UK Parliament - Page 3

The benefits of outdoor education experiences are obvious to anyone who has ever gone for a hike through a muddy field while wrestling with an Ordnance Survey map, abseiled, spent the night camped in a lakeland forest, climbed a rockface or kayaked

Last year, NHS funding was a key issue for so many candidates ahead of the general election, particularly for myself and the Liberal Democrats. This issue is deeply personal to me, with my wife having worked for the NHS for longer than

Having led a debate just last week in which I bemoaned various government policy decisions – such as cuts in real terms to the UKRI budget, the shelving of the exascale supercomputer in Edinburgh, and a general lack of investment in specialist

Long-term health conditions are one of the greatest challenges facing our NHS and our society. Addressing this will take more than short-term fixes. It requires a determined, coordinated, and sustained effort. We have been promised a long-term plan for the NHS, and

One of the most striking things about working in the pro-life movement is how often we’re told our views are “extreme” or “out of touch.” Yet, when you actually ask people — when you listen to them, not the headlines — a

As an ex-miner and Member of Parliament for a coalfield community, I have been contacted numerous times by both constituents and non-constituents, about the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme, otherwise known as the BCSSS. It’s a topic close to my heart, as

Tool theft is not a minor inconvenience. It is a devastating, growing crime that is hitting tradespeople across the country, often with no accountability and no justice. Over the last year, I have been campaigning to change that. It’s time our justice

Space. The final frontier, or an extraordinary opportunity? The stuff of science fiction, or the way to drive productivity in our economy? Space today is both unique and ubiquitous. Who knows that when you tap your credit card on the tube ticket

Last week, the Strategic Defence Review containing the Government’s plans to rebuild our armed forces was unveiled. We also voted on an Armed Forces’ Commissioner Bill. The Commissioner will be an independent person for serving personnel and their families to raise problems

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is not just a national crisis – it is a moral emergency. In the West Midlands, the scale of this crisis is staggering. Every 30 seconds, a woman or girl reports an incident of violence to

Animal protection is an issue I care deeply about and have done ever since I was a teenager. It’s one of the causes that took me into politics and to Parliament – a commitment to improving the way we treat farm animals.

In the past four years, maternity wards across England have closed their doors more than 2,200 times. That is not a typo. According to House of Commons Library date, between May 2020 and April 2024, 2,201 closures were reported by NHS trusts—848

When you’re elected to Parliament, you’re full of ideas. After walking countless miles, knocking thousands of doors, and speaking to even more people, you know by heart the issues that your area is facing, and the barriers that stand in the way

It was an honour to lead the Westminster Hall debate on the decriminalisation of abortion on 2 June 2025. My speech focussed on whether abortion should be de-criminalised. While a small number of MPs spoke passionately against decriminalisation, most MPs favoured this

Every high street should be a place where families feel safe, businesses can thrive, and communities come together, but for too long, too many have been allowed to fall into decline. Last week in Westminster Hall, I stood to debate police visibility

The British public opposes attempts to decriminalise abortion and believes that the criminal law provides “clear boundaries” and protects “everyone involved” finds a major new poll from Whitestone Insight. Asked if “Having an illegal abortion should continue to be a criminal offence

Members of Parliament are deeply concerned about inadequate safeguards in Kim Leadbeater’s assisted dying bill for women and those with eating disorders such as anorexia finds a major new poll from Care Not Killing. The poll, from Whitestone Insight a member of

I write this to the dwindling number of people who question why many MPs, including myself, have been dedicating increasing time to speaking out strongly against the Israeli government’s conduct in Gaza, and our own government’s role in enabling its behaviour. Since

For nearly a quarter of a century, I have stood in the House of Commons as the Member of Parliament for Romford, the town where I was born, raised, educated, and have lived all my life. Yet, for as long as I

New analysis from the Fabian Society, released today, shows living standards declined under the 2019-2024 government for the first time on record. The report, Better off: A plan to improve living standards in one parliament, funded by abrdn Financial Fairness Trust outlines

For more than 15 years, NHS buildings have suffered from chronic neglect. Emergency departments have been flooded by burst pipes, operating theatres have been shut down due to electrical failures, and maternity wards have lacked the basic facilities needed to provide dignified

Before being elected as the MP for Ealing Southall, I was the national officer for disability equality at the country’s biggest trade union, UNISON. I was also a shop steward for many years, representing people with problems at work. Astoundingly, about two-thirds

In an age of self-driving cars and space tourism, it is astonishing that many people in rural Britain still can’t reliably make a phone call or load a web page. I represent Frome and East Somerset, a largely rural constituency, and earlier

Ten-minute rule motions offer MPs an opportunity to seek permission to introduce a Bill to Parliament. While Bills introduced this way go to the end of the long queue of Private Members’ Bills and so don’t make progress, they are in important

For all the headlines one of the most striking things about the Government’s ill-advised reset summit with the EU on 19 May was that there was not a great deal of substance and for most purposes it amounted to little more than

Just before the Whitsun recess, I held a debate in Westminster Hall to highlight a devastating condition that has been ignored for far too long: Chronic Urinary Tract Infections. For thousands of women, this illness is not just painful, it is life-destroying.

We often debate difficult issues in Parliament but few matters have shaken me as deeply as the systematic abduction of Ukrainian children by Russian forces. When I stood to open the recent Westminster Hall debate on this very subject, joined by colleagues

At the end of April, I called an Adjournment Debate on Government support for people in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, in response to the horror, frustration and guilt my constituents told me they were feeling as the horrors in Gaza and the

Earlier this week, in my role as a member of the Petitions Committee, I had the privilege of leading a Westminster Hall debate on e-petition 701159, which calls for transgender people to be able to self-identify their legal gender. With over 127,000

Despite the UK currently enjoying some very welcome warm weather, the reality is that as a nation we experience considerable rainfall – regrettably the threat of inland flooding is a reality for far too many residents. In my Mid Norfolk constituency, we

We are fortunate to have so many amazing pubs in the UK. In my own constituency the pubs Reigate, Redhill, Banstead and our villages, are far more than just a place to have a pint. They are the heart and soul of

Each April, Parkinson’s Awareness Month reminds us of the 150,000+ people in the UK living with this complex, progressive neurological condition. But awareness alone is not enough. As I highlighted in a recent debate I lead on Parkinson’s care on 21st may,

“Life or death for a young child too often depends on whether he or she is born in a country where vaccines are available or not”. Those were the words of Gavi’s inaugural Board Chair, Nelson Mandela, over 20 years ago. The

The atrocities committed by Daesh — also known as Islamic State — between 2014 and 2017 represent one of the gravest human rights failures of our time. During this period, across Syria and Iraq, Daesh waged a brutal campaign of terror against

By common agreement housing affordability has reached crisis point across Britain, whether for renting or buying. Successive governments have adopted a variety of tactical fixes such as help-to-buy and stamp duty amnesties. In the long term, these simply fed back into another

The quiet, often unseen work of coroner services forms a crucial pillar of our society – a system we will all rely upon someday. Yet this vital service faces a crisis that demands urgent government attention. The delays in the post-mortem process

It is now just shy of two years since my Private Members Bill, the Carers Leave Act, received Royal Assent, and a little over a year since the necessary regulations passed to enact the legislation. It came after years of work by

During a recent Adjournment Debate in the House of Commons, I raised a concern that, at first glance, might seem niche — the decline of traditional neon sign-making. But behind the warm glow of vintage shopfronts and buzzing signs lies a story

I don’t doubt that Donald Trump thinks it is a good thing to strike a deal with the U.K. that reduces his damaging tariffs on our products. But I don’t know what he might think about it in a month’s time, or

Last week, I led a Westminster Hall debate on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and its impact upon glass packaging manufacturers. EPR is intended to hold packaging manufacturers responsible for the costs of managing their products throughout their lifecycle, rendering them cost neutral

This Government has rightly prioritised growth across the whole country, developing industrial strategies and securing new trade deals along with record levels of corporate investment in sectors such as renewable energy and AI. What does that really mean for communities like Rossendale

The abattoir sector is in crisis. A worrying, and steady decline of small abattoirs now sees just 60 left in 2023 and given that they have been closing at an alarming rate of 10% per year, those remaining may well disappear altogether

The Assisted Dying Bill currently going through its parliamentary stages has shone a spotlight on the quality of care given to people approaching the end of their lives. This has been further amplified by the recent horrific accounts of patients dying on

I recently led a debate in Westminster Hall on a subject close to my heart: the cultural contributions of Staffordshire. I called for it not just to mark Staffordshire Day, but to speak up for a county whose cultural legacy must not

The public are deeply worried about the “perfect storm” of MPs legalising assisted dying, while pushing through savage benefit cuts impacting disabled people, finds a new poll. Asked if they agreed with the statement: “I would be worried about the timing of

In a country as wealthy as the United Kingdom, it is a tragedy that so many communities are left behind. Glasgow North East, where I have the honour of serving as Member of Parliament, is a stark example of this. It is

In marking the eightieth anniversary of VE Day, it is important to recognise the special contribution made by Northern Ireland to UK national defence in the Second World War and, crucially, its public policy implications for us today. Given the relatively small

Members of Parliament are turning against Kim Leadbeater’s Assisted Dying Bill, finds a “bombshell” poll from Care Not Killing. The poll of over 100 MPs, carried out over March and April, at the same time the Bill Committee was scrutinising the draft

Anti-social behaviour is a blight on our communities, and nowhere is this more evident than in Dudley. From vandalism and intimidation to dangerous joyriding on off-road bikes, persistent disorder, theft, drug dealing, and the ever-frustrating issue of fly-tipping, these behaviours strike at