Commons
Proceedings
14 October 2025
Points of Order
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Over the summer, I was the subject of two online death threats, which the police are investigating. These were posted in response to a video published by the hon. Member for Keighley and Ilkley (Robbie Moore). The video accused me of not telling the truth o…
Commons
Oral Questions
14 October 2025
Energy Infrastructure Applications: Land Use Changes
I thank the Minister for that answer. In my constituency, several planning applications are pending, and one has already been granted in the villages of Wilsden and Cullingworth for battery storage and onshore wind in the wider area. Can the Minister explain how constituents with clean energy infras…
Commons
Oral Questions
13 October 2025
New Housing Developments: Infrastructure
New housing developments agreed under the previous Government have been built on the green belt around villages in the Shipley constituency, such as Burley in Wharfedale, Wilsden, Denholme and Cullingworth, often without the vital investment in infrastructure such as GP practices, schools and other …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
21 July 2025
Independent Water Commission
I was pleased to see today’s report. I believe it has a picture of the Bingley five rise locks in my constituency on the front cover, so I thank the Minister for that. The creaking and leaking water infrastructure, the current drought restrictions and the dumping of sewage in our rivers, including t…
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 July 2025
Freedom of Religion or Belief: UK Foreign Policy
Earlier this week, I spoke to Aid to the Church in Need, particularly about the situation for Christians in Syria. Hon. Members are obviously well aware of the recent suicide bombing of the St Elias Orthodox church in Damascus, and Christian communities are still facing persecution, including with d…
Commons
Debate
16 July 2025
Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life
My hon. Friend is setting out, in a very eloquent way, the amazing work of the Labour Government. I am proud—I hope he agrees—of the previous Labour Government’s achievements in setting up and rolling out Sure Start. Independent research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies showed what amazing outcom…
Commons
Westminster Hall
16 July 2025
16 contributions
Further Education Institutions
I beg to move,
That this House has considered Government support for further education institutions.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Christopher. Up and down the country, further education institutions are educating and training 1.6 million people, providing them with the skill…
I agree that we must open up access to education for all, including carers. Further education colleges require significant investment to upgrade and maintain their buildings and ensure that they can provide a modern learning environment and access to up-to-date technology. However, staff tell me tha…
+14 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
15 July 2025
Welfare Spending
Does my hon. Friend agree that disabled people have been written off by the Conservatives for too long? They have not been given opportunities to access work and good jobs, and they have been blamed by the Conservatives, for the sake of cheap headlines. Does he also agree that the Labour Government’…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
10 July 2025
Resident Doctors: Industrial Action
I congratulate my right hon. Friend on showing great leadership when he came into office to get those doctors back to work and end the strikes. The result of that has been falling waiting times and waiting lists, and I have seen the benefit of that for my constituents in Shipley; they are not having…
Commons
Debate
9 July 2025
3 contributions
Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill
I am sure that the hon. Lady is familiar with the terms of reference for the Timms review, which clearly set out that its purpose is to ensure that PIP assessment is
“fair and fit for the future…and helps support disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater independ…
I commend my hon. Friend for her excellent speeches, both today and on Second Reading, and for all the work I know she has done behind the scenes to get us to where we are today. I fully support her new clause 11, which would guarantee meaningful engagement with disabled people before any changes ar…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Ministerial Statement
3 July 2025
NHS 10-Year Plan
I congratulate my right hon. Friend, his team and the amazing NHS staff on over-delivering on Labour’s promises, and for this amazing, ambitious 10-year plan that will ensure the NHS is fit for the future. I particularly welcome the “My Carer” feature on the NHS app that will allow family and unpaid…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
3 July 2025
Business of the House
The Bumble Bees rugby union football club, based at the Bradford and Bingley sports club in my constituency, is England’s first mixed ability contact rugby union. It was founded in 2009 by a determined young man with cerebral palsy and learning difficulties. Will the Leader of the House join me in c…
Commons
Oral Questions
3 July 2025
2 contributions
Access to Live Events
7. What steps she is taking to help ensure that disabled people have equal access to live events.
In my Shipley constituency, the highly valued Bingley arts centre has made great strides in improving accessibility for disabled people. However, with 78% of arts centres behind schedule on essential building maintenance, it is clear that more investment is needed. I welcome the Secretary of State’s…
Commons
Debate
1 July 2025
4 contributions
Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill
I thank my hon. Friend for her remarks. Does she agree that, as well as having meaningful engagement with disabled people themselves and disabled groups, it is really important that the Timms review engages with unpaid family carers, both because they are caring for people with disability and becaus…
The hon. Member talks about fairness and trust. I wonder if he is proud of his Government’s record, where Tory cuts to welfare pushed more people into poverty, with 2.9 million emergency food parcels in the last 12 months. If he votes against the Bill, he will be voting against the biggest uplift in…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
24 June 2025
2 contributions
Department of Health and Social Care
First, I draw the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. I am a trustee of the charity Helpforce, a member of the Public Accounts Committee and an officer of the patient safety all-party parliamentary group.
It was a Labour Government who founded the NHS on t…
I will not give way, because we are under a time limit.
In conclusion, I am confident that this funding settlement will help to put the NHS back on track and make it fit for the future.
Commons
Oral Questions
Women and Equalities
18 June 2025
Welfare Reforms: Impact on Disabled People
As the Minister knows, the personal independence payment is a passport benefit for carer’s allowance. The Government’s impact assessment suggests that approximately 150,000 family carers will lose out due to the proposed changes to the eligibility criteria for PIP. What further analysis have the Gov…
Commons
Committee Stage
17 June 2025
3 contributions
Mental Health Bill [ Lords ] (Sixth sitting)
Can the Minister assure us that there are powers in schedule 2 for the removal of a nominated person? One of the grounds is that any person engaged in caring for the patient or interested in the patient’s welfare may raise concerns—for example, a parent or other unpaid carer who has information that…
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Harris. I will briefly speak in support of clauses 36 to 40. These clauses reflect the principle of least restriction, albeit for people who are subject to part III, and who are therefore subject to the deprivation of liberty conditions. It is real…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Committee Stage
17 June 2025
Mental Health Bill [ Lords ] (Fifth sitting)
I think we are all agreed that, in order to implement the changes to the Bill, we need investment in mental health services, particularly community mental health services, but does the hon. Gentleman recognise that the Labour Government have kept the mental health investment standard, ensuring that …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
16 June 2025
Child Sexual Exploitation: Casey Report
I commend the Home Secretary for the dignified way in which she gave her statement. I associate myself with her apology to the victims and survivors of sexual exploitation and grooming gangs for past failures. I welcome the Government having accepted the recommendations of Baroness Casey’s rapid aud…
Commons
Oral Questions
Education
16 June 2025
Level 7 Apprenticeships: Funding
I welcome the Government’s plans to create those 120,000 training opportunities for young people, including these higher-level apprenticeships. However, we know that there are significant shortages of those able to provide training and mentorship. With only 65% of 55 to 64-year-olds employed, does t…
Commons
Debate
13 June 2025
5 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
This is a very sensitive issue. There is data to support the fact that people from minoritised ethnic groups are less likely to trust their health professionals—the figure is 18% among the general public, but as high as 30% among those groups. Does my hon. Friend not think it is necessary to make su…
I thank my hon. Friend for speaking so clearly about the issue of advertising. Does he recognise that this country has banned pharmaceutical advertising because we do not want to have the situation that exists in America where people are popping pills all the time? There is a reason that we are prot…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Committee Stage
12 June 2025
6 contributions
Mental Health Bill [ Lords ] (Fourth sitting)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Vickers. I will speak in support of the clause and Government amendment 30, and I may touch on the amendment moved by the Liberal Democrats.
As we all know, community treatment orders were introduced in 2007 under previous legislation, with good in…
There is a big difference, because when we address clinical variation we usually do so through clinical guidelines, clinical best practice, training and many other non-statutory levers, which are much more effective at driving out unwarranted variation. They also include feeding back data; the hon. …
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Committee Stage
12 June 2025
2 contributions
Mental Health Bill [ Lords ] (Third sitting)
I think there is some agreement between us, in the sense that obviously a police officer is not necessarily best placed to deal with those who are in mental distress. Having spoken to my local police team, I know that they would much rather there were frontline mental health professionals with the c…
Obviously, the Lords amendment puts the role of the police into law. I think we agree that we do not want to have the police’s role enshrined in legislation. Over the implementation period for this important Bill, the idea is that community health services will be in place, including urgent response…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
11 June 2025
Spending Review 2025
I thank the Chancellor for listening to the priorities of people in my constituency and across the country and investing in our schools. It was great to see free breakfast clubs in action at Baildon Glen and Beckfoot Priestthorpe schools recently, and I am delighted to hear today that the Labour Gov…