Commons
Ministerial Statement
24 November 2025
Critical Minerals Strategy
Advanced ceramics companies such as Mantec in my constituency produce ceramic membrane filters that are capable of extracting critical minerals including from industrial waste, improving productivity and recycling, reducing environmental pollution and of course reducing costs. Can the Minister tell …
Commons
Oral Questions
20 November 2025
2 contributions
Active Travel
12. What steps she is taking to promote active travel.
My constituents in Stoke-on-Trent South have told me that they cannot move safely around their community because vehicles parked on pavements force pedestrians into the road. Similarly, Staffordshire Sight Loss Council has raised with me the dangers that pavement parking creates for people with visi…
Commons
Westminster Hall
19 November 2025
2 contributions
Specialist Manufacturing Sector: Regional Economies
It is an honour to serve under your chairship, Mrs Harris. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Calder Valley (Josh Fenton-Glynn) for securing this debate and for his call for the use of British parts in British infrastructure.
The debate is incredibly pertinent to my constituency of Stoke-on-Tren…
In 1882, a ceramics company in my constituency exported 50% of its products to Europe and globally. Since Brexit its ability to export to Europe has dramatically reduced. It can export to the US in two days, but it can take months to get its exports to Italy. What can the Minister do to help us impr…
Commons
Oral Questions
18 November 2025
2 contributions
Clean Energy Transition: New Nuclear Power
3. What steps he plans to take to support the clean energy transition through the adoption of new nuclear power.
Advanced ceramics and ceramic matrix composites play a critical role in the manufacturing of nuclear infrastructure. They are used in nuclear fission reactors as pellets, ceramic coatings are applied to small modular reactors, and ceramics are needed in fuel particle coating, moderators, reflectors …
Commons
Westminster Hall
18 November 2025
UNESCO: 80th Anniversary
Neighbouring Derbyshire, in Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent has a proud heritage of craftmanship thanks to our famous ceramics industry, including Duchess China and Wedgwood. We are recognised globally for pottery, shipping products all over the world. I would be delighted if Stoke-on-Trent were recog…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
13 November 2025
Police Reform
In Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, we have a police, fire and crime commissioner. While I welcome the Minister’s statement, I worry about the impact on our fire service. Could she reassure me that we will consider the fire service as well, and how oversight of it will be transitioned in areas that…
Commons
Debate
5 November 2025
Drug-related Deaths
Stoke-on-Trent has the highest number of drug-related deaths in north Staffordshire. Synthetic cathinones, colloquially known as monkey dust, are used in Stoke-on-Trent to an extent not seen elsewhere in the country. Does my hon. Friend agree that more needs to be done to battle the scourge of monke…
Commons
Debate
4 November 2025
2 contributions
Supporting High Streets
I am delighted to take this opportunity to speak about Longton—a beloved town centre in my constituency that is very much on the up. I am excited that the Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, my hon. Friend the Member for Peckham (Miatta Fahnbulleh), who is not in …
Does my hon. Friend agree that increased accessibility for people with disabilities is a crucial aspect of town centre regeneration that would unlock the power of the purple pound? If we make the high street accessible for disabled people, we make it accessible for everyone.
Commons
Debate
21 October 2025
3 contributions
Sentencing Bill
I will speak to new clause 28, “Gambling treatment requirement” and new clause 29, “Gambling addiction: support for offenders”. I thank the Minister and the Ministry of Justice, the NHS, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department of Health and Social Care for their sustained enga…
I thank my hon. Friend for her intervention, and I wholeheartedly agree. Prison should be rehabilitative. Any offender should have that support, to prevent reoffending. It is right for our society, it is right for potential victims, and it is right for offenders, who often resort to criminality due …
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
20 October 2025
A50/A500 Corridor
The A50/A500 growth corridor offers massive potential for growth. In my constituency, I have junction 15 of the M6 and the Sideway roundabout, which joins the A500 with the A50 before it goes on through the Meir tunnel and towards Uttoxeter. It is often congested, but it is a vital part of the suppl…
Commons
Westminster Hall
16 October 2025
World Menopause Day
Will my hon. Friend join me in acknowledging the impact of menopause-related urinary tract infections on women’s quality of life and ability to work? Does she agree that we must do more to acknowledge that aspect of menopause and educate GPs and the workforce?
Commons
Debate
13 October 2025
Digital ID
As Chair of the all-party parliamentary group on digital identity, I welcome the Government’s proposals. However, many of my constituents have deep concerns and are seeking reassurance. In order to build trust in the digital ID system, it would help if people felt that they had choice and control ov…
Commons
Debate
16 September 2025
2 contributions
Sentencing Bill
Like my colleagues, I very much welcome the move to favour community sentences over short custodial sentences, as the Sentencing Bill provides. As we know, short-term sentences often lead to reoffending, which places a much-needed emphasis on rehabilitation.
Rehabilitation plays a vital role in add…
Unfortunately, the legislation did not mandate that individuals sentenced for gambling-related offences must seek rehabilitative treatment for their gambling disorder. Again, I suggest that the Bill could correct that as it progresses through the House.
In a survey conducted by the University of St…
Commons
Westminster Hall
9 September 2025
4 contributions
Housing: North Staffordshire
I beg to move,
That this House has considered housing developments in north Staffordshire.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms McVey, and I thank the House for allowing this debate today.
With the publication of three draft local plans across my constituency, this is an incredibly …
I agree with the hon. Member: we are an ageing population and need to think about how we house our older residents. I am a big advocate of bungalows, having just moved into one.
That is not to say that proposals for new housing developments come without challenges. In Barlaston, the local community…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
8 September 2025
2 contributions
Defence Sector: Innovation
1. What steps he is taking to increase innovation in the defence sector.
The growing advanced ceramics industry in north Staffordshire is a key creator of the unique advanced ceramic materials that are required for His Majesty’s fighting capability, including unique armour materials for defence, ultra high-speed munitions, and the detection and security of our communicat…
Commons
Oral Questions
22 July 2025
10-Year Health Plan: Prevention of Ill Health
Urinary tract infections are estimated to impact on the lives of up to 5 million women and girls. In 2023-24, there were over 679,000 hospital admissions, and in 2023, 4,323 deaths. Outdated diagnostic techniques and inadequate treatment for acute UTIs results in the condition becoming recurrent and…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
21 July 2025
Independent Water Commission
The village of Upper Tean frequently suffers flooding and sewage outflows, and one reason is that the antiquated mains water infrastructure cannot adequately cope with the increased amount of new housing developments, even when the developer meets all the required mitigations. Recommendation 3 in th…
Commons
Proceedings
17 July 2025
Social Media: Misinformation and Algorithms
Our Committee’s evidence supports the conclusion that social media business models, particularly the use of recommendation algorithms that push users to see more extreme content and misinformation, incentivise the spread of dangerous content and, consequently, behaviours. As both a member of the Com…
Commons
Proceedings
17 July 2025
Business of the House
For the past year, I have been working with the Midlands Partnership University NHS foundation trust to secure and unlock the funds to build a new neighbourhood health centre in Longton, which, incidentally, is the home of Gladstone pottery museum featured in “The Great Pottery Throw Down”—the Leade…
Commons
Oral Questions
Business and Trade
17 July 2025
Trade Agreements: Implementation
May I thank the Secretary of State for meeting regularly with me and my colleagues regarding the challenges facing the ceramics industry? I look forward to continuing to work with him to seek solutions for the challenges we face. What assessment has the Department made of the potential impact of its…
Commons
Debate
16 July 2025
5 contributions
Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life
I commend the Government for their mission to give every child the best start in life. It is critical that all children, no matter where they are born, have every opportunity to achieve their potential. I must mention at this point the number of Staffordshire MPs who are here for the debate, which j…
My hon. Friend is right that we hunt as a pack: when the three Stokie MPs get together with our Staffordshire colleagues, we make a formidable bunch, and I am very proud to be part of the team.
I am incredibly proud to work for a Labour Government who are breaking down the barriers to opportunity, …
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
15 July 2025
West Coast Main Line
As my hon. Friend will know, Stoke-on-Trent sits on a side branch of the west coast main line that feeds a conurbation of over 400,000 people, many of whom work in and travel regularly to Manchester, London or Birmingham. Does he agree that any future development of the line must not impact negative…
Commons
Debate
11 July 2025
Rare Cancers Bill
Stella Gilbert, née Forster, was a much-beloved wife, mother, grandmother and sister to my partner, Jim. She died of a rare cancer. Stella was great—my partner’s only sibling, a huge matriarch and, as we found out at her funeral, given to bossing her local vicar about. She had bile duct cancer, whic…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
7 July 2025
Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life
I really welcome the statement today, as I am sure do the residents of Normacot, whose excellent family hub they fought hard to save many years ago. But we need more in my constituency of Stoke-on-Trent South. Stoke-on-Trent consistently lags behind the national average. Many children start school u…
Commons
Committee Stage
26 June 2025
Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [ Lords ] (Third sitting)
I am really heartened by clause 11 and I welcome it. I am sure the Minister agrees that consulting people who live with disabilities is vital for any future public transport service. Even with the best of intent, one cannot plan accessible services without understanding the lived experience of disab…