Commons
Debate
15 January 2026
3 contributions
New Towns
I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Cumbernauld and Kirkintilloch (Katrina Murray) for securing the debate—I am hugely passionate about this topic—and for giving me the opportunity to speak for seven minutes about Harlow.
How do we begin to describe a new town like Harlow? Do we talk about the ho…
I think my hon. Friend knows fairly well! But Harlow is nearly the oldest new town.
Harlow might not be the best new town—well, I think it is, although probably not if you are a fan of being able to park your car anywhere near your house—but it absolutely is the new town with the biggest heart. I h…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
15 January 2026
2 contributions
Improving Outcomes for Young People
8. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help improve outcomes for young people.
I am in my usual place, you may notice, Madam Deputy Speaker.
I thank the Secretary of State for her work on this really important youth strategy. How can young people in my constituency of Harlow be empowered to take part in the youth strategy? She will be aware that I am the chair of the all-part…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 January 2026
Business of the House
I thank the Leader of the House for his statement. While I am here, may I thank the victims Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Pontypridd (Alex Davies-Jones), for her incredibly hard work on this issue? The Public Office (Accountability) Bill is hugely important, so I understand why the Leader …
Commons
Oral Questions
13 January 2026
2 contributions
A&E Waiting Times
12. What steps he is taking to help reduce waiting times at A&E departments.
Will the Secretary of State to join me in thanking the extraordinary efforts of the staff at Princess Alexandra hospital in Harlow for their work over the winter period? A few years ago, we saw the shocking statistic that people were waiting in A&E at Princess Alexandra hospital for 13 hours. Ca…
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
12 January 2026
Topical Questions
Across the winter months, I have received an increased amount of casework from residents of Harlow who are suffering from damp and mould in their houses. They deserve quicker repairs and higher standards from landlords. Of course, Awaab’s law is to be welcomed, but will the Secretary of State confir…
Commons
Debate
7 January 2026
Rural Communities
The Minister is being generous with her time. The previous Government’s cuts to the Environment Agency have had a huge impact on parts of my constituency and just beyond it. We have had fly-tipping on an industrial level that has leaked into the rivers and streams of my constituency and caused a hug…
Commons
Debate
7 January 2026
Jury Trials
I thank the shadow Secretary of State for giving way; he is always generous with his time. He talks about the length of time it takes for victims to get justice. I speak to police officers in my constituency all the time who say that one of the issues with the backlog, this waiting list, is that peo…
Commons
Debate
6 January 2026
3 contributions
Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill
Does the Minister agree that, as we become more and more reliant on IT systems—I am thinking in particular about the new patient registration system at the Princess Alexandra hospital in my constituency—it is more and more important that we combat potential cyber-attacks, particularly from foreign p…
I thank the Minister for giving way; I apologise for intervening again. Is there a piece of work we need to do on culture? When businesses or the public sector are victims of cyber-crime, there is a danger that employees may feel embarrassed or nervous about reporting their concerns. We need to enco…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Energy Security and Net Zero
6 January 2026
Power Cuts: Rural Areas
Nazeing in my constituency is home to many rural businesses, including—as I mentioned before recess—the Lea Valley Growers Association. It has said to me that the biggest challenges it faces are the considerable increase in the cost of energy and energy security, so how does the Minister think the B…
Commons
Debate
5 January 2026
HMP Leyhill: Offender Abscondments
As a former maths teacher, I would be very interested to see the trends with regard to absconsions and the moving average over a period of time. However, ultimately one absconsion by a dangerous criminal is one too many. More specifically, what is the Minister doing to support and train prison staff…
Commons
Debate
5 January 2026
Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief
I put on the record my thanks to the farmers in my constituency of Harlow who have engaged really productively on the issue. In particular, I pay tribute to Richard and Jack Scantlebury of Great Canfield. Can the Minister talk further about how the record investment of £11.8 billion in sustainable f…
Commons
Oral Questions
Home Department
5 January 2026
Topical Questions
Mr Speaker, I wish you and your team a very happy new year. I welcome the Minister’s work on the defending democracy taskforce. How can MPs like me, and political parties more generally, get involved in supporting the taskforce, because I am passionate about representing Harlow and not Moscow?
Commons
Debate
17 December 2025
2 contributions
National Insurance Contributions (Employer Pensions Contributions) Bill
rose—
It’s Christmas! I have been here the whole time, by the way, Madam Deputy Speaker.
The Minister talks about the impact on different earners. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury mentioned that only one in five self-employed people actually gets a pension, and there was another statistic abou…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
17 December 2025
UK-EU Common Understanding Negotiations
I welcome my right hon. Friend’s statement. As he will be aware, my constituency of Harlow has a lower than average number of young people going to university, which is something that I would like to see addressed. However, can he talk me through the benefits of the Erasmus+ scheme for young people …
Commons
Oral Questions
17 December 2025
Digital ID System
Digital IDs have the potential to make life much easier for my constituents in Harlow. However, I have constituents who are concerned about data security. What reassurance can the Minister give them that their data will be safe with this new system?
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 December 2025
Neurodiversity in the Workplace
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Twigg, and I thank my hon. Friend for securing this debate and for her very personal testimony. Does she agree with me and PACT for Autism, which is based in my constituency, that we should not only support people in work, but support people into…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
16 December 2025
Planning Reform
I thank the Minister for his statement. He will be aware that Harlow is home to a number of builders, construction workers and entrepreneurs. How will the proposals he has set out today make a difference for Harlow’s hard-working builders, construction workers and entrepreneurs?
Commons
Ministerial Statement
16 December 2025
2 contributions
Electoral Resilience
rose—
May I thank the Secretary of State for his statement? This case should be of concern to anybody who believes in this country and in our democracy, which should be everybody in this Chamber. What will the Secretary of State do to ensure, in working with the Home Secretary, that police forces such as …
Commons
Debate
15 December 2025
7 contributions
Sudden Cardiac Death in Young People
I thank the Speaker’s Office for finding time for this important Adjournment debate, and my hon. Friend the Minister for being in her place to hear it. I look forward to her response. I know that many Members feel passionate about this issue and look forward to taking as many interventions as I can.…
I do agree with my hon. Friend. Clarissa was a young girl who was very involved in sport. There is no reason why young people with these conditions cannot continue to take part in sport, as long as they are aware of their condition and able to take the necessary precautions.
Hilary said that her da…
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
15 December 2025
Violence against Women and Girls Strategy
I thank my hon. Friend. I would say that she is not bombastic but passionate about tackling this terrible societal wrong. Unfortunately, I will not be in the House for the statement on Thursday because I will be having a meeting with three domestic violence victims from my constituency. Does she agr…
Commons
Debate
15 December 2025
NHS: Winter Preparedness
I put on record my thanks to the staff at Princess Alexandra hospital in Harlow for their work to support residents in my constituency not just at Christmas but all year round.
Clearly, the BMA’s decision to take strike action over Christmas is hugely disappointing. As a former teacher, I remember …
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
15 December 2025
2 contributions
NATO: European Security
22. What recent discussions he has had with NATO counterparts on European security.
As the Minister will be aware—I mention it quite often—Harlow is home to high-tech defence innovation and skilled jobs. Will he confirm that one consequence of the historic NATO summit in June is that there will be further investment in defence and resilience that constituencies such as mine can ben…
Commons
Debate
10 December 2025
6 contributions
Conduct of the Chancellor of the Exchequer
On the topic of the NHS, the point I made in the previous debate is really important. The investment in the NHS is not just an investment in buildings; it is an investment in people, including working people. I have lots of people in my constituency who are self-employed—sole traders, as we call the…
I read the OBR report with interest. One of its recommendations that caught my attention was this:
“We recommend that the process for publishing the EFOs…should immediately be removed from the locally managed website and conducted in an environment more appropriate to the nature of the task”.
May …
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
10 December 2025
4 contributions
Seasonal Work
Will the hon. Gentleman give way?
Conservative Members will know my background and work career, because I mention that I used to be a teacher every time I speak. I ask the hon. Gentleman to consider that many in his party talk about education but have not been teachers. Does he not recognise that, as Members of Parliament, we bring …
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
9 December 2025
Grooming Gangs: Independent Inquiry
I thank the Secretary of State for her statements. I particularly welcome the part about closing the loophole on taxi regulations. In my first outing in this place, I spoke about the challenges and problems caused by the loophole for cross-border hiring. Will the Secretary of State work at pace with…