Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
24 June 2026
Engagements
Q2. Max Hall is 14 years old. He should be worrying about school, football, friends and what he wants to be when he grows up. Instead, he is living with a high-grade brain tumour and there is no cure available to him. His parents, Jackie and Steven, want to know why children being diagnosed with bra…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
22 June 2026
East Midland Railway Collision
As the Member of Parliament for Corby and East Northamptonshire, I agree with everybody about the emergency services, the NHS, the community who came together, the guards, the staff and the passengers as well, who did not go through the panic that can sometimes happen in situations like this. The 16…
Commons
Westminster Hall
15 June 2026
Brain Cancer
I will use my time today to share the words of Jackie Hall, mum of 14-year-old Max Hall. She says:
“Dear Members of Parliament,
Max should be worrying about school, football, friends, and what he wants to be when he grows up. Instead, our family is living with the reality that he has a high-grade …
Commons
Proceedings
8 June 2026
Water Companies
I commend the Minister for coming to the House today to outline the various measures that have been taken, but what this says to me is that the model is fundamentally broken. We need a new model, one that puts people before profits, because people should no longer accept that the public always pay t…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
12 March 2026
Business of the House
Reform-led North Northamptonshire council has just announced that it is increasing school transport costs from £795 to £965 a year. That £170 increase—an increase of over 20%—is unaffordable for families. It comes from a council that promised lower costs for families, that failed to have its books s…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
12 March 2026
2 contributions
Postal Delivery Services
15. What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of postal delivery services.
Quality of service in the Royal Mail has been at shocking levels over recent years. Considering that Royal Mail is legally obliged to deliver a universal service and keep our communities connected, will the Minister join me in calling on Royal Mail’s owners to honour their agreement, end the two-tie…
Commons
Oral Questions
11 March 2026
Royal Mail: Universal Service Obligation
I refer Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests.
It is not just the customers who are rightly angry; it is postal workers as well, because they take pride in their job and the service they give. The last time I was in Corby delivery office, six deliveries never went out …
Commons
Debate
10 March 2026
Courts and Tribunals Bill
This has been an incredible debate. I pay tribute to those who have felt able and courageous enough to share their personal circumstances with the House, and to the campaigners in the Public Gallery who have come along to hear a debate that will help make a success of their campaigns.
I go back to …
Commons
Westminster Hall
4 February 2026
Postal Services: Rural Areas
It is a pleasure to be part of this debate, Mr Stringer. I will begin by declaring my interest. I started at Royal Mail in 1986 on an apprenticeship. I have walked the rounds, sorted the frames and stood up for postal workers, prior to coming to Parliament, but I have never seen postal services in s…
Commons
Debate
3 February 2026
Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill
First, I want to take us back, because this debate is being pitched as if those who are not in work are getting something that is being paid for by those in work—that ain’t the case, and it is wrong to suggest it.
I will tell the House what the problem is: the scar of in-work poverty that was left …
Commons
Oral Questions
Justice
3 February 2026
2 contributions
Magistrate Recruitment
5. What steps his Department is taking to recruit magistrates.
Back in 2004, I became a magistrate—a position that I held for 20 years. When I first walked into the magistrates’ retiring room, I thought everybody in there had retired, because I brought the average age down by about 30 years. That shows that the position is a commitment—people serve for years—an…
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
21 January 2026
Engagements
Q12. For too long, many of my constituents have not had access to good, secure, well-paid jobs. We made a commitment in our manifesto that we would change that. We cannot grow an economy based on insecure work where, from one week to the next, somebody does not know how many hours they will work or …
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
12 January 2026
Topical Questions
I am proud to have secured a £20 million investment in the “pride of Corby” project—that is £2 million a year every year for the next 10 years—but it is crucial that local communities determine how and where the investment is spent. Does my hon. Friend agree that the money must be spent on exactly w…
Commons
Westminster Hall
16 December 2025
Quarries: Planning Policy
It is a pleasure to serve, Dr Murrison. Back in October, I went to Laxton and met with the parish council, a fine bunch of people. One of the main issues was the impact of the nearby Wakerley quarry. People turned up because it is affecting their homes and their lives. Residents told me about blasti…
Commons
Debate
15 December 2025
Employment Rights Bill
I start by pointing out my proud membership of the Communication Workers Union, just so I can get that on the record. Before I get into the issues with the amendments, I want to say that enough is enough. Unelected Lords must not get in the way of the democratic will of the people and the manifesto …
Commons
Westminster Hall
27 October 2025
Statutory Maternity and Paternity Pay
I met Natalie from Raunds earlier this year, when she was seven months pregnant with her first child. She wants nothing more than to take time to care for her baby. When people are off work raising the next generation, the wages stop, but the rent and energy bills do not, and other costs go up.
Thi…
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
22 October 2025
Engagements
Q11. Twelve-year-old Millie Blair from Oundle joins us today in the Gallery along with her mum, Gemma, her sister, Jessica, and her dad, Gordon. On Millie’s 11th birthday, she was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer, which led to her leg being amputated. Millie attends Prince William school, but she c…
Commons
Westminster Hall
15 October 2025
2 contributions
Educational Assessment System Reform
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Lewell. Ours is a one-size-fits-all system, and it should not be, because one size does not fit all. That was certainly the message I took loud and clear from the SEND roundtable that I hosted in Corby and East Northamptonshire when we brought pa…
My point is that it is not the schools and the way in which the schools are applying exams; the schools are doing what they can to protect the children. The problem is that the children know they are coming. The children feel the pressure point of the exams coming up. That is why they start to feel …
Commons
Debate
13 October 2025
Baby Loss
Almost 15 years ago, my constituent Lauren Trevillyan lost her son Olly. She told me how the support just was not there—not for the families, not for the parents, not for the children. There is just not enough aftercare for people after such a loss, not physically and not mentally. To this day, Laur…
Commons
Proceedings
13 October 2025
Education Committee
I thank the Chair of the Select Committee for the report—we agree with the recommendations that have been made. Does she agree that the Select Committee reached those recommendations by engaging with communities and local MPs, such as in Corby and East Northamptonshire, which brought together local …
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 September 2025
Duty of Candour for Public Authorities and Legal Representation for Bereaved Families
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Hobhouse. At the start of this Parliament, I was glad to hear that the Government promised a Hillsborough law, which would place a duty on public workers to act in the public interest. We know from Hillsborough, Grenfell, infected blood and Hori…
Commons
Oral Questions
21 July 2025
2 contributions
Primary School Assessment
1. What assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing alternative methods of primary school assessment.
A recent survey by Young Minds found that over a third of year 6 pupils felt ill due to standard assessment tests, and over a quarter said they made them feel bad about themselves. Ninety-six per cent of headteachers say that SATs harm wellbeing, and 95% doubt their accuracy. Our children and teache…
Commons
Proceedings
17 July 2025
Business of the House
On Monday, I hosted the second Corby and East Northamptonshire special educational needs roundtable, and on Tuesday we had SENDS 4 Dad in Parliament. Parents and professionals keep telling me how important early years support and intervention is for children with special educational needs. With the …
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
17 July 2025
2 contributions
Independent Retailers
11. What steps he is taking to support independent retailers.
In Corby and East Northamptonshire, retail and wholesale jobs account for the largest share of employment, supporting thousands of jobs. Will the Minister confirm that, unlike the last Tory Government, which promised to reform business rates but did absolutely nothing, this Labour Government are com…
Commons
Oral Questions
Education
16 June 2025
Topical Questions
T9. I set up the Corby and east Northants SEND roundtable to help seek solutions to fix the broken system. One of the outcomes of the discussions was the need to improve SEND provision in our mainstream schools. What is the Minister doing to engage with teachers to make schools more inclusive and ma…