Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
8 July 2026
Engagements
Q11. Coughlan’s Bakery, which was founded in 1937, has announced the closure of all its stores, five of which are in my Reigate constituency. The reasons given by Sean Coughlan include recent employer national insurance and business rate hikes. That much-loved family business, which has survived a w…
Commons
Proceedings
8 July 2026
NHS Corridor Care
I thank the hon. Member for Tooting (Dr Allin-Khan) for securing the debate. This is a really important topic, and I do not think there has been enough focus on it in the last few years. Her speech was very powerful, and the hon. Member for Salford (Rebecca Long Bailey) made really important points …
Commons
Proceedings
29 June 2026
Prisoner Early Release
I would expect the Minister to know the numbers, and this question has been asked many times, so I am going to give him another attempt: how many rapists and sexual offenders will be released early under the Sentencing Act?
Commons
Oral Questions
Cabinet Office
25 June 2026
2 contributions
Lord Mandelson Humble Address: Government Response
12. What recent progress he has made on implementing the Humble Address agreed by this House on 4 February 2026.
I thank the right hon. Gentleman for that answer. Can he explain why his Department was apparently willing to appoint Mandelson as ambassador, and provide him with access to classified briefings, without conducting any security vetting, given that his close links with Russia and China were already p…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
25 June 2026
Draft Conversion Practices Bill
I am concerned about the Bill’s impact on families, which the Minister has touched upon, and I am worried that positive, healthy interactions within a family could potentially fall in scope of the Bill. It is good to hear that she does not think the Bill will cover such interactions, but it is writt…
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 June 2026
2 contributions
Seasonal Hospitality Businesses in Coastal Areas
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stuart, and to be responding today on behalf of His Majesty’s Opposition. I begin by sincerely congratulating my hon. Friend the Member for Isle of Wight East (Joe Robertson) on securing this debate, and I thank all Members who have spoken so pas…
I agree with the hon. Gentleman, as I often do. Hospitality businesses are valued employers, community anchors and, for many young people, the first step on the career ladder. I think we all agree that such businesses should be supported right across the country—a point that the hon. Gentleman just …
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
1 June 2026
Topical Questions
There were concerning reports at the weekend about the global combat air programme’s being delayed. We know the funding for Edgewing, agreed in April, is due to run out this month. Can the Minister guarantee that a new deal will be signed and in place before the end of June?
Commons
Debate
20 April 2026
Security Vetting
Seven months ago, a national newspaper ran the story that Mandelson had failed security vetting, so how is it even possible that no one in No. 10 knew until last week?
Commons
Oral Questions
Scotland
15 April 2026
2 contributions
Energy Profits Levy
7. What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of the energy profits levy on the oil and gas sector in Scotland.
The oil and gas sector is a vital industry, not just in Scotland but for the whole UK. Does the Secretary of State share the disappointment of the Conservatives that the Chancellor deterred a reported £17.5 billion of private investment into the oil and gas sector by choosing to retain the energy pr…
Commons
Westminster Hall
15 April 2026
5 contributions
Rail Prices: Contactless Payments
I beg to move,
That this House has considered the impact of contactless roll out at railway stations on ticket prices.
It is an honour to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Allin-Khan. I appreciate the Minister’s attendance, and I am grateful for the opportunity to raise an issue that is important …
It is like the hon. Gentleman has read my mind—or even my speech. I completely agree with his point, and I will go into a number of those issues in some detail.
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Committee Stage
14 April 2026
5 contributions
Courts and Tribunals Bill (Fourth sitting)
Will the Minister give way?
I thank the Minister for her generosity in taking interventions. I think it may well be a timely point at which to deal with a quick question I raised earlier, about legal aid. Clearly, a defendant is potentially less likely to secure legal aid in the magistrates court than they are in the Crown cou…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Committee Stage
14 April 2026
18 contributions
Courts and Tribunals Bill (Third sitting)
Does my hon. Friend agree that the question the hon. Member for Gloucester asked shows the crux of one of the issues? He used the term “offender” to describe someone where a verdict has not yet been reached, but they are the defendant. Is the assumption of innocence before guilt is proven not a key …
The removal of the cap on sitting days appears to be bringing the backlog down, which I think everyone in the Chamber can agree is a good thing. Why are the Government not looking at that, projecting it forward and taking that into account before making radical changes that remove rights of citizens…
+16 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
13 April 2026
Topical Questions
Rural areas are facing a wave of unauthorised developments on land owned by Travellers, with little or no action being taken against them. My right hon. Friend the Member for East Surrey (Claire Coutinho) and 30 of my colleagues have been pressing for national support to give new powers to the polic…
Commons
Westminster Hall
13 April 2026
2 contributions
Statutory Menstrual Leave
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Mundell. I thank everyone for their powerful and often personal contributions today. First, I want to recognise Michelle Dewar, the tenacious campaigner behind today’s petition for menstrual relief. She is a great champion for women suffering wit…
That is absolutely right. I am explaining the current system and why we do not need an additional level of menstrual leave. What the hon Gentleman said is correct and yes, we opposed those changes.
The approach taken in Portugal has been mentioned a number of times during this debate and in the pet…
Commons
Westminster Hall
23 March 2026
Puberty Blockers Clinical Trial
The use of puberty blockers on healthy children is deeply wrong. Children given those drugs are being locked into their discomfort and put on a one-way pathway to cross-sex hormones and surgeries. All of that leads to a lifetime of sexual impairment, fertility issues, bone density loss and other cat…
Commons
Debate
17 March 2026
Youth Unemployment
I think we can all agree that tackling the rise in youth employment is very important, but I am concerned about the approach that is being adopted for that purpose. We are essentially taking money away from employers and then giving some of them some of it back. Has the Secretary of State considered…
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 March 2026
Rural Roads
A key point to make is that potholes are often a symptom that roads have not been resurfaced at the right time. In reality, we have billions of pounds in community infrastructure levy funds that are sitting across the country, often just earning interest. They are not being invested in resurfacing r…
Commons
Debate
9 March 2026
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
I am incredibly pleased to speak in support of Lords amendment 38, which seeks to raise the digital age of consent to 16. I only wish we had much more time for this debate, as it deserves.
For years, parents like me have worried about the harms of social media on our children, and the detrimental i…
Commons
Oral Questions
25 February 2026
Diego Garcia and British Indian Ocean Territory
I thank the Minister for his response, but I would suggest that in future the appropriate Minister, who can actually respond to our questions, is sent to the House. Here is another straightforward question for him: have the Government declined to give the US permission to use Diego Garcia and other …
Commons
Westminster Hall
24 February 2026
2 contributions
Local Transport: Planning Developments
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Desmond. I am extremely grateful to the hon. Member for Harpenden and Berkhamsted (Victoria Collins) for securing this really important debate.
In my experience, nothing erodes public confidence in the planning system faster than development th…
It is important to flag that reducing the number of houses being built in London pushes people in London out into constituencies such as mine. The Government say, “We’re building more houses so that children and grandchildren can stay close to their families,” but what happens is that those in Londo…
Commons
Debate
23 February 2026
Schools White Paper: Every Child Achieving and Thriving
I draw attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. The key concern I hear from parents and carers in Reigate, Redhill, Banstead and our villages is that they fought for years, or are still fighting, to get support. Can the Education Secretary reassure my constituents that …
Commons
Westminster Hall
12 February 2026
Onshoring: Fashion and Textiles
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship again, Ms Jardine—twice in one afternoon; a treat for both of us! I congratulate the hon. Member for Hornsey and Friern Barnet (Catherine West) on securing today’s debate, and I have listened with huge interest to the points that have been made.
We …
Commons
Westminster Hall
12 February 2026
Healthy Relationships
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Jardine. I congratulate the hon. Member for Ribble Valley (Maya Ellis) on a refreshing, measured, fantastic speech. Like the hon. Member for Twickenham (Munira Wilson), I expected a slightly different topic, but it was pleasing to hear so much ab…
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 February 2026
Postal Services: Rural Areas
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer, and to respond on behalf of the Opposition. I sincerely congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for South Shropshire (Stuart Anderson) on securing this debate and on the incredible persistence with which he has fought for his constituent…
Commons
Oral Questions
Women and Equalities
28 January 2026
LGBTQ+ Rights
It has been 146 days since the Equality and Human Rights Commission laid the revised code of practice before Government. Have the Government asked the EHRC to make any changes to the code of practice? If they have, can the Minister tell us what they are?