UK Parliament - Page 11

As MP for Arfon, I’ve witnessed first-hand the devastating impact of cavity wall insulation gone wrong. What was meant to be a solution to energy inefficiency has instead become a nightmare for many homeowners, particularly in western regions like my constituency, where

Infrastructure investment and procurement are critical functions of any Government. When done correctly, they can lead to improved transport connectivity, new housing, delivery of vital services such as water and sewerage, telecoms, and the correct energy infrastructure needed to keep the lights

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the energy crisis and a labour market grappling with record vacancy levels, have stifled growth and posed significant threats to the sustainability of our hospitality businesses. As the sector continues to recover from these

On Sunday 11 July 2021, the final of the men’s Euros at Wembley could have resulted in a tragic loss of life. That was the finding of the independent review conducted by Baroness Louise Casey into the events of that day. The

Over a decade ago, when Queen Elizabeth II was on the throne, the Succession to the Crown was changed by allowing the first-born Royal child to be in line for the Throne, regardless of its sex. The Succession to the Crown Act

You might not think that an MP who represents Stretford and Urmston, a constituency relatively close to central Manchester, would be interested in post offices in isolated communities, but last week I led a debate in parliament on this issue.  There are

I’m not someone who has ever shied away from saying what needs to be said. That’s certainly the case when I talk about our right to strong borders and saying no to the virtue signallers who stop us from deporting people who

It’s seventeen years ago since we had the terrible floods in Tewkesbury and across the country. In my area, around 1000 people had to move out of their homes and live in caravans for up to a year; paradoxically, we lost water

The United Kingdom established the Homes for Ukraine scheme in response to Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. We established three immigration routes to support Ukrainians wishing to come to or remain in the UK beyond their existing rights: the Ukraine sponsorship scheme,

Joint enterprise is the legal doctrine at the heart of a shocking miscarriage of justice that has seen thousands of people wrongfully jailed for life. It allows people to be given mandatory life sentences for crimes they did not commit or did

The relationship between Iraqi Kurdistanis and the UK, people and governments, goes back many decades but has emerged as a more enduring and vital alliance in the last third of a century and for great mutual benefit. Before that Kurdistanis, as they

The issue of freedom of religion and belief in Nigeria is close to my heart. I visited Nigeria in 2022 with the all-party parliamentary group for international freedom of religion or belief (APPG FoRB). We speak for those with Christian belief, those

Artificial Intelligence is dominating the headlines, from despicable deepfakes of Taylor Swift raising concerns in US politics to UK Government announcements of massive investment into AI research and regulation. AI will likely change every facet of our lives. So, it would be

The TSSOs (Tri-Service Safety Officers) model is unique to the force area of Devon and Cornwall. Nowhere else in the UK are officers employed, commissioned and deployed in the same integrated way they are in Devon and Cornwall. These officers, as the

Last year, a cloud of smoke drifted from the uplands to the West of Sheffield across the city, settling in Sheffield Hallam. Numerous people contacted me to complain about the poor air quality, reporting breathing troubles, coughing, and irritation to the eyes.

The greatest single action the UK could take to fight climate change, to guarantee our energy security, and create transformational economic opportunity for North Wales is to build large-scale nuclear development at Wylfa in my constituency of Ynys Môn. That is not

If there is one thing that unites us all, it is sporting or royal events, and the place we tend to gather is our local pub, the beating heart of all our communities. But as we all found last summer current licensing

On the 23rd of January, I secured a Westminster Hall debate on the ‘Future of human rights in Hong Kong’. The timing of the debate was particularly pertinent as it coincided with China’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the United Nations. The

Before entering the House of Commons, I worked in several libraries across Sheffield, and have seen first-hand vital work they do in helping to transform lives. Yet hundreds have been forced to close down over the last 14 years and the ones

Since my election in 2010, I have enjoyed meeting countless numbers of constituents, many with inspiring stories. There are some that particularly stand out and the Galli-Atkinson’s campaign is one, which is why I was grateful for the opportunity to raise the

Everyone is aware of the harms that smoking can pose. Rates are now at their lowest level since records began with only 12.9 per cent of the population being smokers and cigarette smoking is ever decreasing. We have seen laws being tightened,

Every weekend, like many MPs across the country, I love visiting different streets and blocks in my constituency of Putney, Southfields, Roehampton and Wandsworth Town. We have a wide range of housing types across our community, including the largest social housing estate

People are right to be concerned about the surge in persistent and severe absence. It risks a profound impact on educational attainment and longer-term outcomes. I have tabled a new Bill in Parliament to tackle this issue. I believe we should be

The death of Awaab Ishak in 2020, a two-year old who died from the effects of mould in his parents’ flat in Rochdale, should have been a morbid wakeup call to the Government to address child poverty. It seems like it wasn’t.

Two million older people in the UK are living in poverty, equating to one in six. Another million are sitting just above the poverty line, silently struggling to get by. This is a shocking number of people and highlights the Government’s failure

Last week, on Tuesday 16th January, I facilitated a 90 minute Westminster Hall debate in the subsidiary chamber of the House of Commons on the important subject of Trends in Excess Deaths. This followed on from my incredibly successful Adjournment Debate on

That figure is too high, of course, but significantly fewer people now die from this killer habit compared to over half a century ago. The fact that millions in this country have quit is a remarkable public health achievement, but we should

I was privileged to recently lead a Westminster Hall debate on behalf of the Petitions Committee about the allowances and tax arrangements for foster carers. I commend foster carers. They are remarkable and compassionate people who undertake the challenging and ever evolving

I am incredibly proud to be the Member of Parliament for Uxbridge and South Ruislip – somewhere I have lived all my life. It is a place that is dynamic and multicultural, whilst rooted in its traditions of entrepreneurship and community. Nowhere

The Rwanda Safety Bill has made it through the House of Commons. A government with an overall majority was never in nearly so much jeopardy of losing a vote on this flagship legislation as some news coverage suggested after Conservative backbenchers had

This week’s defeat of my Scotland (Self-Determination) Bill in the Commons Chamber served as an explicit rebuttal to claims down the centuries that the UK is a respectful and voluntary union of equal nations. This was the second time I brought my

With over 400 miles of coastline (the longest of any UK county), falling short of island status by a mere 2.5 miles of terrain, Cornwall continues to face a distinctive geographical challenge only found elsewhere in island communities. Counties in the middle

Access to free school meals for children with disabilities & special educational needs This week I led a debate on fair access to free school meals for disabled children and those with special educational needs, which I applied for after meeting a

The whole sorry tale of HS2 and how it hit the buffers has filled many column inches over the years. Costs had spiralled out of control and the government quite rightly pulled the plug last year on Phase 2 from Birmingham up

The Horizon scandal has quite rightly produced a massive public backlash and an outcry in the House of Commons with the government suddenly putting some urgency and thought into how to give redress to the hundreds of individuals who were so callously

This week I was successful in securing a debate in parliament on the cancellation of HS2 Phase 2a and Network North. As someone who has repeatedly called for investment from HS2 to instead be spent on better local and regional transport. News

Ella Roberta Adoo-Kissi Debrah should have been celebrating her 20th birthday next week. But her life was tragically cut short aged nine when she suffered a fatal asthma attack. Ella lived with her family near the heavily-congested south circular road in south

Afghanistan is the forgotten country. The loss of 455 UK military personnel, hundreds returning with life changing injuries and the manner of our departure in handing over the country to the very insurgents we went in to defeat, has all taken its

I was pleased to sponsor the Westminster Hall debate last week on the Governments ambition for a Smokefree Future, something I have been a strong advocate for during my time in Parliament. From the smoking ban in 2007 to standard packaging in

In the UK, we rightly celebrate the history and contribution to our country made by minorities, we do this with Black History Month and LGBT+ History Month as well as Pride and we highlight issues in events such as Islamophobia Awareness Month.

My constituent Ceri Menai-Davis contacted me after the loss of his six-year-old son Hugh to a rare cancer on 18 September 2021. He and his wife, Frances, had a terrible ordeal for more than 10 months, attending hospital and at times commuting

Labour’s Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones has today launched a comprehensive review into major infrastructure projects across the UK, aiming to bring an end to years of Conservative waste and major project failures. The review, which will be supported

Research from the charity Versus Arthritis suggests that over 20 million people in the UK – around a third of the population – live with a musculoskeletal (MSK) condition. It is estimated that one in 10 employees in the UK suffer from

As an MP, the most important part of my job is to listen to my constituents and do my very best to help them. There are cases that always stay with you. I will never forget the anguished words of a mother

Following the start of South Africa’s genocide case against Israel over the Gaza War at the International Court of Justice, two senior West Yorkshire MPs, Imran Hussain and Richard Burgon, have today announced a series of Parliamentary Evidence Panels to investigate similar

Sir Keir Starmer has today promised to end the scandal of plummeting child health outcomes over the last 14 years as he unveils a new ‘Child Health Action Plan’ to create the healthiest and happiest generation of children ever in Britain. Ahead

When we talk about malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), as we did in a Westminster Hall debate on 8th January, we are not just talking about a group of 21 diseases that exist in test tubes or petri dishes in a

I was first elected in 2017, a year after the EU referendum, on a platform whose central pillar included opposing a hard Tory EU Brexit. My first parliamentary term was defined by this issue. I vividly remember the seemingly endless late nights