Commons
Westminster Hall
18 March 2026
Social Enterprises and Community Ownership
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir John. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Leigh and Atherton (Jo Platt) for securing this important debate.
Ownership matters. It shapes who makes decisions, who benefits and, ultimately, whether growth is felt in our communities or extracted fr…
Commons
Debate
16 March 2026
Grenfell Tower Memorial (Expenditure) Bill
The fire at Grenfell Tower on 14 June 2017 was a catastrophe that exposed systematic failures in regulation, in oversight and in the value placed on the lives of people in social housing. Seventy-two people died and hundreds more lost their homes, community and sense of safety. Families are still li…
Commons
Debate
12 March 2026
International Women’s Day
I thank all those who have contributed to this and other debates this week, including my hon. Friends the Members for Penistone and Stocksbridge (Dr Tidball) and for Warrington North (Charlotte Nichols), who this week have shown true bravery and should be an inspiration to us all. I also welcome the…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
12 March 2026
Defending Democracy Taskforce
Much of the intimidation that candidates now face is not on the doorstep, but from anonymous or fake online accounts. Having experienced that myself, I welcome the work of this Government, the police, the defending democracy taskforce, and the offices of Mr Speaker and the Deputy Speakers. What acti…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
12 March 2026
Business of the House
I associate myself with the words of the Leader of the House in support for the armed forces, particularly HMS Dragon, which left Portsmouth’s shores. Residents in Cosham, Paulsgrove, Hilsea and Drayton and Farlington have faced years of dangerous antisocial behaviour along Portsdown Hill. Following…
Commons
Debate
10 March 2026
Courts and Tribunals Bill
Has the hon. Member, since writing his speech, seen the updated information available about the percentage reduction in our courts?
Commons
Debate
4 March 2026
Department for Business and Trade
I will speak up for the small businesses and hard-working tradespeople in Portsmouth North and across the country —the backbone of our economy—and set out what the Government have already achieved and what more they must do.
Let me start with what this Labour Government have delivered. We passed th…
Commons
Debate
4 March 2026
Ministry of Defence
It is a privilege to speak in this debate on defence. In Portsmouth North, defence is not abstract; it is jobs, apprenticeships, families and an essential part of my city’s future. My constituency is home to the Royal Navy, and I welcome the Government’s record investment in defence, which is the la…
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 March 2026
NATO and the High Arctic
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Huq. I am grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Halesowen (Alex Ballinger) for securing this debate and also for his service. I have not served myself, unlike the hon. Member for Exmouth and Exeter East (David Reed), who is speaking for the O…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
3 March 2026
Spring Forecast
In Portsmouth North, we inherited a new reality from the previous Government. People felt that new reality in the form of a closed shipyard, stretched households and Tory food banks that kept popping up everywhere. People were struggling with higher mortgages, high street shops and pubs were closing…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
2 March 2026
Middle East
I thank the Prime Minister for his calm and measured approach and for his reassurance today. As the Member of Parliament for Portsmouth North and the mum of a serving personnel member currently deployed overseas, my first thought is always for the men and women we ask to stand in harm’s way. The Ira…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
26 February 2026
2 contributions
Gibraltar Treaty
As the Member of Parliament for Portsmouth North and the chair of the all-party parliamentary group on Gibraltar, I welcome this statement and place on record my strong support for the ratification of the treaty. This agreement represents a practical, well balanced and forward-looking settlement for…
rose—
Commons
Ministerial Statement
26 February 2026
Business of the House
My constituents in Portsmouth have raised concerns about significant mark-ups on third party funeral services and lack of transparency in pricing. At a time of extreme grief, families should not have to worry about excessive costs or unclear pricing. In 2025, the Competition and Markets Authority re…
Commons
Debate
23 February 2026
Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill
I want to speak in favour of the Bill, and against amendment 1, as it is an attempt to gut the Bill and defeat its purpose entirely. There are moments in politics when the questions before us are not complicated, but simple, and when they are about dignity, compassion and the kind of country that we…
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 February 2026
Civil Service Pension Scheme: Administration
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Lewell. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool North and Fleetwood (Lorraine Beavers) for securing this important debate on a crisis affecting thousands of public servants who find themselves without the pension they have earned and, in …
Commons
Debate
2 February 2026
China and Japan
I welcome the Prime Minister’s recent engagement in Tokyo and the strengthening of our relations with Japan as a key economic and strategic partner. Will he explain how small and medium-sized enterprises in Portsmouth, particularly those in maritime and defence such as Griffon Marine, alongside the …
Commons
Debate
28 January 2026
Youth Unemployment
Does the hon. Member agree that, under the Conservatives, career advice in schools was absolutely decimated and hollowed out, pushing young people to the margins? On top of that, does she agree that young people are unable to do the gold-standard apprenticeships that my dad and my brother did, as th…
Commons
Debate
26 January 2026
3 contributions
Armed Forces Bill
You didn’t do it!
Portsmouth North knows the value of service. We are a proud naval city, home to serving personnel, reservists, veterans and their families, and to the many charities and individuals who support them. We are a city whose identity is inseparable from the Royal Navy. More than 9,000 veterans of all ser…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
22 January 2026
Fishing Industry
I thank my hon. Friend for highlighting so many key issues, as well as developments and successes, in our fishing industry. With between 30 and 40 vessels, Portsmouth has a smaller fishing industry than it once did, although the industry still supplies many small businesses. Does my hon. Friend agre…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
22 January 2026
Business of the House
Residents and developers in Portsmouth are facing repeated delays from the council planning department. Despite clear assurances from the council given to me about the long-promised green light for the Tipner East development, it has stalled again. Those delays are actively driving the growth of hou…
Commons
Oral Questions
Cabinet Office
22 January 2026
Topical Questions
I thank the Chief Secretary for meeting me to discuss the £20 million Pride in Place money awarded to Portsmouth. To boost and expand those funds in my city and make investment lasting, will the Chief Secretary tell me and my constituents more about his work with the new Office for the Impact Econom…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
21 January 2026
Warm Homes Plan
I, too, congratulate my right hon. Friend on a deliverable warm homes plan. On Friday, I am hosting a utility cost of living event with energy and water suppliers and banks, because Portsmouth North residents were let down dramatically by the previous Government. Does the Secretary of State agree th…
Commons
Debate
20 January 2026
4 contributions
Sentencing Bill
This Bill delivers the long-term, joined-up, sustainable reform that our criminal justice system desperately needs. I will comment on amendments 1 to 7 and 14, which will strengthen the Bill. We inherited a system on the brink, with prisons close to running out of places, courts paralysed by backlog…
We are clearing up the mess left by the Tories. People are still waiting for their day in court. It is not okay for a crime to be committed and for there not even to be a sentence for four or five years. If the shadow Minister would like to intervene again, I will give way.
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
20 January 2026
Domestic Abuse-related Deaths: NHS Prevention
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir John. I thank my hon. Friend for securing this debate. At the beginning of this debate my hon. Friend mentioned suicide. As we are talking about NHS services, and when we have women trying to take their own lives, I wanted to highlight the devas…
Commons
Westminster Hall
12 January 2026
2 contributions
Call for General Election
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Edward.
I thank the Petitions Committee for this debate, and I thank those who engaged and signed the petition. Like my hon. Friend the Member for Cannock Chase (Josh Newbury), I always look at the petitions that come into this place, because they…
We will add it to the list. We need to ensure that children and young people who are not in education, employment or training are not neglected by the Government—and they will not be.
Men’s health is finally being taken seriously. There is money for potholes, parks and policing. Pride in place fund…