Commons
Oral Questions
16 March 2026
GP Contract
I pay tribute to the GPs in Dewsbury and Batley and the surrounding villages. The Minister mentioned preventive health. What steps are the Government taking to support GPs in their treatment of patients with preventable or avoidable diseases through the prescription of exercise and healthy foods? Se…
Commons
Debate
16 March 2026
Lord Mandelson: Response to Humble Address
In our country—and I fully support the Government’s national inquiry into grooming gangs and child sexual exploitation —the Epstein scandal exposes a global sex ring, with many hundreds if not thousands of under-age girls and women being trafficked for sex for the sake of political, financial and gl…
Commons
Oral Questions
16 March 2026
Strait of Hormuz
It is suspected that AI systems have been used to target and murder 165 schoolchildren and their teachers using US-made Tomahawks, with further double-tap attacks falling on survivors 40 minutes later. This Government say that tackling violence against women and girls is a priority, but in failing t…
Commons
Westminster Hall
11 March 2026
4 contributions
Rough Sleeping: Families with Children
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Dr Murrison. I thank the hon. Member for Liverpool Wavertree (Paula Barker) for securing this important debate. I will repeat and add to a couple of points that we have already heard.
It is not an unfortunate inevitability but a national disgrace tha…
The hon. Member is absolutely right. We all pay tribute to all the charities across the country, including the one in her constituency, that are stepping in to help people in times of desperate need, when Government and councils have not been able to provide the necessary support. I pay tribute to a…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
10 March 2026
Digital ID: Public Consultation
Consistent polling has found that the public are not interested in digital ID and remain deeply concerned about the implications for their privacy. They have a sustained lack of trust in this Government to run the scheme. That is especially the case given the fact that this Government have sold out …
Commons
Westminster Hall
10 March 2026
3 contributions
Fur: Import and Sale
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Jardine. I thank the hon. Member for Newport West and Islwyn (Ruth Jones) for securing this important debate.
I think that we will rightly repeat several of the key issues and reasons why the import of fur products should be banned in the UK and th…
I completely agree, and I was happy to support the hon. Gentleman’s private Member’s Bill and speak in the debate. Anything that we deem unacceptable or cruel in our country is unacceptable or cruel wherever it is done, and we should not help to perpetuate that cruelty elsewhere around the world.
T…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
9 March 2026
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
I completely agree with the Minister’s position; parents should have the choice to send their child to whichever school they believe is best for them. In relation to admissions, one of my first cases after becoming an MP was an automatic off-rolling of a child after she had been absent for 20 days, …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
9 March 2026
Social Cohesion Action Plan
We all agree that there is no place in our society for hatred or discrimination against anybody, anywhere. Islamophobic incidents in the UK are at record levels; there are thousands of incidents each year, with many more likely to be unreported. Abuse is increasingly normalised and politicised throu…
Commons
Westminster Hall
9 March 2026
Type 1 Diabetes: Infant Testing
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Alec. I join Members across the Chamber in paying tribute to Lyla Story, and I extend my deepest condolences to her family. No parent should ever have to endure the loss of a child. The courage and determination shown by Lyla’s parents, Emma and Jo…
Commons
Oral Questions
10 February 2026
Ministry of Defence: Palantir Contracts
In a call with investors a couple of weeks ago, Palantir’s chief executive officer Alex Karp said that
“we are super proud of the role we play, especially in places we can’t talk about…Palantir is here to disrupt…and when it’s necessary, to scare our enemies and on occasion kill them.”
Palantir’s …
Commons
Debate
9 February 2026
9 contributions
UK-India Free Trade Agreement
According to the Government’s figures, this trade deal will add only 0.14% to our national GDP. What are we giving up in return for that measly amount of benefit, and is it really worth sacrificing our commitment to human rights to sign these kinds of trade deals with countries and leaders who are r…
Does the right hon. Member agree that anybody who comes to our country and does not pay into the system through national insurance and taxes should not be allowed to benefit from services that taxpayers fund, like the NHS, education, GPs, dentists and so on? It is a two-tier system if we are treatin…
+7 more contributions in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
9 February 2026
Standards in Public Life
Confidence in the Prime Minister is at an all-time low, and many of the reasons for that have already been discussed. However, one particular issue is that the Prime Minister visited Palantir’s head offices in Washington DC in February 2025. Will the Chief Secretary confirm whether Peter Mandelson a…
Commons
Debate
5 February 2026
Occupied Palestinian Territories: Genocide Risk Assessment
I thank the hon. Member for Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber (Brendan O’Hara) for securing this crucial debate. As he said, any person of conscience can and must condemn both the illegal actions of Hamas on 7 October and the illegal actions of Israel in its response for the 850 days since that horrif…
Commons
Oral Questions
Solicitor General
5 February 2026
2 contributions
Palestine: Legal Obligations
6. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that the UK is meeting its legal obligations under international law in relation to Palestine.
On 26 January 2024, the International Court of Justice found that it is “plausible” that Israel’s acts could infringe rights of the Palestinian people protected by the genocide convention. Since then, tens of thousands have been murdered and Gaza has been reduced to rubble. The ICJ has affirmed that…
Commons
Oral Questions
5 February 2026
Topical Questions
What steps is DEFRA taking to raise public awareness of the impact of methane-reducing feed additives used in livestock farming, such as Bovaer? What steps is DEFRA taking to ensure that all chemicals and additives are tested and proven to be safe for humans, animals and nature before being approved…
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 February 2026
2 contributions
Town and City Centre Safety
I congratulate the hon. Member for Derby South (Baggy Shanker) on securing this important debate, and on his introductory speech. Across the country, there is a growing disconnect between the official statistics on serious crime and the lived experience of our communities. Although some categories o…
I agree that empty shops and buildings in town centres are a draw for nefarious activities, with people squatting or committing crimes from those places. I encourage the Government to look at that. The recent announcement of business rate cuts will help certain businesses, but that should be extende…
Commons
Westminster Hall
2 February 2026
3 contributions
Indefinite Leave to Remain
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Edward. Last week I held a meeting with the Nigerian community in my constituency. Around 30 workers were present, many of whom work intolerably long hours performing vital tasks for scandalously low pay in the healthcare and social care sectors. T…
I wholeheartedly agree. We must have equal compassion for all in our society, whether they were born here or came here to build a life for themselves and support our country and the prosperity that we all share in.
Uzoamaka concluded her letter by asserting that
“we do not want favours. We want fa…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
29 January 2026
2 contributions
Arms Export Licences: Israel
7. Whether he plans to resume previously suspended arms export licences to Israel.
The Secretary of State said that revisiting the pause on arms export licences to Israel was “intrinsically linked” to movement towards a so-called sustainable peace. Since then, during the so-called ceasefire, Israeli forces have killed over 481 Palestinians in Gaza, struck defenceless tents housing…
Commons
Westminster Hall
28 January 2026
Local Authority Children’s Services
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Western. I thank the hon. Member for Woking (Mr Forster) for securing this important debate and for his passionate and heartfelt speech.
I want to begin by acknowledging that Kirklees council has improved significantly since previous inspections. T…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
21 January 2026
Water White Paper
I welcome the statement from the Secretary of State and the White Paper. Some £7.6 billion has gone from the pockets of my constituents in Dewsbury and Batley, and all other customers of Yorkshire Water, into the pockets of shareholders in the form of dividends. In addition, there has been £1.4 bill…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
21 January 2026
Warm Homes Plan
The Labour-run Kirklees council failed to apply for the first round of Government warm homes local grants last year. In a cost of living crisis, that is an unforgiveable abdication of duty and a total failure by Labour councillors, resulting in a loss of between £1.5 million and £7 million that was …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
20 January 2026
Mobile Phones and Social Media: Use by Children
I really welcome this statement. It coincides with the early-day motion published today in my name calling for children under 16 to be banned from social media that is deliberately designed to be addictive and is driven by profit. We have heard from Members across the House about the harms, which I …
Commons
Oral Questions
20 January 2026
Palestine: International Humanitarian Law
Since the recent ceasefire came into effect, over 450 Palestinians have been killed by Israel. UNICEF reports that over 100 Palestinian children have been killed in Gaza since 10 October. Israeli airstrikes are ongoing, and the mental and physical torture and violence continue unabated. Will the Min…
Commons
Westminster Hall
20 January 2026
3 contributions
ADHD Diagnosis
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Vaz. I thank the hon. Member for Sefton Central (Bill Esterson) for securing this important debate.
Delays and problems relating to ADHD diagnosis are not just a marginal administrative issue, but a profound failure of our system to meet medical ne…
I completely agree. We hear the phrase “postcode lottery” a lot, and we should not have a postcode lottery in our country for access to essential healthcare and educational services. Everybody should have equal access to the support that is available to other people, without having to go private.
T…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
20 January 2026
Water (Special Measures) Act 2025: Enforcement
The hon. Gentleman is making an impassioned speech about Yorkshire Water, which also serves Dewsbury and Batley. In 2024, there were at least 346 sewage dumps in local waterways in Dewsbury and Batley, lasting over 1,000 hours. That equals 1.5 months of continuous sewage discharge. Discharges around…