Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 November 2025
Police Reform
I welcome the Government’s decision, which I think is long overdue. I thank Clare Moody, the PCC for Somerset, who has worked very hard with me over the last 18 months and has visited my constituency three times. She is an inspiration. May I seek some reassurance on behalf of my constituents that ex…
Commons
Oral Questions
13 November 2025
Topical Questions
T2. Under the previous Government, farms were encouraged to diversify to secure their incomes and support rural communities. In the light of this Government’s reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief, many family farms that diversified now face what feels like double taxa…
Commons
Westminster Hall
11 November 2025
Autistic Adults: Employment
I thank my hon. Friend for securing this important debate. In my constituency, I recently held a roundtable discussions on the state of special educational needs and disabilities education—which we know is dire. Does my hon. Friend share my belief that we should be promoting opportunities in employm…
Commons
Debate
5 November 2025
Employment Rights Bill
The answer to that question is the Chartered Management Institute.
Commons
Ministerial Statement
5 November 2025
Curriculum and Assessment Review
As the Member of Parliament for Tiverton and Minehead—Minehead being one of the most deprived areas in the country, standing 324th out of 324 in the social mobility index—I wholeheartedly commend what the Secretary of State has announced. However, I have grave concerns about the state of the schools…
Commons
Debate
4 November 2025
Supporting High Streets
I am very lucky in my constituency to have a thriving high street in Minehead. It was obvious when I was wandering around doing my Small Business Saturday that the strength of the independent traders is what makes Minehead high street particularly successful and a thriving part of my constituency. D…
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 November 2025
Cross-border Healthcare
My hon. Friend is making a point about the border between England and Wales, but I represent a constituent who lives in a spot equidistant between two hospitals in Exeter and Taunton. Only one hospital could provide the treatment she needed, but the consultant there recommended rehabilitation at a t…
Commons
Westminster Hall
29 October 2025
International Baccalaureate: Funding in State Schools
I was lucky enough to go to a school in Cheltenham called the Cheltenham Ladies college where the IB was offered. It is grossly unfair that children who cannot afford school fees should not have the opportunity for this wonderful international qualification. Does my hon. Friend agree?
Commons
Debate
28 October 2025
Support for Disabled Veterans
My office is supporting a veteran with complex PTSD who has experienced a judicial process that simply does not adequately reflect the specific needs of some veterans. Does the Minister accept that veterans with conflict-related PTSD can function well in many or most aspects of life but may be espec…
Commons
Debate
28 October 2025
2 contributions
Stamp Duty Land Tax
We Liberal Democrats accept that property taxes must be reformed—arguably, radically so—but I struggle with the Conservatives, who governed for years without substantial reform, now promising to abolish stamp duty with no credible plans to pay for it. Where is the money coming from? Is the magic mon…
I wanted to speak earlier on social mobility, which the hon. Lady mentioned. If anybody wants to see what happens to social mobility under the Conservatives, all they need do is come to Minehead in my constituency, which is ranked 324th out of 324 for social mobility in the entire country, having ha…
Commons
Oral Questions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
28 October 2025
Topical Questions
I refer Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. When I was in Ukraine last month I met senior Ukrainian figures, all of whom told me the same thing: they need more support from Europe to win this war. With that in mind, will the Foreign Secretary finally commit to seizin…
Commons
Westminster Hall
28 October 2025
Lasting Power of Attorney
Minehead has a very large elderly and deprived population. Could we, as Members of Parliament, help the hon. Gentleman in his best endeavours by encouraging our constituents, particularly if we live in or represent constituencies with large elderly populations, to come forward and talk to us as thei…
Commons
Oral Questions
Work and Pensions
27 October 2025
Topical Questions
I have met many pensionable-age constituents, most of whom live on the Duck estate, who have lost their entitlement to pension credit because of as little as 50p. Does the Minister agree that pension credit, the employment and support allowance and PIP assistance could all do with more common sense …
Commons
Debate
21 October 2025
Social Housing: South Cotswolds
Does my hon. Friend agree that schemes such as the new social housing in Minehead—the first social housing for a generation—coupled with more social housing in Mid Devon specifically for elderly people to downsize from their own social housing are the way forward? Does she also agree that the Libera…
Commons
Debate
21 October 2025
Sentencing Bill
I sit on the Public Accounts Committee. Earlier this year, we investigated the state of our prison system and all the sorts of things that one should describe as restorative justice. The facts are that our prisons are overflowing, they are not making anybody any better or turning people around, and …
Commons
Westminster Hall
21 October 2025
Mandatory Digital ID
Does my hon. Friend agree that the very idea of “Ihre Papiere, bitte” is not something that my constituents, or the British people more broadly, will stand for? That explains this cross-party opposition—which I, as a true Liberal, fully endorse.
Commons
Proceedings
16 October 2025
Business of the House
In my constituency, there is a fantastic organisation called the Filo Project, a community interest company that provides innovative and award-winning dementia care. When people come to the Filo Project, however, their care is subject to VAT of 20% simply because it is not commissioned by a local au…
Commons
Westminster Hall
16 October 2025
Ada Lovelace Day
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Furniss. I thank the hon. Member for Morecambe and Lunesdale (Lizzi Collinge) for securing this debate.
Ashley Combe, which sits above Porlock Weir, was Ada Lovelace’s home for many summers. She would walk across west Somerset, admiring its faun…
Commons
Debate
16 September 2025
Ambassador to the United States
I congratulate the right hon. Member for Goole and Pocklington (David Davis) on securing this debate. Like everyone in the Chamber, my thoughts are first and foremost with the victims of that dreadful man whose name I refuse to mention.
A week is a long time in politics. Last week, we saw the Prime…
Commons
Westminster Hall
9 September 2025
Neurodivergent People: Employment
Does my hon. Friend agree that Foxes hotel in my constituency of Minehead is a trailblazer? It is the UK’s only fully operating training hotel for young people with learning disabilities, many of whom have Down’s syndrome. It has shown that structured on-the-job training, dedicated mentorship and cl…
Commons
Debate
4 September 2025
House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill
I count a great many hereditary peers among my friends, and I know that they do excellent jobs. However, Britain stands, alongside Lesotho, as a complete anomaly in the 21st century by preserving legislative roles based on lineage. Serving in this House, as in any other, is a privilege of the highes…
Commons
Debate
2 September 2025
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
A particular concern of my constituents in Tiverton and Minehead, where we have one local authority in Devon and one in Somerset, is the real difficulties around special educational needs and disabilities. Does my hon. Friend agree that the Bill could create difficulties for local authorities that a…
Commons
Debate
16 July 2025
Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life
The best start in life means a good education; good education means a good school; and a good school necessarily means a learning environment in which children can thrive. Tiverton high school in my constituency should not be an exception to that, but because of the decisions of successive Governmen…
Commons
Debate
15 July 2025
5 contributions
Welfare Spending
Will the hon. Gentleman give way?
Will the hon. Gentleman give way?
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 July 2025
2 contributions
Northern Ireland Veterans: Prosecution
Will the hon. Lady give way?
This is a deeply sensitive debate. Two of my brothers served as officers in Northern Ireland, and the memory of Operation Banner has been raised time and again by many of my constituents. The truth is that many of the soldiers in Northern Ireland were young lads from working-class communities sent b…