Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 July 2026
State of Climate and Nature
I am sure the Minister will agree that to meet our climate and nature obligations, we must not take decisions that commit us to creating waste and causing harm for 40 years. The Government’s own policy, published in late 2024, said that new incinerators could be approved only where there is a local …
Commons
Debate
9 July 2026
Israeli Settlements: Trade Ban
Having been to the west bank many years ago, I know that that is not a new thing. Does the hon. Lady agree that the use by the IDF of artificial intelligence machine guns, which are trained on people using sponge-tipped bullets and tear gas, is a way of dehumanising Palestinian people as an attempt …
Commons
Proceedings
8 July 2026
Maritime and Coastguard Agency
This decision is clearly a kick in the teeth for brave people, like Chris from my constituency, who is worried that it will make the situation worse for whistleblowing rights. He challenged a bullying culture, was terminated and then denied his 20-year service medal. But this is not about money, is …
Commons
Oral Questions
Energy Security and Net Zero
7 July 2026
Topical Questions
The Government have worked with Ofgem to bring forward low or no standing charge schemes, which are supposedly open for trial. I cannot find them and neither can my residents. The access to those schemes is so small, so what are the Government doing to make them available to more people now?
Commons
Oral Questions
Justice
30 June 2026
Magistrate Numbers
Yesterday I joined members of the Justice Committee, including the Chair, on a trip to Nottingham as part of our review into youth justice. I want to press the Secretary of State a little further on the age of magistrates, because we were told that there is a real concern about recruiting people who…
Commons
Oral Questions
24 June 2026
Discrimination against Trans People
Since the Supreme Court judgment—and even more so since the code of practice was published—my constituents who identify as trans are contacting me daily. One has told me that he feels entirely pushed out of public life, and has had to leave his job due to customer harassment. He says that finding a …
Commons
Oral Questions
Women and Equalities
24 June 2026
Discrimination against Trans People
Since the Supreme Court judgment—and even more so since the code of practice was published—my constituents who identify as trans are contacting me daily. One has told me that he feels entirely pushed out of public life, and has had to leave his job due to customer harassment. He says that finding a …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
18 June 2026
Courts and Tribunals Bill
I put it on the record that I voted for an alternative report that I felt better reflected my concerns, but I accept that the report is a fair reflection of the Committee’s view.
Given that the last recruitment drive for magistrates failed to deliver the much-needed uplift at that point, and with t…
Commons
Oral Questions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
16 June 2026
2 contributions
UK-US Relationship
2. What recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the UK's relationship with the US.
I regret that I never had the chance to meet Jo Cox, but the Secretary of State is right: her sister is doing her very proud.
As well as being the year in which the current US President was born, 1946 was the year in which the UK-US special relationship was formally cemented in Winston Churchill’s …
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
15 June 2026
Leasehold Reform
Shortly after becoming the MP for my constituency, I was contacted by Jeremy in Wimborne, who lives with his wife in a leasehold flat. In 2023, all the funds from the management company were fraudulently stolen. I have been working with the Financial Services Authority, but have been told that such …
Commons
Proceedings
15 June 2026
Defence Investment Plan
Martin from Wimborne contacted me at the weekend to share his suggestion on funding the defence investment plan. He thinks that the Lib Dem idea of issuing defence bonds is a really sensible one and has told me that, in his view, many people with money in cash ISAs might be tempted to invest if the …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
15 June 2026
Russian Shadow Fleet
On Saturday night, I heard the unmistakeable sound of Chinook helicopters passing over my home in Dorset, en route to intercept the Russian tanker. Whether it is a shadow fleet funding the war against Ukraine, spy ships scanning our seabed, or political interference in our democracy—including the fo…
Commons
Oral Questions
Health and Social Care
9 June 2026
Mental Health Facilities: Dorset
I thank the Minister for his comments about Forston, which some of my residents use. Evidence suggests that half of mental health conditions are established by age 14, and three quarters by age 24. In Dorset, our rates of hospitalisation for self-harm are almost twice the national average for 15 to …
Commons
Proceedings
8 June 2026
Digital Safety: Children
I welcome the proposals announced today, but I am concerned that they appear to be limited to nudity. Children who have been subjected to self-harm content or who have been encouraged to take their own lives, and those who have seen extreme violence, do not appear to be covered. My son George told m…
Commons
Westminster Hall
8 June 2026
Progression of Bills through Parliament
That is the key. Both the sponsor of the Bill in the House of Lords and others tabled amendments that might well, had they returned to the House of Commons, have had the opportunity to improve the Bill. Would the hon. Gentleman agree that the denial of that opportunity to improve the Bill is an abso…
Commons
Proceedings
3 June 2026
Lebanon: Israel Defence Forces Operations
Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir said in the last few days on social media:
“Electricity must be cut off to Lebanon, the Zahrani River must be seized, and intensive fighting must be resumed”.
Last week, he said of Dahieh,
“flatten, flatten, and flatten again”,
and that the suburbs must be targeted. The…
Commons
Oral Questions
Energy Security and Net Zero
2 June 2026
2 contributions
Transition from Fossil Fuels: Progress
4. What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the progress of transitioning from fossil fuels to cleaner energy sources.
Last month, alongside other Dorset MPs, I met with the Crown Estate to discuss the Dorset Clean Energy Super Cluster. While I welcome its recognition of the area as a medium-term opportunity, it is concerning that development is likely at least a decade away, despite Dorset’s significant potential f…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
2 June 2026
Milburn Review: Interim Report
The only country in the whole of Europe that has a NEETs crisis worse than the UK’s is Romania. That is quite shocking. For me, the issue is funding for further education. Mike Taylor owns Bond’s Barbershops and runs an award-winning academy, and he has far more students than he can give places to. …
Commons
Debate
1 June 2026
Health Bill
The Secretary of State has not talked about the role of the governors of hospital trusts, which also appear to be abolished by the Bill. With the creation of mega-ICBs, the removal of healthwatch, and the removal of governors, I am worried that the voice of the local community is reducing rather tha…
Commons
Oral Questions
Justice
19 May 2026
Criminal Justice System: Support for Men and Boys
An often under-appreciated element of the criminal justice system is the impact that it has on fathers’ ability to stay part of their family. My hon. Friend the Member for Henley and Thame (Freddie van Mierlo) shared research conducted by the University of Plymouth about fathers separated from their…
Commons
Petition
19 May 2026
Antisocial Behaviour in Holton Heath
I rise to present a petition about antisocial behaviour on behalf of the residents of Holton Heath Park in my constituency. The petitioners and I ask the Government to note that those residents have been experiencing an unacceptable level from antisocial driving, joyriding, racing, and excessive spe…
Commons
Westminster Hall
28 April 2026
2 contributions
Fire and Rescue Services: Funding
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service has a similar deficit of £1.5 million. I do not think this is about party politics, because a fire authority can only work with what it has got. Does the hon. Member agree that we need to work across parties to encourage the Government to properly fund al…
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service’s core spending power is going up over the three years only because of the increase in local taxpayers. The actual amount being provided is going down, not just in real terms but in actual cash terms. We simply do not have enough money to keep our fire st…
Commons
Debate
27 April 2026
3 contributions
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
I am really pleased to follow the speech of the hon. Member for Sunderland Central (Lewis Atkinson) with my own story of an early venue. In 2007, I remember visiting the Stage Door in Southampton—a venue above a pub—for one of the very first, intimate gigs of Scouting for Girls. They are now interna…
Can I just clarify the use of the word “should” rather than the word “must”? Where these bodies exist, they must have a right to be included; this is not just a “should”. I worry that the word “should” will allow a mayor or a larger authority to have the power over what is, as my hon. Friend the Mem…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
27 April 2026
2 contributions
Departmental Response Times
2. What steps he is taking to improve his Department’s response times.
I am glad that the call answering has speeded up, but, like those of many other Members, my office is constantly dealing with very long delays on the part of the DWP. Back in September 2024, my constituent Jackie appealed against a personal independence payment assessment for her husband, who died a…
Commons
Debate
23 April 2026
6 contributions
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
I beg to move,
That this House has considered reform of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.
I am grateful to the Backbench Business Committee for granting time for a debate on a topic that, as I can see from the number of Members present, regularly fills the inboxes of right hon. and hon. Mem…
I will come to some of those specific issues shortly. Our teams are incredible and work really hard, both here in Westminster and down in our constituencies, but that should not be necessary. People should not only get the help they need when their MP steps in.
+4 more contributions in this session