Commons
Westminster Hall
8 September 2026
Safety of the Jewish Community
My local police force in Elmbridge works very closely with my two synagogues, the North West Surrey synagogue and the Kingston Liberal synagogue, to make them feel supported. They, in turn, cite the work of the Community Security Trust. I have been to its impressive headquarters, where I could see t…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
8 September 2026
Israel and Palestine
May I congratulate the Foreign Secretary on his words? They were overdue, but they are welcome. More than 1.4 million people in Gaza are acutely food-insecure, yet the flow of essential goods faces significant restrictions, and Gaza is systematically denied the essential items it needs for long-term…
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
7 September 2026
2 contributions
Green-belt Planning Policy: Esher and Walton
7. What assessment she has made of the potential impact of planning policy on green-belt land in Esher and Walton constituency.
The Government changes to planning rules are of considerable concern to my constituents and are leading to speculative applications everywhere. Theoretically, the changes could mean that the whole of my constituency, which is 50% green belt and has seven stations, will be concreted over. My constitu…
Commons
Oral Questions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
1 September 2026
Climate Change: National Security
May I put on record that the Liberal Democrats’ concern and thoughts are with the people of Nepal and Tibet as this tragedy unfolds? I urge the Government to stay the distance with them.
The UK’s spend on international aid and development aids our national security not only in climate change but in…
Commons
Proceedings
1 September 2026
Speaker’s Statement
May I put on record that the Liberal Democrats’ concern and thoughts are with the people of Nepal and Tibet as this tragedy unfolds? I urge the Government to stay the distance with them.
The UK’s spend on international aid and development aids our national security not only in climate change but in…
Commons
Proceedings
25 June 2026
Sudan
The International Development Committee heard from a war crimes investigator that the UK Government failed to act on repeated warnings of the looming genocidal massacre in El Fasher because their foreign policy had been captured by the United Arab Emirates. He claimed that the FCDO prioritised its e…
Commons
Proceedings
15 June 2026
Defence Investment Plan
Yesterday, at the glorious Princess Alice hospice summer fete in my constituency, I met Glen, a Royal Navy veteran whose last deployment was aboard HMS Broadsword. He said to me, “What are they doing to the Royal Navy? I want you to represent me and tell them that they need to sort it out”, so I am …
Commons
Westminster Hall
15 June 2026
Brain Cancer
My brother-in-law Pip Harding, who is with us in the Public Gallery today, was diagnosed with a glioblastoma in March 2024 and given nine months to live. He is still here today, thank God—looking amazing—because he received treatment that cost a huge amount of money, which was crowdfunded. That high…
Commons
Proceedings
8 June 2026
Water Companies
For more than a decade my constituent Holly, of Ferry Road in Thames Ditton, has watched Thames Water clean up raw sewage from her street, only to be told that the system is not fit for purpose, with nothing ever being fixed. In last week’s heavy rain, human waste flooded two homes and spread to the…
Commons
Proceedings
3 June 2026
2 contributions
Lebanon: Israel Defence Forces Operations
(Urgent Question): To ask the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs to make a statement on the Israel Defence Forces’ operations in Lebanon.
It has become routine for Donald Trump to declare a ceasefire when none exists, and in Lebanon the President’s claim that fighting has ceased is a dangerous fantasy. Under direction from the Israeli Security Cabinet, the IDF is expanding its illegal military operations in southern Lebanon. Israeli f…
Commons
Westminster Hall
2 June 2026
Community Pharmacies
Boots closed its pharmacy in Thames Ditton in 2024. An application was put in for another one, but it was decided following a pharmaceutical needs assessment that the need was met by the chemist. However, elderly residents have a 20-minute-plus walk to get to the chemist, and the high street around …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
21 May 2026
Middle East
I thank the Minister for advance sight of his statement. I know that many colleagues, like me, are frustrated by the Government’s lack of action to secure progress of a two-state solution. The UK is rightly committed to the disarmament of Hamas and Hezbollah. Those terror groups cannot be allowed to…
Commons
Debate
21 May 2026
Humble Address: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
A Downing Street spokesperson is currently saying that a further tranche of files relating to the appointment are to be published at a future date, which is different from what the Minister is saying at the Dispatch Box. Perhaps he could clarify.
Commons
Oral Questions
Science, Innovation and Technology
20 May 2026
Child Protection Online
New polling commissioned by the Online Safety Act Network shows that almost 80% of the public want comprehensive laws regulating social media platforms, because otherwise those platforms will continue to prioritise their business interests over users’ safety. The Government have been weak on that an…
Commons
Oral Questions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
21 April 2026
West Bank: Illegal Settlements
Alongside what is happening on the west bank, in Lebanon, more than 1 million people have been forcibly displaced. The Guardian has reported that Israeli strikes on medical facilities in Nabatieh have killed health workers and ambulance crews; it notes that such incidents are becoming increasingly c…
Commons
Westminster Hall
20 April 2026
2 contributions
Maternity Commissioner
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Alec. I congratulate the hon. and learned Member for Folkestone and Hythe (Tony Vaughan) on opening this important debate. I want to reflect the strength of feeling on this issue among my constituents in Esher and Walton; the fact that 568 people f…
Thank you for that clarification, Sir Alec. I am trying to do my best on protocol.
When I took baby Tom, who is now 14 years old, home, hugging him ever more tightly, I told only my very close friends and family what had happened. I fear that the stats we see are only the tip of the iceberg, becaus…
Commons
Debate
15 April 2026
2 contributions
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
As the mother of four teenage and young adult children, about 50% of my parenting involves placing limits on my children’s phones or devices to limit the time they spend on them. In so doing, I am, like so many parents in my Esher and Walton constituency and across the country, doing battle with a p…
I absolutely agree. Tech companies have billions of pounds, and the consultation also asks children 62 questions. How on earth can a child whose attention has been taken by a phone answer 62 questions? Meanwhile, the world is moving faster than the Government. Even if people think that we should wai…
Commons
Westminster Hall
15 April 2026
2 contributions
Rail Prices: Contactless Payments
This is such an important debate. My constituency is the single biggest contributor to the Exchequer of any constituency outside London, yet we were completely missed out from the tap in, tap out roll-out. I wrote to the Minister to ask why, and he did not tell me when we would be included. On behal…
Of course it is really important that we bring fares down, but we also need to make sure that the trains actually work. In February, 5.82% of all South West Railway services were cancelled on the main line that runs through my constituency. I wonder whether the Minister thinks those figures are accu…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
14 April 2026
Knife Crime
I had the opportunity to go out with the local police in my constituency on an operation to combat youth crime. One thing I found most distressing was the liberal ownership and unthinking use of knives among teenagers, which I know the police in my constituency are desperate to sort out. Following t…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 April 2026
Middle East
Today, the US President impersonated Jesus Christ. Last week, he pledged to wipe out an entire civilisation. His warmongering in the middle east is piling on the pressure for my constituents in Esher and Walton, from prices at the pump to mortgage increases in the midst of a cost of living crisis. G…
Commons
Oral Questions
13 April 2026
Topical Questions
The presumption in favour of development at transport nodes and on the so-called grey belt means that in my constituency of Esher and Walton, which is half green belt and has a disproportionately high number of stations—everybody lives within 15 minutes of a station—everywhere can be developed under…
Commons
Debate
26 March 2026
Gurkha Veterans
One of the most favoured spots in my constituency on a Friday evening is The Ferry in Thames Ditton, a wonderful Nepalese restaurant run by Cepe, who served with the Royal Gurkhas for 19 years. Around the restaurant are pictures of VCs, a proud reminder of the many Gurkhas who have served our countr…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
19 March 2026
International Development
May I start by asking the Foreign Secretary why this extremely important statement on Britain’s commitments overseas is being announced on a Thursday, when most MPs are not here? Is it perhaps because the Government are ashamed of these cuts and want them to slip out unnoticed?
Something has gone b…