Commons
Westminster Hall
14 July 2026
Coastal Communities: Isolation and Hidden Deprivation
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Sir Alec, and I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Isle of Wight West (Richard Quigley) on securing this important debate.
Like all hon. Members who represent a coastal constituency, I am lucky to represent such a beautiful area. However, one…
Commons
Petition
14 July 2026
Political Donations and Public Contracts
I rise to present a petition, alongside a corresponding online petition, which has been signed by more than 4,000 UK residents, calling for a ban on political donors getting contracts from Governments they helped to fund. Big money donors do not give out of kindness; they pay for access and influenc…
Commons
Westminster Hall
8 July 2026
6 contributions
Societal Impact of AI: Government Policy
I beg to move,
That this House has considered Government policy on AI and its impact on society.
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Ms McVey. I think we all agree that AI is a transformational technology with the potential to bring many benefits to our society, but to fully realise t…
I thank the hon. Member for his intervention; I will deal with AI sovereignty a bit later in my speech.
We should ensure that, like a socialist Government’s approach to energy or water, the public have a stake in the development of AI technology, to ensure that the value it creates is captured and …
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Defence
6 July 2026
Topical Questions
It is nearly two years since the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel’s presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is unlawful. Does the Minister believe that it is morally or legally justifiable for British bases to continue to be used to transfer weapons to Israel as part of this…
Commons
Debate
30 June 2026
Department for Work and Pensions
Our social security system acts as the bedrock of our welfare state, but for years, the safety net it was meant to provide has developed more and more holes through which some of our most vulnerable citizens have fallen. For our older generation, the state pension is absolutely the foundation on whi…
Commons
Oral Questions
Treasury
23 June 2026
Business Rates
The Minister will know that coastal towns, such as Poole, which I represent, rely on small businesses. Poole would not be Poole without its restaurants or ice cream parlours. Polling this week shows strong public support for higher levies on big tech. Could this be a way to raise revenue to cut busi…
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
15 June 2026
2 contributions
Fire Response Times: Poole
3. What steps he is taking to help improve response times to fires in Poole constituency.
My hon. Friend will know that Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service has received an 11.8% increase in core spending power. Despite that, there are plans to merge Hamworthy fire station with the one in Poole. Not only will this increase response times, but it fails to take account of specific …
Commons
Debate
1 June 2026
10 contributions
Coastal Communities: Government Support
It is good to know that I have not lost the ability to lose the room, Madam Deputy Speaker.
Like all hon. Members who represent a coastal constituency, I have a huge pride and privilege in representing Poole. When I get off the train at our local station after spending time in Westminster, the smel…
Yes; I agree with my hon. Friend’s point and I will develop it further.
Like my hon. Friend’s constituency, towns such as Poole are desperate for good quality, affordable and secure housing—I would argue council housing—for local families, rather than the developer-led luxury waterside apartments t…
+8 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
23 April 2026
2 contributions
Public Procurement
2. What steps he is taking to improve transparency in public procurement.
Since 2015, companies that donated to political parties have secured £60 billion-worth of Government contracts. This highlights everything that the public dislike about politics. Does the Minister therefore agree that for the sake of transparency and accountability, it is time to break the link betw…
Commons
Petition
22 April 2026
Hamworthy Fire Station
I rise to present a petition in support of my constituents in Poole who are opposed to the threatened closure of Hamworthy fire station. This petition sits alongside an online campaign led by the Fire Brigades Union, signed by over 16,700 people, and relates to wider proposed closures across Dorset …
Commons
Debate
20 April 2026
Security Vetting
Today’s statement may well be about process and procedure, but surely the real issue for the Prime Minister is why, when Peter Mandelson’s reputation was already known, he was ever considered for such an important role.
Commons
Debate
15 April 2026
5 contributions
Pension Schemes Bill
I would like to focus my remarks on Lords amendments 1 and 27, which I believe limit the Government’s ability to direct pension schemes away from what I regard as high-risk assets with an uncertain future. Ministers will recall that I put forward a series of proposals as the Bill passed through this…
In fact, I raised something very similar when the Bill passed through this House.
The investments that we could make through our pension funds could go into green energy, which is the growth engine of the future, as well as into affordable and social housing, which is so needed in this country. Tha…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
14 April 2026
Hidden Credit Liabilities: Role of the FCA
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Sir Roger. I thank my right hon. Friend the Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell) for securing this debate on an issue that has long been overlooked. I want to take this opportunity to tell Members about James and Becky Glanville, who are i…
Commons
Oral Questions
13 April 2026
Local Housing Allowance Rates
The gap between average rents and wages in Poole is among the widest in the country. Freezing the local housing allowance has clearly made that position worse. Will the Minister outline when the freeze will end and when we will see the allowance increase to reflect the actual housing costs that peop…
Commons
Proceedings
25 March 2026
Foreign Financial Influence and Interference: UK Politics
I welcome the measures announced today to tackle foreign interference in our elections. Will the Secretary of State go a step further and support my proposal to break the link between wealthy donors and the parties they help to elect by banning their firms from subsequently holding Government contra…
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 March 2026
2 contributions
Immigration Reforms
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Stringer.
I congratulate the hon. Member for Perth and Kinross-shire (Pete Wishart) on securing a very timely debate. In fact, it took only hours after the Home Secretary’s announcement on settlement rights for messages from worried constituents i…
I led a debate in this Chamber some months ago on the need for a certificate of common sponsorship, which would make sure that individuals coming over to this country and working in the care sector were not tied to a single employer and could move between employers, giving them the power rather than…
Commons
Oral Questions
9 March 2026
Immigration Policy
Last week, the Home Secretary mentioned that our immigration policy needed to be based on the idea of fairness. Is it fair to change the rules on indefinite leave to remain for those who are already making a contribution to our society and came here under the old rules? Will the Minister give those …
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 March 2026
Community Cohesion
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Dr Murrison. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby (John Slinger) on securing this timely and important debate.
Back in 2009, Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson wrote a book called “The Spirit Level”, in which they argued that material i…
Commons
Debate
10 February 2026
Pensions and Social Security
Our social security system is the bedrock of our welfare state, but for years, the safety net that it was meant to provide has been developing bigger and bigger holes, through which some of our most vulnerable citizens have fallen.
For our older generation, the state pension is the foundation on wh…
Commons
Oral Questions
10 February 2026
Ministry of Defence: Palantir Contracts
The Government’s ongoing relationship with Palantir is deeply concerning, given the company’s involvement in Israel’s crimes against the Palestinians. Palantir’s AI technology has been used to destroy entire neighbourhoods, schools and hospitals. If we claim to want an ethical foreign policy and pri…
Commons
Debate
3 February 2026
Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill
Five in six low-income households on universal credit are going without the essentials. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Trussell Trust say that the welfare system must provide the essentials of daily living— food, heating and so on—if we are to tackle deep-seated poverty in this country. Does…
Commons
Oral Questions
Work and Pensions
26 January 2026
Topical Questions
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Trussell Trust are campaigning for an essentials guarantee that would ensure that benefits cover the necessities for living. Does the Minister agree that the welfare state should be a universal safety net, not a trapdoor?
Commons
Ministerial Statement
21 January 2026
Water White Paper
Wessex Water, which serves my Poole constituency, was previously banned from paying bonuses to its company bosses. However, it was able to get around the ban by calling the payments something else or using other mechanisms to pay for failure. Will the Secretary of State therefore explain whether the…
Commons
Oral Questions
15 January 2026
2 contributions
Creative Industries: AI
6. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help protect the creative industries in the context of AI.
The Minister will know that big tech companies want to use songs, recordings and other creative work to train their AI models, without asking or paying the original creators. Does he agree with my union, the Musicians’ Union, that those working in our creative sector should be asked for consent to u…
Commons
Debate
12 January 2026
2 contributions
Finance (No. 2) Bill
Will the Minister give way?
I have been contacted—as has the Minister, I am sure—by a number of pensioners who are worried that they will pay tax on their state pension for the very first time. Which pensioners will be affected by the freeze in allowances, and how will any exemptions apply?