Commons
Westminster Hall
17 June 2025
2 contributions
Disabled People in Poverty
Will the hon. Gentleman give way?
Today the Minister has heard many MPs, representing their constituents, express their huge concern about the effects of the PIP cuts on disabled members of our communities. She says that she cares about disabled people in poverty and about dignity. Why are her Government refusing to raise funds thro…
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 June 2025
9 contributions
Genocide Convention: UK Compliance
I beg to move,
That this House has considered UK compliance with the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Jardine. On 29 December 2023, South Africa brought a case before the International Court of Justice regardin…
For clarification, since the Minister is not in his place and no one from the Government is here, is it correct that I continue?
+7 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
13 June 2025
7 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
I rise to speak in support of new clauses 13 to 15, tabled by the hon. Member for Spen Valley (Kim Leadbeater), to support amendments 94 and 95, and to oppose amendment 42. I pay tribute to the hon. Member for Spen Valley for her compassionate leadership and immense hard work, to the Members of all …
I thank the hon. Member for raising that issue and giving me the opportunity to speak about the detailed evidence given by my constituent Emeritus Professor Sam Ahmedzai, with whom I spoke at length yesterday about precisely this detail. I have reviewed a number of tables of data about this. Any sub…
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
12 June 2025
Spending Review: Health and Social Care
More money for the NHS is of course welcome, although if we in the Green party had our way, it would be raised by taxing extreme wealth fairly, rather than by taxing work. The small amounts of money for social care announced in the spending review are nowhere close to the funding needed to tackle th…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
12 June 2025
Trade Agreements Programme
The UK has a trade agreement with Israel that permits the import of goods produced in illegal settlements. Such goods are effectively proceeds of crime, given that settlements constitute illegal expropriation of Palestinian land. How can the UK justify this complicity in trade of illegally produced …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
10 June 2025
Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories
I welcome the announcement of sanctions on two extremist Ministers. It is long overdue and it is a bare minimum. On its own, it is likely to do little to stop extremist, illegal settlements and violence against Palestinian civilians. When will the Government implement a ban on settlement goods to st…
Commons
Oral Questions
Energy Security and Net Zero
10 June 2025
Rooftop Solar Power
I am delighted that the Government have seen the light on solar photovoltaics and recognised what an important step they are on the path to the sunlit uplands of homes that are genuinely fit for the future. Does the Secretary of State recognise that energy efficiency is a crucial part of energy secu…
Commons
Debate
9 June 2025
8 contributions
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
Will the Minister give way?
On that specific point, will the Minister give way?
+6 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
9 June 2025
Winter Fuel Payment
I welcome the fact that the Government are finally listening to the public and doing a U-turn on winter fuel payments, which is long overdue. However, in a truly strategic approach to tackling fuel poverty, we would make sure that every home could be heated affordably and was well insulated. Will th…
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
9 June 2025
Construction Sector Specialist Apprentices
I welcome the Minister’s commitment to supporting skills training in the construction sector. Does he agree that skills training needs to be particularly focused on the sustainable skills, and will he join me in congratulating the low-carbon technology training centre in my constituency, as well as …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
5 June 2025
Governing the Marine Environment
I thank the Chair of the Select Committee for his statement. It is a privilege to serve on the Environmental Audit Committee.
While the UK Government have committed to not allowing any new oil and gas licences—I would like to see them go further—the marine spatial plan still says that we should max…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
5 June 2025
Free School Meals
I welcome today’s announcement. It is a small step in the right direction, but what we need is a giant leap to end child poverty. If the Minister were serious about that, he knows what he needs to do: scrap the two-child benefit cap. That would lift 400,000 children out of poverty. The Green party h…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
4 June 2025
Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories
The UK Government have an obligation under international law to do everything possible to prevent genocide, yet we see genocide occurring in Gaza. The Minister assured the House a month ago that he was conducting a risk assessment on genocide in Gaza. Will he give me a clear, unambiguous, straight a…
Commons
Proceedings
3 June 2025
Points of Order
On a point of order, Mr Speaker. As the House will know, Laila Soueif stopped eating 247 days ago to try to save her son, the imprisoned British-Egyptian national, Alaa Abd el-Fattah. He is an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience who has been in jail for more than a decade because of his wri…
Commons
Proceedings
3 June 2025
Thames Water
The Green party has campaigned for the public ownership of water since the year dot, unlike certain cynical opportunists behind me on the Reform Benches. We know allowing privatised monopolies to control water leaves infrastructure crumbling, waterways running with sewage, sky-high bills, and shareh…
Commons
Debate
2 June 2025
Arms and Military Cargo Export Controls: Israel
I thank the hon. Member for his very powerful speech, and I echo his call for the Government to publish their most recent assessment of the risk of genocide. Does he agree that it makes a mockery of our obligation under international law to prevent genocide if our Government say that they can only j…
Commons
Debate
2 June 2025
2 contributions
Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [Lords]
rose —
Does the Secretary of State recognise that rural constituencies such as mine have particular needs, and that the funding needs to reflect the extra costs associated with rurality, as well as the demographic demands? Young people, older people and people on low incomes rely on buses more than others.…
Commons
Debate
2 June 2025
Strategic Defence Review
This Government seem to have confused security with spending more on weapons, but warheads do not buy a safer world—they make it more dangerous. Instead of wasting £15 billion on nuclear warheads—weapons that must never be used and that should be as unacceptable as biological and chemical weapons—at…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
20 May 2025
UK-EU Summit
On behalf of the Green party, I broadly welcome the progress made at the summit yesterday. It is not quite the step change we need, but it is a step forward towards the closest possible relationship with our closest neighbours that we continue to champion. I would gently point out that it is hardly …
Commons
Committee Stage
13 May 2025
2 contributions
Planning and Infrastructure Bill (Fifth sitting)
I thank the Minister, and I absolutely recognise the importance of the principle of community benefit. However, would he not agree with me that it becomes problematic if we put in specific numbers, such as £250 or £1,000 a year? Inflation will change what that means, so is it not more relevant and l…
Logically, we could divide by the number of miles of transmission infrastructure in each community.
Commons
Committee Stage
13 May 2025
4 contributions
Planning and Infrastructure Bill (Sixth sitting)
I beg to move amendment 152, in clause 45, page 58, line 3, at end insert—
“(c) require that any training accredited under this section includes content on—
(i) inclusive design principles in the built environment;
(ii) the requirements and intent of Approved Document M, Volume 1: Dwellings of th…
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Jardine. I did not prepare anything in advance—apologies—but I do think it is important for the Committee to consider amendment 152, tabled by an hon. Member from another party. The amendment asks the Government to consider using the opportunity off…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
8 May 2025
2 contributions
Nature-friendly Farming
9. Whether he plans to improve support for nature-friendly farming.
On behalf of the Green party, on this special day of commemoration, I join colleagues from across the House in paying tribute to all those who sacrificed so much to resist and defeat fascism 80 years ago.
I thank the Minister for his response. We have indeed discussed these issues before and will c…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
7 May 2025
India-Pakistan: Escalation
Given the significance and frightening ramifications of further tensions and instability between these two nuclear-armed neighbours, I agree with the Minister that de-escalation and diplomacy are the absolute priority. Can he tell the House whether he has sought assurances that UK-manufactured weapo…
Commons
Debate
6 May 2025
Victory in Europe and Victory over Japan: 80th Anniversary
It is an honour to speak in this debate commemorating VE Day, which is of great significance to many in my constituency, where a significant proportion of the population are veterans or from military families.
The Royal British Legion has encouraged us to ensure that the stories of veterans are at …