Commons
Westminster Hall
16 December 2025
Transgender People: Provision of Healthcare
I thank my hon. Friend for highlighting the waits that transgender people face in Scotland, which are far too long. I recently met a group from the transgender community in Dunfermline who are concerned about their safety when they are out on the streets, whether going out on a Saturday night or doi…
Commons
Proceedings
11 December 2025
4 contributions
St Andrew’s Day and Scottish Affairs
I beg to move,
That this House has considered St Andrew’s Day and Scottish affairs.
I thank the Backbench Business Committee for the opportunity to mark St Andrew’s day and to discuss Scottish affairs. As a Fife MP, I begin by noting that the town of St Andrews is at the opposite end of the kingdo…
I thank the hon. Member for her intervention and, indeed, for sponsoring my application to the Backbench Business Committee. She has anticipated one of the points that I will make later, and I should say that my speech does not mention either of those key figures in Scottish history she mentions, bu…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Proceedings
11 December 2025
US National Security Strategy
Last week, I was pleased to take part in a cross-party delegation to Washington to discuss matters of defence, security and development. At every one of those meetings, which were with both Republicans and Democrats and from across the political spectrum, the importance of the UK-US relationship was…
Commons
Proceedings
27 November 2025
3 contributions
Budget Resolutions
I was going to say that it is a privilege to follow the hon. Member for Esher and Walton (Monica Harding). At the beginning of the debate, we talked about films with the shadow Chancellor, and the hon. Lady reminds us of “Back to the Future”, as that really was 2010 all over again. Perhaps a couple …
Did the hon. Gentleman have a similar conversation with his constituents after Liz Truss’s disastrous Budget, which he supported? What did they say?
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
26 November 2025
New Nuclear Sites
Last week, I spoke with trade unions in Scotland. They argue that the ideological ban on nuclear power is costing young people career opportunities for well-paid and long-term jobs. In my constituency, an SNP councillor is spreading misinformation and arguing against highly skilled nuclear jobs in t…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
25 November 2025
G20 and Ukraine
I thank the Prime Minister for his continued support of Ukraine. Going back to the announcement about the £4 billion deal with Indonesia at the G20, may I thank the Prime Minister for his efforts in securing that maritime partnership programme for Babcock? It will benefit people in my constituency a…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
18 November 2025
ExxonMobil: Mossmorran
I thank the Minister for his statement, and I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy (Melanie Ward) for exposing the frankly ridiculous lack of transparency from ExxonMobil. My constituents certainly know exactly where the blame for today’s announcement lies: with ExxonMobil.
…
Commons
Debate
18 November 2025
Northern Ireland Troubles Bill
Madam Deputy Speaker, I want to take you back to a Saturday in March 1993. I was getting ready to leave the house to get on a little blue Sprinter bus that stopped outside. It would take me into town. I was meeting friends there for a couple of hours. I had probably told my Mum that I needed to buy …
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 November 2025
3 contributions
Parkinson’s Disease
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. As chair of the all-party parliamentary group on Parkinson’s, it is my privilege to take part in this debate. In May this year I was delighted to secure the first substantive debate on Parkinson’s held in the Chamber. It is fantastic to see …
My hon. Friend is absolutely right: the complexity of Parkinson’s itself and the other conditions it presents with is another reason why this is something we must tackle immediately. I want to make sure I am not using up other people’s time by repeating some of the information in the Parky charter. …
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
12 November 2025
Typhoon Fighter Sovereign Capability
Having visited my hon. Friend’s constituency and seen some of those capabilities, I can say that they are incredibly impressive. Does she agree that some of the Typhoon jobs are sometimes forgotten? There are 800 jobs in Scotland, where much of the radar equipment is manufactured and integrated. Tha…
Commons
Proceedings
11 November 2025
2 contributions
Points of Order
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Last week, the right hon. Member for Newark (Robert Jenrick) published juvenile and shameful AI-edited videos of proceedings in this Chamber. I have written to Mr Speaker about this matter and whether it is a breach of the terms and conditions of parliament…
indicated assent.
Commons
Debate
27 October 2025
North Sea Oil and Gas Industry
My constituency includes small and medium-sized enterprises and large businesses that work in renewables, oil and gas, solar, onshore wind and offshore wind. Does the Minister agree that some of the outbursts today from Opposition Members, both Conservative and SNP, will do nothing but undermine con…
Commons
Debate
20 October 2025
2 contributions
Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill
The right hon. Lady describes this as a surrender Bill. Can she please tell me which flag will be flying over the Chagos islands if this is a so-called British surrender? It will be a British flag that is flying. Is that a point she understands?
The right hon. Lady mentions that she does not believe there is a legal basis. What was the legal basis for the previous Government, when they conducted 11 rounds of negotiation and achieved absolutely nothing?
Commons
Ministerial Statement
14 October 2025
Northern Ireland Troubles
I thank the Secretary of State for his statement today, particularly his focus on answers, which are what people want. As someone who lost a friend, Tim Parry, when he was murdered by the IRA in 1993, I know exactly how important it is for families and everyone who knows victims to get the answers t…
Commons
Oral Questions
14 October 2025
2 contributions
Grid Infrastructure
9. What steps he is taking to improve grid infrastructure.
In January, when Storm Éowyn hit the UK, hundreds of thousands of people across Scotland were without power for several days. That included thousands of my constituents, in rural villages such as Oakley and Blairhall, and a number were reliant on power for critical medical equipment. Engineers perfo…
Commons
Proceedings
10 September 2025
Russian Drones: Violation of Polish Airspace
This attack by Vladimir Putin on a NATO member that has been a leader in resisting Russian aggression and supplying Ukraine is a clear escalation and an attempt, as others have said, to probe NATO defences and intimidate the alliance. Can the Minister assure me that the UK and NATO will not be intim…
Commons
Debate
9 September 2025
11 contributions
Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill
The Minister has already outlined the support of the British overseas territories. Will he please remind us of who else supports the Bill? Who supports it and who else opposes it, in addition to the Conservative party?
The right hon. Lady says “behind closed doors”. Will she please publish the previous Government’s negotiating position, including the cost of the deal they were looking to do?
+9 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
8 September 2025
Defence Industrial Strategy
I thank the Minister for his statement, as well as for last week’s news of the significant infrastructure investment in the Rosyth dockyard in my constituency, which is highly welcome for jobs in the area. As the Minister said, the real defence dividend will be the long-term skills. We have seen ski…
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 September 2025
4 contributions
Procedure Committee
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. I am grateful for the opportunity to make this statement on behalf of the Procedure Committee, following the publication of our second report of this Session, entitled “Proxy voting: Review of arrangements introduced in Session 2024-25”.
Be…
I thank the hon. Member for his question. I have now been intervened on by the hon. Member for Strangford and asked a question; I wonder exactly what the third part of the trio to complete the hat-trick might be. We considered matters such as that, and we received some evidence. However, as I stated…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 September 2025
Pavement Parking
We are having an absolutely important debate today. It is important to make sure that we have accessible pavements for all, for all the reasons that the hon. Lady has outlined. In Fife, we have seen the implementation of the pavement parking ban just this week. Although it has been broadly welcomed,…
Commons
Westminster Hall
2 September 2025
The Battle of Britain
The hon. Member is making a powerful point about the preparedness of the RAF being much more than what was perhaps seen by the public. Will he join me in paying tribute to the Hurricane pilots of 602 and 603 Squadrons, based in the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, who conducted the first interceptio…
Commons
Debate
21 July 2025
Extending the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme
This weekend I met with Karine Osipyan and Artur Manucharyan, who have been told by the Home Office that they were granted permission under the Ukraine family scheme in error, and that their application under the Ukraine permission extension scheme might not be granted. I wrote to the Home Office at…
Commons
Debate
9 July 2025
6 contributions
Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill
I will speak to amendment 17, which I tabled with the support of 62 Members from across the House. It would ensure that if a person has a fluctuating condition such as Parkinson’s or multiple sclerosis, that is a factor in considering whether they meet the severe conditions claimant criteria.
I hav…
I very much thank the Minister for his intervention, which I think will provide extensive reassurance to those with Parkinson’s and other conditions. I will keep a watching brief on this measure as it progresses, and I am aware that Parkinson’s UK has today received its own legal advice, which indic…
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
2 July 2025
Armed Forces Commissioner Bill
I was very happy to serve on the Committee for the Armed Forces Commissioner Bill while it was proceeding through this place. As the Minister knows, there was a large amount of consensus about the need for that process to conclude as quickly as possible, and I recently wrote an article with my hon. …
Commons
Westminster Hall
2 July 2025
8 contributions
Spending Review 2025: Scotland
I beg to move,
That this House has considered the impact of the Spending Review 2025 on Scotland.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir John. On behalf of the Scottish contingent, I would like to thank the weather for finally breaking slightly, so that we can enjoy these much more…
I think the Government are already moving towards a focus on outcomes for budgeting, and I would like to see more of that.
As my constituency contains a large number of former coalfields, I have been working closely with colleagues on the replacement of the shared prosperity fund and how we can ens…
+6 more contributions in this session