Commons
Proceedings
24 March 2026
4 contributions
Defence
I am going to start by doing something unusual in these debates: I am going to agree with the Opposition. I agree that we need to spend more on defence, I agree that we are in a once-in-a-century moment where the safety and security of our nation are fundamentally at risk, and I agree that the only …
I am proud of this Government for ending the two-child limit, and I am proud of the previous Labour Government who halved child poverty in this country. If Opposition Members truly believed that putting back the two-child limit or ending expenditure on net zero would fund the military, why did they …
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 March 2026
Productivity and Economic Growth: East Midlands
My hon. Friend is making a powerful speech about our region and the help it needs. Does he agree that for our region to do well, we need more devolution—including where I am in Leicestershire—as he has in his county? Is he pleased that the Government set out in the investment strategy that more mone…
Commons
Oral Questions
5 March 2026
2 contributions
EU: Mutual Interests
3. What recent discussions he has had with EU counterparts on topics of mutual interest.
Reform Members promised us that torching our relationship with Europe would make us richer and stronger. They were wrong on both counts. Higher import barriers have driven up costs by £200, and a continent with wider divisions makes us weaker. How the Government will show the courage needed to build…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
2 March 2026
Middle East
I thank the Prime Minister for raising the spectre of Iraq. We on the Labour Benches remember how a bloody invasion can lead to a brutal civil war. We know that the aftershocks of now will last years, not days. We are also seeing energy prices spiking, with oil up by 10% and gas up by 50%. Can the P…
Commons
Oral Questions
Transport
12 February 2026
Topical Questions
The last Government cut bus services in my community by half, so I am glad that this Government are putting more money into my local community, but we do need more bus services, particularly in rural areas. Will the Minister set out how we are going to improve local bus services, particularly with f…
Commons
Oral Questions
10 February 2026
Large-scale Solar Projects: Community Engagement
A solar farm is planned for my constituency, and the developer has engaged well with local residents. Yes, it will power 20,000 homes, and yes, it will get carbon emissions down, but most important of all, it will make our bills more affordable because solar is 50% cheaper than natural gas. Does the…
Commons
Oral Questions
Home Department
9 February 2026
2 contributions
Violence against Women and Girls Strategy
4. What recent progress her Department has made on implementing the violence against women and girls strategy.
Too many women come to my surgery with heartbreaking stories of violence and abuse, sometimes when they had left their partners. Too many people are falling through the cracks. I thank the Minister for her help with those cases, including before she came into office—it is a great comfort to me and t…
Commons
Debate
3 February 2026
6 contributions
Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill
Madam Deputy Speaker, it is a pleasure to be able to speak for the next hour, while there is no time limit. [ Laughter. ] Buckle in!
I want to start today’s speech by first addressing what the Conservatives said and why we need state support to help end child poverty in the technological era we are…
Did the guidance change between 2016 and 2024? Could the hon. Lady explain to me from the Opposition Front Bench why the number of food bank parcels tripled from the introduction of the two-child limit to 2024? I will give way if so.
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
21 January 2026
2 contributions
Engagements
Q1. If he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 21 January.
We face an affordability crisis in this country. In the short term, our dependence on fossil fuels has led to a rise in energy bills, and in the longer term, the aftershocks of Thatcher mean that there are not enough good, non-graduate jobs. That is why today’s warm homes plan is such good news: bat…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
14 January 2026
Offshore Wind
Thank you very much, Madam Deputy Speaker. Affordability is the biggest issue facing our country and climate change is the biggest issue facing our planet. That is why today’s announcement is such, such good news: wind power 40% cheaper than natural gas. Bizarrely, Reform called that lunacy. The sha…
Commons
Debate
12 January 2026
9 contributions
Finance (No. 2) Bill
Before I speak, I draw attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. It is a pleasure to speak in this packed Chamber, and to the millions of people no doubt watching at home.
I will speak to clause 4, but first I wish to thank the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire (Blake St…
I believe it will lead to more investment in this country. I will say this as well: the reason why people across the world invest in this nation and create great companies is because they want the return after tax. If an economy is growing and has more investment, that means more sales and more mone…
+7 more contributions in this session
Commons
Proceedings
8 January 2026
Business of the House
My constituents, like those of many Members across the House, have been horrified by the wreckage we have seen in Gaza. While there has been a ceasefire, there is still violence, and aid is struggling to get in. I thank my constituents who have raised the issue with me, and I thank Members for raisi…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
7 January 2026
Ukraine and Wider Operational Update
We are clearly facing the most dangerous times in almost a century in this country and across our continent. Since 1945, our safety and security have been guaranteed by being part of the most powerful military alliance in the history of humankind and sacrosanct borders in Europe. Times are clearly c…
Commons
Oral Questions
Energy Security and Net Zero
6 January 2026
Energy Transition
Happy new year, Mr Speaker.
We are facing an affordability crisis in this country, and indeed across high-income nations, because of our dependence on fossil fuels. That is why energy prices here have risen by 40% since 2021. Our constituents feel that this is damaging our country and, more importa…
Commons
Proceedings
11 December 2025
US National Security Strategy
A century ago, Members across this House failed. They failed to prepare for war and they therefore failed to prevent one. What followed was the most destructive war in the history of humankind, with tens of millions dead and hundreds of millions more stories of unspeakable grief. Today, we once agai…
Commons
Debate
10 December 2025
Conduct of the Chancellor of the Exchequer
It is a pleasure to speak in this debate. This is clearly a serious moment for our country—perhaps the most serious moment in a hundred years. We are threatened by existential crises: the affordability crisis, with the far right on the march; the climate crisis, with a planet that is burning; and a …
Commons
Westminster Hall
25 November 2025
2 contributions
Bike Theft: Loughborough
I beg to move,
That this House has considered the matter of bike theft in Loughborough.
Thank you for allowing me to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I raised the important issue of bike theft in the main Chamber a few weeks ago, when the Minister kindly provided me with an overview of …
It is fair to say that bike theft is a scourge across our nations and islands. I look forward to the Minister’s response.
The issue of motorbike theft in Loughborough was brought to my attention during my campaign, and the full scale of the problem has become clearer through time. I will mention so…
Commons
Debate
20 November 2025
International Men’s Day
I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Cannock Chase (Josh Newbury) not only for securing this debate, but for his incredibly courageous and powerful contribution, which is no doubt making waves across this country—I thank him so, so much for that.
Today men are finding life unaffordable in a way th…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 November 2025
Police Reform
I welcome today’s reforms. Across Loughborough, motorbikes have been stolen for years and years; it is a huge scourge. I am really glad that a recent police operation helped to seize some of those bikes, and I really glad that we are getting more police and more powers, but there is clearly a lot mo…
Commons
Debate
12 November 2025
4 contributions
Energy
Clearly, this country faces an affordability crisis. People cannot afford their energy bills or their housing bills, and that means more than just not being able to pay the bills—it means that they are losing faith in us in this place, because democracy is no longer delivering for them. We Labour Me…
The gasfields that the hon. Lady is talking about are geologically unstable, and it is not even clear whether we can get them out. Only 20% of the reserves of the gasfields that we knew of in 1997 are left—and when we get to 2050, what will we do then? That is precisely why this Government are inves…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
4 November 2025
2 contributions
Welfare Spending
Today’s motion represents the same failed punitive and cruel social security system that the Conservative party had for 14 years—a system that did not help people into good jobs or get social security spending down, and that led only to destitution. By contrast, our approach is to create good jobs, …
I could not agree more. When we go forward and think about how to create a good life for people, we first need to create good jobs, but we also need to ensure that people have the training and support they need to get there. That is exactly what this Government are doing.
We are creating good jobs …
Commons
Debate
28 October 2025
4 contributions
Stamp Duty Land Tax
It is a pleasure to speak in this debate on stamp duty, Madam Deputy Speaker. I think there is a lot of agreement on both sides of the House that, if we could just abolish stamp duty, we would. The question is not about abolishing stamp duty, but about how that would be paid for, and what we have se…
That is not at all the argument I am making. My argument is: how can we ensure that people live a decent life through £23 billion of social security cuts, given the huge amounts of destitution and increased unaffordability for families? I say this to the Conservatives as well: I worked in the Treasu…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Education
20 October 2025
Topical Questions
Under the previous Government, British parents had the highest childcare costs in Europe. Will the Minister please set out how the expansion of early years education is reducing the cost of living for hard-working British parents?
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 October 2025
COP30: Food System Transformation
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Harris. We live in a world where climate change is leading to rising prices and to more hunger. World food prices are up by 30%. The number of undernourished people is rising across the world. Here in the UK, food prices have increased by almost 40…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 October 2025
Security Update: Official Secrets Act Case
All of us across this House have an interest in protecting and preserving our democracy. Clearly, we have threats to our democracy, internally as well as externally. The Minister said a little bit about the elections Bill, but can he set out in more detail what the safeguards and protections will be…