 contributions
Town and City Centre Safety
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Dowd. I want my constituency, where beauty surrounds and health abounds, to be a place where everyone feels safe on the high street. There is still work to be done, but I am committed to doing that work alongside our local partners.
Central to that…
I would welcome the hon. Gentleman sending me those statistics, but they go against all the other pieces of evidence I have seen, particularly for serious crime. Obviously there are spikes in particular crimes. Phone theft, for example, has been a real problem in London, as it has been elsewhere bec…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
29 January 2026
2 contributions
Economic Growth: Morecambe and Lunesdale
9. What steps his Department is taking to help increase economic growth in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency.
In my constituency of Morecambe and Lunesdale, we have the Electech innovation cluster, which is a growing group of small and medium-sized firms, many of which supply specialist components into the clean energy sector, particularly nuclear, and into the vital defence sector. The Minister would be we…
Commons
Debate
26 January 2026
5 contributions
Armed Forces Bill
In my constituency of Morecambe and Lunesdale, 5.5% of residents are veterans. That is higher than the north-west average and much higher than the national average of 3.8%. In fact, one in 10 households in my constituency contains a veteran. That is why our promise at the general election to extend …
I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. No longer can we just have warm words and lip service; we need action, because this contract says something very simple: “If you’re prepared to serve your country, your country must serve you properly in return.” For too long, our country has failed to honour …
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
21 January 2026
Warm Homes Plan
I am really pleased to see this warm homes plan, as a warm home for everyone was one of my key election pledges. In my constituency of Morecambe and Lunesdale, Green Rose CIC has been helping people for years with energy efficiency and making their homes warmer. Can the Secretary of State tell me ho…
Commons
Westminster Hall
19 January 2026
6 contributions
Sale of Fireworks
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Pritchard. I thank the hon. Member for Keighley and Ilkley (Robbie Moore) for presenting this debate on behalf of the Petitions Committee.
My constituents were fourth on the list for signatures to these petitions, which call for controls on the dec…
I absolutely agree that the Government should look at limits on the decibel levels of fireworks and other measures. As the hon. Lady set out, the impact on veterans can be severe.
I was struck by the fact that even the people who are worst affected are not looking to ban fireworks. They understand …
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
15 January 2026
Point of Order
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. This week, in response to an intervention, I misspoke and I mistakenly attributed comments to James Dyson that he had not made. While he has been a prominent voice in the debate on agricultural property relief, as the owner of a large amount of land in Engl…