Contributions
160 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Pride in PlaceI am delighted that this Labour Government are investing £20 million into Weston and a further £1.5 million into the wider Southampton Itchen constituency. Ideas are already…15 Oct 2025HANSARDDigital IDI thank my right hon. Friend for her statement and her comments on digital inclusion. Will she say a bit more about how the inclusion strategy might address some of the challenges…13 Oct 2025HANSARD Early Education and ChildcareI thank the Minister for his statement. As schools and early years providers start the new term across Southampton this week, we have two new nurseries—at St Mary’s Church of…04 Sept 2025HANSARD English Devolution and Community Empowerment BillI really welcome this pivotal Bill. When I was deputy leader of Southampton city council, I saw at first hand how local decisions made by local people were transformative for the…02 Sept 2025HANSARD English Devolution and Community Empowerment BillI thank my hon. Friend and near neighbour for making that point. Absolutely, boundary changes must be looked at sympathetically by Ministers. I hope to get that reassurance in…02 Sept 2025HANSARD Giving Every Child the Best Start in LifeI agree that it is crucial to measure the progress of our children in key subjects to give them the best opportunities in life, but does the shadow Minister not accept, as I and…16 Jul 2025HANSARD Giving Every Child the Best Start in LifeIt is a pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central (Gareth Snell), although I feel I am breaking a run of excellent speeches from the Staffordshire…16 Jul 2025HANSARD Giving Every Child the Best Start in LifeI thank my hon. Friend for his intervention and I wish him every success in his constituency with the pilot breakfast clubs. We have all welcomed in the last week a restoring—let…16 Jul 2025HANSARD Giving Every Child the Best Start in LifeMy hon. Friend paints the picture of the crowning glory of the previous Labour Government, in the Sure Start centres, not just because they were a nice feelgood thing but because…16 Jul 2025HANSARD Giving Every Child the Best Start in LifeI am delighted to hear that each of these Best Start family hubs will have a fully trained and professional SEND co-ordinator to support families. Could the Minister say a bit…16 Jul 2025HANSARDWelfare SpendingMy hon. Friend is making an incredibly powerful speech about the resilience of her community and the action that this Labour Government are taking. Her constituents, like mine,…15 Jul 2025HANSARDTaxesWill the right hon. Gentleman give way?15 Jul 2025HANSARDTaxesWhile the shadow Chancellor is engaging in such fascinating whataboutery at the Dispatch Box, will he take the opportunity to say which of the 25 tax increases in the last…15 Jul 2025HANSARDEngagementsMay I associate myself with the Prime Minister’s remarks? At a recent coffee morning, residents in Southampton Itchen told me how much they still miss the Bitterne NHS walk-in…09 Jul 2025HANSARDEngagementsQ1. If he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 9 July.09 Jul 2025HANSARD Giving Every Child the Best Start in LifeTwenty five years ago this year, the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair, joined my predecessor, John Denham, in opening one of the first Sure Start centres in the country, on the…07 Jul 2025HANSARDUniversal Credit and Personal Independence Payment BillI am coming to a conclusion. Let us build a system that is sustainable, but that is, above all, just and fair.01 Jul 2025HANSARDUniversal Credit and Personal Independence Payment BillMy hon. Friend makes an important point that I hope the Minister will confirm. There are other assurances that many of us would like to hear from the Dispatch Box today, including…01 Jul 2025HANSARDUniversal Credit and Personal Independence Payment BillI speak as a signatory to the reasoned amendment tabled by my hon. Friend the Member for Hackney South and Shoreditch (Dame Meg Hillier), because I recognised, as many across the…01 Jul 2025HANSARDUniversal Credit and Personal Independence Payment BillMost of the answer to that question is obviously a matter for the Minister, but I do not want to delay the uplift in universal credit, so I am willing to vote that through today.…01 Jul 2025