Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
8 July 2026
Engagements
Q3. Over the past week, rules and regulations have come understandably under sharp focus, but even more important than rules and regulations is the law. On that topic, I believe there are a number of things that everyone in the House can agree on and feel proud about: phrases such as “without fear o…
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
10 June 2026
Engagements
Q9. If any member of the public wishes to visit a major sporting or music event, they can expect to be searched on the way in. If they bring a bottle of water, the lid will be taken. If they order a drink from the bar, it will be served in a plastic cup. That is done for security reasons, yet becaus…
Commons
Proceedings
10 June 2026
Speaker’s Statement
Q9. If any member of the public wishes to visit a major sporting or music event, they can expect to be searched on the way in. If they bring a bottle of water, the lid will be taken. If they order a drink from the bar, it will be served in a plastic cup. That is done for security reasons, yet becaus…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
2 March 2026
Middle East
Although I might not agree with all the conclusions that the Prime Minister has drawn, I am very grateful for the reverence and caution that he shows, and for the respect for human life that he has been trying to demonstrate. The limited time he had over the weekend to make decisions on how best to …
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
28 January 2026
Engagements
Q13. G R Carr is a business in Burnt Mills in my constituency with more than half a century of experience in steel manufacturing and fabrication. It is exactly the kind of medium-sized business that builds this country and that we should be championing. Following my visit to the business last week, …
Commons
Westminster Hall
26 January 2026
Animal Rescue Centres
It is a pleasure to speak under your chairmanship, Sir Alec. I thank everybody involved with the petition, whether they put their name to it or got it off the ground.
Just outside my constituency of South Basildon and East Thurrock, there was an incident in which the remains of 37 dogs were found, …
Commons
Westminster Hall
26 January 2026
2 contributions
Key Stage 1 Curriculum
I thank the hon. Member for South Cotswolds (Dr Savage) for her exceptionally detailed and very interesting opening speech.
I have had the tremendous privilege of visiting several schools in my constituency, and I think all Members will agree that there are a few things that warm the heart more tha…
I am very grateful to the hon. Member for giving way at this last moment. Does she agree with me that these debates are called debates for a reason, and that where there is an overwhelming outcome to a debate—one way or the other—we expect the Minister, regardless of who they are or what party they …
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
12 January 2026
2 contributions
Local Elections: Basildon and Thurrock
13. What recent discussions he has had with Basildon and Thurrock councils on proposals to postpone the local elections of May 2026.
I appreciate the Minister’s answer about this being locally led, but there are genuine concerns that the criteria that may be put forward as a justification to cancel elections locally do not meet the standard expected by my residents. What checks and balances does the Minister have in place to ensu…
Commons
Westminster Hall
8 December 2025
2 contributions
Digital ID
Thank you for saving me until last, Ms Furniss. With Christmas around the corner, the squats from bobbing will come in very handy.
The proposal to introduce digital ID represents one of the most significant changes to the relationship between the individual and the state in modern British history. …
That is a good point very well made, and it brings me to another point, which has not been raised in this debate: although the Government state that digital ID is optional—at least, at this stage—for the taxpayer, the cost is not optional. If they go ahead with it, we are all paying for it whether w…
Commons
Oral Questions
24 November 2025
2 contributions
Homelessness Guidance
12. What steps he is taking to improve homelessness guidance for local government.
Ministers will be well aware that the maximum period of time for which the most vulnerable people should ever be placed in temporary accommodation is six weeks, but I have seen repeatedly from Labour-run Basildon council a tweaking and gaming of the rules, whereby a single-room bed and breakfast pro…
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
19 November 2025
Engagements
Q7. It is an open secret that the gig economy is a magnet for organised crime and illegal workers. As Christmas approaches and demand increases, so do the associated risks. Will the Prime Minister please explain why enforcement in this area is so low and what he will do to restore order?
Commons
Oral Questions
Home Department
17 November 2025
2 contributions
Channel Crossings
7. What steps she is taking to reduce the cost to the public purse of migrants who have crossed the channel illegally.
According to a recent National Audit Office report, £15.3 billion will be spent on asylum accommodation alone over the next 10 years. That money will be spent on people who will, in some instances, commit violent and sexual crimes—crimes that would make our skin crawl—against the British people. Wha…
Commons
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister
29 October 2025
Engagements
Q2. Earlier this week, I got to see the very best and some of the worst of our national health service. When my own daughter needed it, it was there, but when an 89-year-old gentleman in the restaurant I was eating at collapsed, it took over an hour and 15 minutes from my first call to the arrival o…
Commons
Westminster Hall
27 October 2025
2 contributions
Holidays During School Term Time
Would the hon. Member agree that, while price controls are a nice idea in theory, they are a terrible idea in practice? Supply and demand ultimately dictate the price of something so, while it is a nice suggestion, it would not work in real life. Does he agree?
It is an honour to speak under your chairmanship, Ms Lewell. I thank the hon. Member for Keighley and Ilkley (Robbie Moore) for securing this debate, and for a remark that he made during his opening speech, which I think we can all thoroughly agree with: everyone in this debate, regardless of view, …
Commons
Oral Questions
13 October 2025
Topical Questions
The Secretary of State and the other Ministers on the Front Bench have to great fanfare today talked about responsible governance, but Basildon council and its Labour leader have repeatedly failed to meet basic housing standards. Worse than that, its leader has gone live on social media to admit to …
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
9 June 2025
Social Housing Supply
My constituency is seeing approximately 60,000 new homes being built across the Basildon and Thurrock areas. Basildon hospital is consistently running at 98% capacity, and a school I visited today, which I was very proud to see in such a good state, has roughly 1,100 pupil applications for 300 avail…
Commons
Ministerial Statement
22 May 2025
Diego Garcia Military Base
I am concerned about the influence of foreign nations levied through the criminal courts. If it is not too vague, I should like to read out a very brief quote:
“A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.”
Given that this land was always going to be ours and…
Commons
Westminster Hall
22 May 2025
4 contributions
EU-UK Summit
As with anything, when the terms are unclear there is a big risk of unintended consequences. Given that 60 million people in the EU are under 30 and that the scheme does nothing for the immigration issues we are already facing, does my hon. Friend agree that those unintended consequences could be qu…
On that point, I invite the hon. Gentleman to elaborate on what he thinks it might mean that the Government scrapped the European Scrutiny Committee.
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Proceedings
12 May 2025
Points of Order
Further to that point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I will correct the record very briefly now. As the hon. Member for Thurrock (Jen Craft) is aware, I had received multiple verbal notices that discussions were being had between Thurrock and other councils in the area, so I put in a freedom of inf…
Commons
Debate
7 May 2025
Havering Borough and Essex Devolution
The hon. Member makes a important point about ULEZ. In my constituency, there has been huge concern about the creep of ULEZ. Though denied, I understand that there have been conversations between local councils about Thurrock joining London. Does he agree that Thurrock, like his own constituency, is…