Commons
Debate
28 October 2025
2 contributions
Support for Disabled Veterans
It is great that my hon. Friend has secured this debate. Nearly half of UK veterans report being disabled. That figure is far higher than it is for the general population. Many of our disabled veterans receive military compensation, as my hon. Friend said, to support them with an injury or illness c…
I thank the hon. and gallant Minister for giving way and I congratulate her on her position. I recently met representatives of the charity Combat Stress, which is based in my constituency. I was made aware that PTSD can come up to five, 10 or 15 years after deployment, which I did not know. At the m…
Commons
Westminster Hall
28 October 2025
World Stroke Day
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Vaz. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Munira Wilson) for securing this important and timely debate and for her personal and emotive speech. I send her mum my best wishes. I thank all other Members for their speeches and for their pe…
Commons
Debate
27 October 2025
Regulation and Inspection of Funeral Services
The hon. Member sheds a light on an area that I have only just come to, and that was through a piece of casework. It was absolutely devastating to receive a piece of casework about abysmal funeral services, which included the mis-selling of a plot in a local cemetery, extortionate funeral costs and …
Commons
Ministerial Statement
15 October 2025
Ukraine
I have just returned from Ukraine, where I learned at first hand about the challenges that both the military and the emergency services face in dealing with unexploded ordnance; I saw its impact when I visited the heroic patients at Superhumans, the prosthetic supercentre in Lviv. There are over 60,…
Commons
Westminster Hall
15 September 2025
Children with SEND: Assessments and Support
Four-year-old Maeve lives in my constituency and has cerebral palsy. She requires constant care, is unable to walk, has limited speech and has multiple ongoing medical conditions that require attention. Despite that, and despite the fact that her parents applied to Surrey county council almost a yea…
Commons
Proceedings
11 September 2025
UK Ambassador to the US: Appointment Process
Our thoughts are with the friends and families of the victims of 9/11. I also express my regret and sadness at the murder of Charlie Kirk, and I hope that the hon. Member for Washington and Gateshead South (Mrs Hodgson) and her staff are all okay following the incident at her office. Political viole…
Commons
Debate
10 September 2025
2 contributions
Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [Lords]
North East Surrey College of Technology in my constituency is not accessible by bus, leaving students having to travel even further for their education because local bus services are simply not serving young people. Does the hon. Member agree that the Bill must expand the definition of socially nece…
The E5 bus service for Langley Vale in my constituency has a woefully inadequate timetable and a route that does not stop at the local hospital. Local bus routes are simply not servicing my residents. Does my hon. Friend agree that the Bill must tackle poor services and restore the £2 fare cap, reve…
Commons
Proceedings
10 September 2025
Russian Drones: Violation of Polish Airspace
Overnight, Poland faced down an unprecedented violation of NATO and Polish airspace—the latest act of belligerence by a Russian dictator hell-bent on recreating the Russian empire. This is a stark reminder that history cannot repeat itself. The drones were part of Russia’s latest large-scale assault…
Commons
Debate
8 September 2025
Renters’ Rights Bill
Does my hon. Friend agree that if the Ministry of Defence itself says that the MOD housing standard is already higher than the decent homes standard, the Government should do the decent thing and accept Lords amendment 39 and put it on the face of the Bill?
Commons
Debate
8 September 2025
Defence Industrial Strategy
I thank the Minister for advance sight of the defence industrial statement. I welcome the announcement today of the new defence industrial strategy because for too many years, the Conservatives chose to ignore the challenges across our defence industrial base. In light of the threats that we face fr…
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
8 September 2025
Topical Questions
It is clear that Vladimir Putin remains hellbent on the conquest of Ukraine, while he drags Trump along with false promises of peace. It is right of the Government to have taken steps such as putting in place the recent price cap cut, to hurt Putin’s oil profits, but the Government must go further. …
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
8 September 2025
Armed Forces: Recruitment and Retention
I congratulate the hon. Member for North East Derbyshire (Louise Sandher-Jones)—a fellow female veteran—and the hon. Member for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport (Luke Pollard) on their new appointments.
Reserve forces are a vital component of the British Army, and I welcomed the Government’s commitmen…
Commons
Westminster Hall
8 September 2025
Indefinite Leave to Remain
Over the summer, I held a drop-in surgery for the Hong Kong community in Epsom and Ewell—there are over 1,000 of them—and I heard from many residents who were concerned about the proposal to extend the qualifying period from five to 10 years. They told me that this could have a profound impact, incl…
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 September 2025
7 contributions
Pavement Parking
I beg to move,
That this House has considered the matter of pavement parking.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Hobhouse. I am grateful for the opportunity to raise an issue that is long overdue for a solution.
Every day people are forced into the road, into moving traffic, beca…
Yes, I absolutely agree that councils should have the power to decide where cars can be parked on pavements.
Despite cross-party agreement in the Transport Committee’s 2019 report, clear public support and the examples already in place across the UK, the Government have still not published their re…
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 September 2025
Use of Drones in Defence
It is an absolute pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. I thank the hon. Member for Bromley and Biggin Hill (Peter Fortune) for securing this important debate; I was sorry not to be able to hear from him yesterday in the battle of Britain debate.
The integration of drones, or unmanned …
Commons
Debate
2 September 2025
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
The Government have claimed that the measures in this Bill, including merging councils, will save significant amounts of money. However, the County Councils Network has revealed that reorganisation could make no savings and cost money. Does my hon. Friend agree that the measures in this Bill are bas…
Commons
Oral Questions
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
2 September 2025
2 contributions
Gaza: Humanitarian Aid
14. What steps he is taking to support people impacted by the humanitarian situation in the Middle East.
The UN has now confirmed famine in Gaza City. More than half a million people face catastrophic conditions of starvation, destitution and death. This is a man-made disaster, described by the UN Secretary-General as “a failure of humanity”. At least 600 daily truckloads are needed to avert further fa…
Commons
Westminster Hall
2 September 2025
The Battle of Britain
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Desmond. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Tewkesbury (Cameron Thomas) for securing this important debate.
The battle of Britain remains one of the most decisive victories in our nation’s history. In the summer of 1940 the Royal Air Force, out…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
1 September 2025
Ukraine
I thank the Defence Secretary for advance sight of his statement. I join others in the House in thanking Admiral Sir Tony Radakin for his service, and wish him well in his next steps.
I was relieved to see the Prime Minister join fellow European leaders in Washington last month, standing shoulder t…
Commons
Debate
21 July 2025
Victory over Japan: 80th Anniversary
It is an absolute privilege to speak today as we mark the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan, an occasion for national reflection, remembrance and gratitude.
We in the Liberal Democrats are proud that so many of our colleagues have served in the armed forces. They, together with veterans and se…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
21 July 2025
Independent Water Commission
We welcome the Government’s commitment to cutting water bills by 50% in the next three years. However, given the stark increases that consumers have paid because of failed water company finances, this commitment will not touch the sides, especially for the most vulnerable customers. Will the Secreta…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
17 July 2025
Ukraine
I thank the Defence Secretary for advance sight of his statement. We welcome the additional support to Ukraine, because we must continue to support Ukraine to defend Europe. Russia’s increased attacks are devastating, and we recognise the resilience of the Ukrainians and support them.
President Tru…
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 July 2025
Freedom of Religion or Belief: UK Foreign Policy
Does the hon. Member agree that the UK’s credibility on promoting religious freedom abroad is significantly undermined by the deep cuts to official development assistance, which have reduced our ability to fund vital human rights and civil society work in fragile states where freedom of religion or …
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 July 2025
RAF Photographic Reconnaissance Unit
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Vaz. I thank the hon. Member for Carlisle (Ms Minns) for securing this very important debate. I am honoured to speak today in support of the long-overdue recognition for one of the most courageous and least understood elements of our second world wa…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
15 July 2025
Afghanistan
I thank the Minister for the Armed Forces for his briefing on this issue this morning.
I am pleased this House now has the opportunity to scrutinise this alarming data breach. It was right that the then Government moved to introduce a new scheme to try to minimise the risk to the Afghan soldiers an…