Commons
Westminster Hall
3 February 2026
Transport in the South-East
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir John. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Chichester (Jess Brown-Fuller) for securing this important debate. It was really interesting to hear her mention the M25/A3 junction 10, which is in my constituency. It has taken many years and has cau…
Commons
Westminster Hall
28 January 2026
Local Authority Children’s Services
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Western. I am grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Woking (Mr Forster) for securing this important debate. He made a powerful speech on behalf of his vulnerable constituents, and vulnerable people across the county of Surrey and beyond.
The…
Commons
Statutory Instrument
21 January 2026
Draft Non-Domestic Rating (Chargeable Amounts) (England) Regulations 2026
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Turner. I will keep this brief. I was grateful that the Minister recognised that this issue must be set in its wider context: businesses are struggling. I regularly have conversations with businesses in my constituency and we are getting to the p…
Commons
Debate
19 January 2026
2 contributions
Local Elections: Cancellation
I find it really interesting that this urgent question comes from the Conservative party, which sought to cancel local elections this year and last year in Surrey. [ Interruption. ] Given the professed concern for democracy of the right hon. Member for Braintree (Sir James Cleverly), I hope that he …
That said, the Labour party is the main offender in cancelling elections, and it appears to be running scared from the ballot box rather than trusting voters. Does the Minister accept that cancelling elections risks setting a dangerous precedent that elections become optional when they are inconveni…
Commons
Oral Questions
Education
19 January 2026
SEND Support: Access
In my constituency, the challenge that has been highlighted over and over again by the schools that I speak to is not necessarily about early identification, but having the resources and the places available for students once they have been identified. Will the Minister explain how the Government’s …
Commons
Oral Questions
13 January 2026
Topical Questions
In Bellfields and Slyfield ward in my constituency, the local GP surgery is squeezed into a unit that is part of a parade of shops, and it is clearly no longer the size needed for the growing community. The team do a great job in spite of the challenges. Will the Minister set out the steps the Depar…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
17 December 2025
Local Government Finance
I thank the Minister for advance sight of her statement. The Liberal Democrats welcome the fact that this is a multi-year settlement, which gives councils a greater degree of certainty and the ability to plan ahead. We have long called for that. However, a longer settlement on its own does not resol…
Commons
Oral Questions
17 December 2025
2 contributions
Topical Questions
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
The Molly Rose Foundation’s latest report makes it clear that bereaved families are deeply concerned that Ofcom has relied on voluntary measures, such as geo-blocking, to deal with pro-suicide forums. Can the Secretary of State explain what steps her Government are taking to ensure Ofcom moves beyon…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
16 December 2025
Electoral Resilience
First, I thank the Secretary of State for advance notice of the content of his statement. The Liberal Democrats welcome the statement and the decision to establish an independent review. This is a serious issue that clearly demands action, and we will follow the review closely.
Public trust in poli…
Commons
Debate
8 December 2025
Child Poverty Strategy
In my constituency, as in so many others, we face the particular challenge of significant affluence in one part and extreme poverty just across the road. In some areas, one in three children are living in poverty, despite the great work of many local organisations. What measures in the strategy will…
Commons
Proceedings
4 December 2025
Local Elections
Thank you for granting this incredibly important urgent question, Mr Speaker. I am sure colleagues from across the House will have been as shocked as I was to read in the media last night that the four priority strategic areas have had their elections cancelled and postponed until 2028, especially g…
Commons
Oral Questions
2 December 2025
Topical Questions
T6. President Trump is directing increasingly aggressive and lethal military actions against vessels off Venezuela, which experts warn amount to extrajudicial killings. Even though the UK has paused some intelligence sharing in response, will the Secretary of State now go further, explicitly condemn…
Commons
Oral Questions
2 December 2025
2 contributions
Hong Kong: Human Rights Violations
10. What assessment she has made of recent trends in levels of human rights violations in Hong Kong.
Given the marked deterioration of civil liberties and democratic freedoms in Hong Kong since the introduction of the national security law, can the Minister outline what specific steps the Government are taking to support those affected by these abuses, both in the UK and abroad? Many of my constitu…
Commons
Westminster Hall
26 November 2025
2 contributions
Driving Test Availability: South-east
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Harris. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Dr Pinkerton) for ensuring that this important topic could be debated today. It of course affects people of all ages, but I wish to focus particularly on the impact it is having on youn…
We are here in the UK Parliament, and it is within our power to change the law to address the current situation around theory test validity. It is clear that people are struggling as a result of the two-year limit.
Commons
Debate
25 November 2025
3 contributions
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Today I will continue to highlight our concerns on the Liberal Democrat Benches. The Labour Government spend a great deal of time telling the country that they are putting power back into the hands of communities and say they are on the side of local leaders and delivering locally led renewal, but w…
I wholeheartedly agree with my hon. Friend about the importance of our fantastic parish and town councils, and I hope that Members from all parts of this House will support that new clause.
We have tabled new clause 70 because neighbourhood planning only works if communities can afford to take part…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
24 November 2025
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
It is a privilege to speak in support of the Liberal Democrat amendments to the Bill. They remain true to our party’s tradition of empowering communities, upholding democratic accountability, protecting the environment and defending the role of local government at all levels. Our amendments, numberi…
Commons
Oral Questions
24 November 2025
East Sussex County Council: Elections
It has been very interesting to hear the back and forth on this question. It is not just about East Sussex, of course; it is about all the councils up for reorganisation. Councils across the country that are due to have elections next year have received letters asking them whether they would conside…
Commons
Debate
20 November 2025
Injury in Service Award
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Cheadle (Mr Morrison) on securing this important debate, and I thank the Backbench Business Committee for granting it.
I am pleased to speak today in support of the motion and my constituent, Andrew Barr, who is in the Gallery. Andrew served in the Metro…
Commons
Oral Questions
20 November 2025
Bus Services
In my constituency, residents face the challenge of there being four different bus companies, with four different tickets available, potentially at four different prices. Different providers’ tickets are not interchangeable, even when residents are trying to get to one location. What are the Governm…
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 November 2025
Social Media Posts: Penalties for Offences
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Roger.
Freedom of speech is a vital right, but it must end where harm to another begins. Online freedom cannot mean the freedom to exploit, to encourage self-harm or to destroy lives. I appreciate that I am taking the debate in a slightly off-p…
Commons
Oral Questions
11 November 2025
Access to Justice
I was interested to hear the Minister’s answers to the previous question, but true access to justice must include those still imprisoned under legal tests since ruled wrong, including many young people from marginalised communities convicted under joint enterprise. Will the Government consider adopt…
Commons
Debate
21 October 2025
2 contributions
Sentencing Bill
Justice must be capable of learning from its mistakes. When the law evolves, it must reach back for those left behind. That is the principle behind new clauses 22 and 23, which I tabled.
The new clauses would create a fair route for people still serving sentences under laws that have since been abo…
This is indeed a highly significant issue, which is why I have put forward the new clauses.
Since his conviction, Alex has been diagnosed with autism, a condition that fundamentally affects how he perceives and reacts to social situations. That diagnosis raises serious questions about whether it wa…
Commons
Debate
14 October 2025
3 contributions
Mental Health Bill [Lords]
I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.
I am honoured to open today’s debate on Report and to have served in Committee, where it was clear that Members on both sides of the House shared a commitment to high-quality mental health care for those in crisis. I thank my colleagues who also served in Committee; it was an informative and moving …
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
13 October 2025
Topical Questions
In June, the Department made the welcome announcement of legislation to allow proxy voting and remote attendance, which will help to drive up the diversity of councillors across the country, but the Government have not yet set out a timeline. Will the Minister advise the House on when a timeline wil…
Commons
Debate
16 September 2025
Police: Professional Standards
I thank my hon. Friend for his passionate speech on behalf of his constituents on this difficult issue. As other Members have, I pay tribute to my police force, Surrey police. They do great work, but sadly things sometimes do go wrong. I have had to deal with a number of cases in my constituency off…