Contributions
271 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Independent Schools: Regulation of ProprietorsI sincerely thank my hon. Friend the Member for City of Durham (Mary Kelly Foy) for calling this debate, for her excellent speech and for her important advocacy on this crucial…07 Jul 2026HANSARD Independent Schools: Regulation of ProprietorsI am grateful to my hon. Friend for her advocacy on this topic both in the Chamber and outside it. I am extremely concerned to hear of the practice that has been described this…07 Jul 2026HANSARD Early Years Funding: HampshireIt is an honour to serve under your chairship, Sir Alec. I thank the hon. Member for North East Hampshire (Alex Brewer) for securing this important debate, and all hon. Members…01 Jul 2026HANSARD Early Years Funding: HampshireI thank my hon. Friend and constituency neighbour for giving me the opportunity to thank the fantastic early years staff in my constituency of Reading West and Mid Berkshire and…01 Jul 2026HANSARDDraft Conversion Practices BillIf I may, I will start with an apology to the Opposition spokesperson, the hon. Member for East Grinstead and Uckfield (Mims Davies). I had intended my statement to be sent much…25 Jun 2026HANSARDDraft Conversion Practices BillI thank the hon. Lady for her questions. I am grateful for her party’s support for the principle of the legislation and look forward to engaging with her further as we go through…25 Jun 2026HANSARDDraft Conversion Practices BillThat is a really important question. Let me explain how this will work. It is my view that legitimate healthcare would not fall under the remit of this Bill in any way, shape or…25 Jun 2026HANSARDDraft Conversion Practices BillI thank my hon. Friend for all his work and support, and for his very important question. I can confirm that asexual people will be included in the remit of the Bill, because our…25 Jun 2026HANSARDDraft Conversion Practices BillI thank my hon. Friend for the many conversations I have had with him on this topic, and agree with him that people cannot consent to abuse. There is a provision in the Bill to…25 Jun 2026HANSARDDraft Conversion Practices BillI understand that the shadow Minister did not have my statement in enough time, but I am disappointed with the way that her comments have massively broadened and misrepresented…25 Jun 2026HANSARDDraft Conversion Practices BillI thank my hon. Friend for her question and for everything she did when she held my role to get us to a position where we are now able to publish the draft Bill. She did a great…25 Jun 2026HANSARDDraft Conversion Practices BillI thank my hon. Friend for her question and her conversations with me on this important topic. Let me be clear about what the Bill does. The legislation is symmetrical in its…25 Jun 2026HANSARDDraft Conversion Practices BillI am clear that the Bill will not impact the ability of parents to parent how they wish. The abuse thresholds, which I have set out several times this afternoon, are clear about…25 Jun 2026HANSARDDraft Conversion Practices BillI thank my hon. Friend for all his work campaigning for those freedoms. When considering the legislation, I reflected on the impact of my experiences growing up as a young lesbian…25 Jun 2026HANSARDDraft Conversion Practices BillI thank the hon. Lady for her support for the draft Bill and I look forward to engaging with her further on it. It is vital that we continue to defend and protect LGBT rights in…25 Jun 2026HANSARDDraft Conversion Practices BillI thank my hon. Friend for his support and engagement on this important topic. He is of course right: abuse is never acceptable, wherever we find it, and this is a really…25 Jun 2026HANSARDDraft Conversion Practices BillOn my hon. Friend’s last question, I can say that there will absolutely be time. One of the many merits of the pre-legislative scrutiny process is that we can work through those…25 Jun 2026HANSARDDraft Conversion Practices BillI agree with my hon. Friend wholeheartedly. As I said earlier, I really want to thank the brave people who have experienced these appalling practices for having the courage and…25 Jun 2026HANSARDDraft Conversion Practices BillI can confirm that the Bill is fully trans-inclusive, because abuse—no matter to whom—is unacceptable. I concur wholeheartedly with my hon. Friend’s sentiments about the…25 Jun 2026HANSARDDraft Conversion Practices BillI thank my hon. Friend for all his work on this important issue. I often reflect on the difference that a Labour Government made to my life, as well as the difference that this…25 Jun 2026