Commons
Westminster Hall
9 December 2025
Medal for Wounded Service Personnel
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Vickers. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for St Helens North (David Baines) for securing this debate and highlighting the continued importance of properly recognising those who have served in our armed forces. I know how much work he has been doin…
Commons
Westminster Hall
26 November 2025
10 contributions
1994 RAF Chinook Crash
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Dowd. I thank the hon. Member for North Down (Alex Easton) for securing this important debate and speaking with such passion on behalf of the bereaved families who were impacted by this tragic accident 31 years ago. As he will know, I am a vetera…
I do not have the exact details to hand right now, but it is quite routinely the case that, where documents of this nature contain personal information, they are closed for 100 years to allow for the people whose details they contain to have passed away, at which point the privacy considerations obv…
+8 more contributions in this session
Commons
Proceedings
11 November 2025
3 contributions
Blood Transfusions during the Falklands War
I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool Walton (Dan Carden) for securing this important debate and for raising the case of his constituent. It is rather apt that we are holding this debate on Armistice Day and so soon after Remembrance Sunday, when people the length and breadth of the UK cam…
I thank the right hon. Member for his intervention.
In relation specifically to blood transfusions aboard SS Uganda during the Falklands war, the MOD has made extensive inquiries and concluded that it does not hold information in relation to these. I reiterate that I am speaking about MOD files rat…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
11 November 2025
Remembrance Day: Armed Forces
Today we have honoured generations of servicemen and women who have put their lives on the line for their country. I am grateful to Members on both sides of the House who have spoken with such passion and feeling about a subject that I know they value so highly.
On Remembrance Sunday, millions of p…
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
3 November 2025
9 contributions
Topical Questions
As the hon. Member will be aware, the Ministry of Defence accepted 33 of the Committee’s recommendations, partially accepted a further four recommendations and noted 13 points that were conclusions rather than recommendations. There are three recommendations that we are not implementing, but it must…
It was without doubt a huge honour and privilege last week to attend the unveiling of the Etherton memorial, commemorating the life and legacy of the late Lord Etherton. We have now paid £20 million in total to veterans under the LGBT financial recognition scheme, and I can assure my hon. Friend tha…
+7 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
3 November 2025
3 contributions
Women in the Armed Forces: Defence Committee Recommendations
As an Army veteran, and indeed a female Army veteran, this mission is deeply personal to me. More work must be done to improve service life for women in our armed forces. The two remaining recommendations from the Committee’s report—the launch of the veterans strategy and the publication of the tri-…
The hon. Member makes a good point, and as someone who had to wear the body armour, I am fully on board. Progress is under way to address the very points she mentions.
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
3 November 2025
8 contributions
Army Recruitment
We have been very clear in the strategic defence review that we are committed to growing the Army. Under this Government, we have driven improvements to the recruiting process, stripping out outdated medical policies, reducing the time it takes to receive candidate medical records and widening cross…
I would like to reassure the hon. Gentleman that serving in the armed forces is a fantastic career for any young person. The experiences and skills that one can gain from a career in the armed forces are second to none; I for one am deeply grateful for all the opportunities I had when I served, and …
+6 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
3 November 2025
3 contributions
Cadet Numbers
As announced in the strategic defence review, we are working to deliver a 30% expansion of in-school and community-based cadet forces by 2030. The campaign is backed by £70 million of new investment and will increase our cadets by an estimated 40,000 across the UK, providing the opportunity for many…
I am delighted to hear about the fantastic opportunities given by the air cadets in my hon. Friend’s constituency. I can assure him that delivering the 30 by 30 expansion programme requires a detailed assessment of key foundational areas, including cadet growth, the adult volunteer proposition and t…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
28 October 2025
8 contributions
Support for Disabled Veterans
I very much welcome this debate on disabled veterans. It is a hugely important topic, and I am grateful to the hon. Member for Eastleigh (Liz Jarvis) for securing it and for speaking so passionately about the subject, which I know is dear to so many. I thank her for her excellent speech and everybod…
The hon. Member is absolutely right to draw attention to the importance of a trauma-informed response. If she is able to write to me with details of the case, I will take a look at it.
I was speaking about those I served alongside and about veterans across the country. They answered when our countr…
+6 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
8 September 2025
2 contributions
Topical Questions
We must recruit the absolute best to serve in the armed forces. As the hon. Gentleman will know, an intelligent strategy for recruitment will seek to reach every single community across these British isles. Perpetuating a narrative that women and those from ethnic minorities—many of whom have proven…
I think the hon. Member has answered his own question. We are talking about indicators, and indicators are very different from targets. An intelligent recruitment strategy seeks to reach out to all communities across these islands, and we need to monitor how well our narratives are succeeding. If we…
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
8 September 2025
2 contributions
Armed Forces: Welfare
The armed forces welfare support policy, JSP 770, underwent a full review and was published in January 2025. It now includes updated information and guidance to ensure that welfare support structures are appropriate, accurate and informative for service personnel and their families. Welfare support …
As my hon. Friend rightly notes, the Armed Forces Commissioner Act, as I can now refer to it, received Royal Assent last week, which is a fantastic step forward. As she highlights, there is more to do; there are many aspects of service life where even small changes could make a massive difference to…
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
8 September 2025
4 contributions
Armed Forces: Recruitment and Retention
It is a huge honour to be here, and I am very honoured.
We inherited a crisis in recruitment and retention. This Government are renewing the contract with those who serve by giving them the largest pay rise in 20 years, allocating an extra £1.5 billion to fix forces housing and establishing a new A…
I have served overseas and observed this issue at first hand. Discussions with the Cabinet Office are ongoing, and I hope to update the hon. Member in due course.
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Proceedings
4 September 2025
Business of the House
Having recently married—[Hon. Members: “Hear, hear!]— I have elected to change my surname. Despite having been warned in advance, I am horrified by the sheer number of bodies, organisations, Departments and agencies that I need to inform. Will the Leader of the House update us on whether any conside…
Commons
Debate
3 September 2025
Property Taxes
I think the record that we, the Labour Government, had to deal with when we took over last year bears repeating. We have heard theories propounded on the relationship between tax and growth and public spending, and we have heard that if we only lowered taxes, we would enter a glorious period of grow…
Commons
Oral Questions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
2 September 2025
2 contributions
Sudan
2. What assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in Sudan.
El Fasher has been under siege for over 500 days, and famine and cholera—all man-made problems—are rife. It has been described as the “epicentre of child suffering”. What is the UK doing to protect civilians and ensure that humanitarian aid can reach those who need it?
Commons
Ministerial Statement
1 September 2025
Middle East
The famine in Gaza is clearly man-made and it is abominable. That tens of thousands of civilians have been brutally killed is abominable. The retention of the hostages by Hamas, and even the retention of the bodies of those who have passed away, is equally abominable. We can all see what is happenin…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
21 July 2025
Independent Water Commission
Just this morning, I was absolutely disgusted to see reports of a sewage leak in the River Hipper in my constituency, so I welcome the Secretary of State’s ambition to tackle this issue. That leak is particularly galling, because it comes after massive hikes to the bills of those who, like myself, l…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
15 July 2025
Afghanistan
As a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, I was appalled to watch the chaotic mismanagement following the fall of Kabul that left Afghans who served alongside our troops and who worked so hard for a better Afghanistan, dangerously exposed. This was a situation that I feared would happen and could see …
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 July 2025
13 contributions
Northern Ireland Veterans: Prosecution
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Mundell. I begin by acknowledging the outstanding service of the many British service personnel who worked so hard on an incredibly difficult operation to protect the communities of Northern Ireland. We should be in no doubt that they upheld British…
I will make some progress and then come back to the right hon. Gentleman. It was a law that was forced through to try to curry favour in a desperate attempt to save the dying Administration of Boris Johnson. Among all the complicated arguments around how best to properly deal with the impact of the …
+11 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
3 July 2025
NHS 10-Year Plan
My constituents raise issues with accessing the NHS, particularly local GPs and primary services, at every chance they have. I welcome the bold, big ambition of this 10-year health strategy. Can the Secretary of State outline how it will make a big difference in our small towns and villages?
Commons
Ministerial Statement
3 July 2025
Business of the House
Many of my constituents who live in park homes have been in touch. They have worked really hard all their lives, and they love and value living in these communities. They are responsible for the upkeep of these homes, which are not holiday homes—these are their homes—and for upgrading their properti…
Commons
Oral Questions
Church Commissioners
3 July 2025
2 contributions
Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme
3. What assessment the Church Commissioners have made of the potential impact of the £25,000 cap in the listed places of worship grant scheme on levels of church repairs.
In North East Derbyshire, we are proud to have many historic, beautiful churches that reflect the many broad traditions within Christian faith in this country. Can my hon. Friend please provide clarity on the future of the listed places of worship scheme so that we can continue to treasure these pla…
Commons
Proceedings
25 June 2025
Nuclear-certified Aircraft Procurement
May I say how much I welcome this announcement, and the extra capability that it will bring? Will the Minister outline how this decision will support jobs across the UK, particularly for those in my constituency of North East Derbyshire who work in defence?
Commons
Ministerial Statement
24 June 2025
China Audit
May I say to the Foreign Secretary how much I welcome this China audit? I would like to highlight one aspect in particular. As someone who studied Chinese at university and lived there for a year, I know how complex and different China can be, and the many misconceptions and ignorance around China h…
Commons
Proceedings
24 June 2025
National Security Strategy
The Minister will know from my background that I will welcome the defence measures in the national security strategy, but I particularly wish to highlight the passages on energy security. We know that the impacts of the war in Ukraine, combined with our historical over-reliance on a single source of…