Commons
Westminster Hall
8 July 2026
National Youth Strategy
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms McVey. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Huddersfield (Harpreet Uppal) on securing this really cool debate, and I refer Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests.
In Gravesham, we have a good track record of …
Commons
Oral Questions
Justice
30 June 2026
2 contributions
Support for Victims of Abuse
7. What steps his Department is taking to support women and children who have experienced abuse to access support services.
In Gravesham, I recently visited the new Maltings child contact centre hosted by the City Praise Centre in Chalk. It is the only one in north Kent, and provides a calm, safe place for parents to meet their children. It takes place on a Saturday once a month from 10 am to 12 noon. Given the vital rol…
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
17 June 2026
2 contributions
Engagements
Q1. If he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 17 June.
I associate myself with the Deputy Prime Minister’s remarks and pay tribute to Jo Cox. I also wish the England men’s team all the best tonight—may they follow the winning example of the Lionesses and the Scotland men’s team.
Does my right hon. Friend agree that our town and local centres, particula…
Commons
Proceedings
21 May 2026
Imprisonment of Craig and Lindsay Foreman in Iran
My hon. and learned Friend is making a powerful speech on behalf of his constituents. On the point of monitoring the welfare and health of the Foremans, with diplomatic relations as they are at the moment, does he agree that we must implore the Minister to use all channels and actions possible to ch…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
23 April 2026
UK Biobank Data
I thank the Minister for his statement. Fundamentally, this is valuable data, and it relies on trust. I therefore welcome UK Biobank’s actions in suspending the agreement with these researchers. Will the Minister provide a commitment and welcome the technical solution for protecting this data? More …
Commons
Oral Questions
16 April 2026
Business of the House
This Saturday, the streets of Gravesend will be filled with vibrancy and colour with the Vaisakhi celebration and religious procession through the town. British Sikhs, the cornerstone of whose faith is selfless service, have made such a positive contribution to Gravesham and across the UK. Will the …
Commons
Westminster Hall
16 April 2026
Neuroscience and Digital Childhoods
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Butler. I welcome this new inquiry looking at children and young people’s device use. There is a growing feeling that there is a causation between screen use and poor mental health outcomes, and we are now having to drill into brain science and neur…
Commons
Debate
19 March 2026
3 contributions
Online Harms
I thank the hon. Member for St Neots and Mid Bedfordshire for securing this important debate.
Online harms are systemic, they are scaled, and they are producing real-world consequences, as we have seen. Social media is now the environment in which young people grow up—it is almost universal when ch…
My apologies to the hon. Member for St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire (Ian Sollom).
I was speaking about “Inside the Rage Machine”. What people have witnessed is remarkable. The documentary makers found that serious exploitation cases were not being prioritised by TikTok, and that algorithms were rep…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
17 March 2026
Meningitis Outbreak
I send my condolences to the families affected, and to all those who have lost young lives to meningitis in the past. I welcome the Secretary of State’s targeted vaccine programme, as well as the roll-out to deliver antibiotics at pace. Vaccines are the most effective and powerful way in which to pr…
Commons
Debate
12 March 2026
2 contributions
International Women’s Day
It is a privilege to speak in this debate. I pay tribute to the women and men here, and particularly to my hon. Friend the Member for Penistone and Stocksbridge (Dr Tidball) for her powerful and moving account, and for sharing her experiences. She is a voice for so many, and there will be action bec…
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I want to make it clear that, as per my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests, I am a visiting research scientist—an unpaid position—at the Francis Crick Institute. I forgot to mention that in my speech.
Commons
Ministerial Statement
10 March 2026
Digital ID: Public Consultation
I welcome the change to not demand a digital ID, and I welcome the focus of the work: listening to the public about how Government platforms can be made useful, relevant and efficient for residents. What checks will be carried out to hold the spend accountable and ensure that the services being deli…
Commons
Oral Questions
10 February 2026
Ministry of Defence: Palantir Contracts
I thank the Minister for reply to the urgent question, and want to press him on safeguards. On contracts being held to ransom or a lock-in, what safeguards are there to protect our data and its sovereignty? Is there an exit strategy, if the Minister wants to choose a different contract in future?
Commons
Oral Questions
Justice
3 February 2026
2 contributions
Victims of Domestic Abuse: Criminal Justice System
9. What support he is providing to victims of domestic abuse through the criminal justice system.
A number of constituents have shared with me the terror of waiting in line to get to court, and then waiting in the waiting room before court, with their accused abuser or perpetrator. On some occasions, special arrangements have been put in place, but this has been very hit and miss. Will the Minis…
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 January 2026
2 contributions
Science and Discovery Centres
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Harris. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr (Steve Witherden) on securing this important debate. Seeing the passion and excitement among the speakers, I have found my people—let us go with that.
It is also wond…
To clarify on UKRI, will the Government therefore allow it to distribute funds to the science centres? Will the Minister clarify the point that he made?
Commons
Oral Questions
Northern Ireland
7 January 2026
2 contributions
Public Services
1. What recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on improving public services.
Happy new year, Mr Speaker.
This Government have delivered the largest funding settlement to Northern Ireland since devolution. In addition to that record support to Northern Ireland, and across the United Kingdom, what discussions is the Minister having on sharing best practice with Northern Irela…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
17 December 2025
Local Government Finance
I thank the Minister for her statement. She is right to talk about play parks, homelessness and libraries. As a councillor, one of my proudest achievements was replacing five play parks, but I have seen how Tory-run Kent county council cut everything to the bone. I am grateful for the multi-year fun…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
16 December 2025
Planning Reform
This is really about ensuring that we can balance national standards and local decision making. As a former chair of a planning committee, I seek reassurance on how we and local decision makers can hold developers to account on stalled sites. We absolutely need to get building on brownfield sites. W…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
11 December 2025
National Plan to End Homelessness
I welcome the Minister’s statement and the focus on ending homelessness. I have met many constituents who have harrowing stories of homelessness, so this is a welcome step. There are not enough council homes, and where councils need to use private temporary accommodation, so much of that is of poor …
Commons
Proceedings
11 December 2025
Business of the House
Will the Leader of the House join me in paying tribute to Dave Taylor and his volunteers at the Royal British Legion for their exceptional work during this year’s poppy appeal, which, in Gravesham, raised over £85,000 for veterans? I thank all those who donated. Will the Leader of the House make tim…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
11 December 2025
Topical Questions
The loss of the Gravesend to Tilbury ferry has had a detrimental impact on our high street, with businesses reporting a fall in footfall. Will the Minister meet me to advise on any potential capital revenue grants that could unlock growth in this area and the wider Thames estuary?
Commons
Oral Questions
Women and Equalities
10 December 2025
2 contributions
Women’s Economic Empowerment
6. What steps she is taking to support women’s economic empowerment.
In Gravesham, we have some fantastic small businesses led by women across a diverse sector of businesses, such as House of Leyla, Nell’s Café, Maucare Services, Embridge Consulting, Ms Earlyn’s and For Girlys. Will the Minister recognise the importance of women-led businesses to the local economy an…
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 December 2025
Seafarers’ Welfare
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Christopher. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Thurrock (Jen Craft) on securing this incredibly important debate and raising awareness of the plight of seafarers. She spoke with heart about the unseen strain and pressure on seafarers.…
Commons
Proceedings
2 December 2025
2 contributions
Budget Resolutions
May I beg your indulgence briefly, Madam Deputy Speaker? This morning, I had the honour of attending the funeral of Makhan Singh, a kind and dedicated public servant in Gravesham. He served as a councillor for 36 years and was the first Sikh mayor in Kent and a freeman. He spent his life living the …
I could not agree more.
After 14 years of cuts and austerity for local councils, communities like mine in Gravesham have been impacted by so many reduced services. In welcoming the Budget, I call for Gravesham’s fair share of the fair funding formula. The £1.5 million pride of place funding is a fa…
Commons
Debate
17 November 2025
Asylum Policy
I thank the Home Secretary for her statement, which I support. This reform of the system is long overdue. It is about reforming safe and legal routes, and cracking down on illegal working and those abusing the asylum and immigration system, yet it maintains support for those that need our support, s…
Commons
Proceedings
17 November 2025
Illegal Waste: Organised Crime
I welcome the Minister’s clarification on organised crime and fly-tipping. From the fields to the streets, Gravesham borough council works tirelessly to investigate, fine and take to court these criminals, but as well as councils being given the powers and resources to investigate and keep our stree…