Commons
Westminster Hall
30 June 2026
Financial Inclusion: Young People
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir John. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Hertford and Stortford (Josh Dean) for securing this important debate on an issue that matters greatly to my constituents. My first job was as a paper boy; I would not say that I had to lie, but I certain…
Commons
Westminster Hall
23 June 2026
2 contributions
Fly-tipping: Residential Areas
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Stringer. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes (Melanie Onn) for securing this incredibly important debate.
I pay tribute to the South Park Users Group in Ilford South. Come rain or shine, they dedicate their time to …
I absolutely agree. I have been saying for the last 10 years that that should be done. The Government finally acting is a real positive; we are going in the right direction.
Fly-tipping blights our area, but when the council removes it quickly, people feel it is okay to dump rubbish on our streets …
Commons
Oral Questions
Wales
17 June 2026
2 contributions
Cost of Living
4. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce the cost of living in Wales.
This Government removed the two-child cap, which took 5,000 children in my constituency out of poverty. Will the Secretary of State please explain how that is helping children in Wales?
Commons
Ministerial Statement
16 June 2026
Thames Water
I thank the Secretary of State for her statement. Thames Water is by far the worst water company when it comes to sewage spills, pollution incidents, flooding across overloaded sewer systems, customer complaints, regulatory penalties—the list goes on. The establishment of a robust, proactive regulat…
Commons
Oral Questions
Home Department
8 June 2026
2 contributions
Violence against Women and Girls Strategy: Implementation
11. What recent progress her Department has made on implementing the violence against women and girls strategy.
Harshita Barela was just 24 years old when she was murdered and her body was dumped in a car boot in Ilford. Nearly two years on, her husband and alleged killer has still not been arrested, and is believed to be hiding in India. A few weeks ago I was humbled to meet Harshita’s parents, who had made …
Commons
Proceedings
8 June 2026
Water Companies
Thames Water, which serves my constituency, has had a chequered history—it has gone from bad to worse—and there has been sewage on the streets of Ilford too frequently. When is enough enough? When will we take back control from Thames Water?
Commons
Oral Questions
19 March 2026
Business of the House
Many constituents have raised concerns about the restrictions on Palestinian worshippers accessing the al-Aqsa mosque—one of Islam’s holiest sites. They fear that the measures, which have been presented as security-related, may be limiting freedom of worship and increasing control over access. These…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
17 March 2026
Meningitis Outbreak
I thank my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for his statement. Parents of teenagers and students across the country will be looking on with increasing anxiety. What is the Secretary of State’s advice to parents in other parts of the country, particularly those in the Kent area? What exactly …
Commons
Oral Questions
17 March 2026
2 contributions
Justice System: Victim Confidence
12. What plans he has to help improve victim confidence in the justice system.
I welcome the Government’s recent efforts to improve victims’ experiences in the courtroom, including the expansion of the Operation Soteria principles and the introduction of a national independent legal adviser service to provide dedicated legal support throughout the criminal justice process. How…
Commons
Debate
5 March 2026
3 contributions
Commonwealth Troops: First World War
I beg to move,
That this House has considered the contributions of Commonwealth troops in the First World War.
I grew up in Ilford as a youngster with my childhood friends Harp and Sukha. We were ordinary lads bound together by a love for football, and oblivious to the fact that our fathers, grand…
I absolutely agree with everything my hon. Friend said.
From undivided India alone, around 74,000 soldiers were killed, each one a son, a brother, a husband or a friend—each one a life cut short by war. For many years, the full story of Commonwealth contributions was not widely recognised. Remembra…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Proceedings
5 March 2026
Business of the House
I welcome the Government’s announcements on ground rents, but many leaseholders remain at the mercy of managing agents who raise service charges while delivering poor repairs. One of my constituents has had no hot water for three months, while others still lack external wall system 1 certificates, l…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
26 February 2026
Business of the House
Solitary confinement beyond 15 days is considered psychological torture under international law. UN experts report that the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, has been held in solitary confinement for up to 23 hours a day, raising concerns about mistreatment. Reports suggest that he is l…
Commons
Westminster Hall
25 February 2026
12 contributions
Student Loan Repayment Plans
I beg to move,
That this House has considered student loan repayment plans.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. Students across the country have been protesting the unfairness of the student loan system—a system that millions of young people believe is rigged against them an…
I will expand on this as I go on, because I think everybody is involved, and I shall distribute responsibility fairly across the board.
Since 2012, around 5.8 million people have taken out plan 2 loans. They were told that university was the gateway to opportunity, that it would pay for itself and …
+10 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Transport
12 February 2026
Topical Questions
T7. Soaring car insurance costs are pricing young people off the roads. One constituent was recently quoted £3,000 and another £5,000. They are far from unique. What are the Government doing to bring down the cost of driving and make insurance affordable for young people again?
Commons
Oral Questions
Northern Ireland
11 February 2026
2 contributions
Education
10. What recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on education.
Does the Minister agree with me about the importance of the Northern Ireland Executive and the Government sharing knowledge, expertise and best practice as we all seek to improve outcomes for children in all our schools?
Commons
Oral Questions
9 February 2026
Jimmy Lai: Prison Sentence
Last year, the UN working group on arbitrary detention ruled that Mr Lai has been unlawfully and arbitrarily detained. In 2022, the same UN working group concluded the same thing about Jagtar Johal. Today, Jagtar turns 39, but instead of celebrating, he is languishing in a foreign prison like Jimmy …
Commons
Westminster Hall
2 February 2026
2 contributions
Indefinite Leave to Remain
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. I thank the Petitions Committee for securing this important debate. I speak today because Ilford South ranks second in the country in terms of the number of residents who signed the petition calling for the five-year ILR route to be maintain…
My hon. Friend makes a pertinent point and I absolutely agree with what she has said. We cannot overlook the fact that children will be adversely affected.
Nearly 3,000 residents in Ilford South signed the petitions. They are not asking for special treatment; many have never claimed benefits and do…
Commons
Debate
29 January 2026
Holocaust Memorial Day
I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket (Peter Prinsley) for opening the debate, and everybody else who has spoken so compassionately, with clarity and authenticity. The feeling that has come out is clear for everyone to see.
The Holocaust inflicted pain on a scale that…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
29 January 2026
Business of the House
Many girls in my constituency, some as young as 12, have told me that they face misogynistic abuse and sexual harassment in school from boys of a similar age. Some have even told me that reports of their experiences have fallen on deaf ears with the school leads, some often saying, “You should be fl…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
26 January 2026
Police Reform White Paper
I welcome the Home Secretary’s statement, which I hope will deliver a more joined-up approach to tackling some of the most serious crimes. However, we know that the police still have significant work to do in rebuilding public trust. Will the Home Secretary outline how the reforms will help raise st…
Commons
Oral Questions
Work and Pensions
26 January 2026
2 contributions
Youth Hubs
17. What steps he is taking to support the roll-out of youth hubs.
Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of hosting a roundtable with the Jack Petchey Foundation, where young people from London and Essex spoke powerfully about the barriers they face, including feeling that there are fewer opportunities for them. What steps is my right hon. Friend’s Department taking to…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
22 January 2026
Business of the House
My constituent Ahmad, a senior skilled worker at Queen’s hospital, has not seen his wife, Israa, for two years as she remains trapped in Gaza. Ahmad applied for a spousal visa, but Israa has been unable to enrol her biometrics because the Gaza visa application centre has been closed since 2024 and n…
Commons
Proceedings
8 January 2026
Business of the House
In 2020, my constituents Christine and Francis Saunders experienced the worst loss any parent can endure when their daughter, Juliet, died at only 25 years old after signs of bowel perforations were dismissed. Juliet’s death was avoidable; had she received timely treatment, she would have had an 80%…
Commons
Oral Questions
Transport
8 January 2026
Topical Questions
T4. Although I welcome recent efforts to get a grip on the outrageous driving test backlog, more needs to be done. I urge the Secretary of State and the DVSA to take further steps to safeguard the online booking system from profiteering by restricting driving schools from booking tests in bulk and b…
Commons
Debate
4 December 2025
Camden Nursery Sexual Abuse Case
I thank the Secretary of State for her statement, and for the urgency and respect that she has shown this particular case. May I put on the record that I agree with the sentiments of this House about the urgency with which we need to deal with this particular case and potential future cases, which w…