Contributions
281 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTaxesI voted against a motion saying that the payment should be a universal benefit, because I do not think that it should be universal, and I argued for where I thought it should be.…12 Nov 2025HANSARDTaxesThat is a fair question, and I will answer it. It is important that we do not return to the days when the Conservatives were in office and vanity projects wasted so much public…12 Nov 2025HANSARDTaxesI have never supported the two-child cap. The Conservatives introduced a two-tier benefit system that penalised younger families in a way that it does not penalise older families.…12 Nov 2025HANSARDTaxesThat is not a vote before the House right now, but I have been pretty clear in my answer. I never agreed with the cap when the Conservatives introduced it. They did terrible…12 Nov 2025HANSARDTaxesI was distracted by the chuntering of the hon. Member for Wyre Forest (Mark Garnier) and thought that he may have wanted to make an intervention. I will finish as I started. For…12 Nov 2025HANSARDTaxesI have confidence in the Chancellor to produce a Budget that will do the things that my constituents need it to. What my constituents are asking for, and what they voted for at…12 Nov 2025HANSARDTaxesI spoke to a business in my constituency that said it understands why the Chancellor made that decision. One of its biggest concerns is the number of days that it loses to…12 Nov 2025HANSARDTaxesWas the hon. Member a Conservative in 2010, when George Osborne promised not to put up VAT, or in 2019, when Boris Johnson promised not to put up any taxes—both of them made…12 Nov 2025HANSARDTaxesI will refer to the hon. Gentleman’s comments about my contribution. Perhaps because our constituencies are different, his constituents do not face the same challenges as mine.…12 Nov 2025HANSARDTaxesWhat the hon. Gentleman says about healthcare is not quite credible. I appreciate that his researchers will have tried to find a statistic that works for his speech, but it is…12 Nov 2025HANSARDTaxesI think that the hon. Gentleman was in the Chamber when I read out a list of the billions of pounds of profligate spending by the Conservative party in government. I am pleased…12 Nov 2025HANSARDPrisoner Releases in ErrorAt the weekend, I was visited in my constituency surgery by one of the many hard-working prison officers from Durham—himself a victim of the chaos in the justice system that the…11 Nov 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsPeople in Crook and Tow Law are excited by the £20 million that the Chancellor is investing in our area through the pride in place scheme. After years of decline under the…04 Nov 2025HANSARDYouth Services: Deprived Communities1. What steps her Department has taken to support the delivery of youth services in deprived communities.16 Oct 2025HANSARDYouth Services: Deprived CommunitiesAs a young man who owes as much to youth theatre as to my schooling for giving me the confidence to speak in this place, I know the importance of youth services. I am really…16 Oct 2025HANSARDEngagementsQ11. Between 2021 and 2023, 41 mental health patients in the care of the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust lost their lives. That led to a damning report from NHS…15 Oct 2025HANSARD Child Risk Disclosure SchemeI thank my hon. Friend for her excellent speech. Like all people around Durham, I have been deeply touched by Maya’s case. When I first heard about it, I have to admit that I…14 Oct 2025HANSARD Employment Rights BillIt will not surprise my hon. Friend to hear that I completely agree with that assessment. They are clearly not on the side of my constituents or the people I am talking about, who…15 Sept 2025HANSARD Employment Rights BillI draw the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests—like most Labour Members, I am proud to be supported by trade unions. Others have…15 Sept 2025HANSARD Employment Rights BillI absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. That is what the Bill speaks to. There is a power gap between the ordinary working person who does not necessarily know their rights and is…15 Sept 2025